Vol. 7, Issue 10, Part B (2025)

Salinity is an increasingly pervasive abiotic stress in coastal plantations, posing serious constraints on the cultivation of ornamental and floricultural crops such as lilies (genus Lilium). Prior investigations on cut-flower lily hybrids have revealed that salt stress significantly impairs growth, morphophysiological traits, chlorophyll fluorescence, and flower quality [1][2]. However, the responses of different lily cultivars under experimentally designed coastal field conditions, where saline water intrusion and soil salt buildup prevail, remain poorly characterised. In this research, we evaluated multiple lily cultivars in a coastal plantation design, imposing graded salinity treatments and assessing variation in morphological growth (plant height, leaf area, flower number and size) together with physiological indicators (chlorophyll content, Fv/Fm fluorescence, Na⁺/K⁺ ratios) and postharvest flower quality. Our objectives were to: -

(i) Quantify cultivar specific morpho physiological responses to salinity in a coastal plantation scenario,

(ii) Identify tolerant vs sensitive cultivars for coastal floriculture, and

(iii) Elucidate key traits that underpin salinity tolerance in lily production systems. We hypothesise that: -

a) Higher salinity levels will reduce growth and flower quality across all cultivars,

b) Tolerant cultivars will maintain higher photosynthetic efficiency and lower Na⁺ accumulation, and

c) Cultivar salinity interaction will show significant differential responses, offering selection opportunities for coastal salt affected floriculture.

One specially designed plantation layout was adapted for a Sundarbans type coastal zone. The findings are expected to support cultivar selection and salinity management strategies in coastal lily production [3][4][5].