Identification of Novel Variants of Three Zephyranthes Species Through Multilocation Assessment

Abstract

Zephyranthes spp. (Rain lily) are priced ornamentals known for their brightly coloured flowers that gently naturalize the surroundings. They contain rich sources of alkaloids that are well known for their pharmacological activities. Breeding work in rain lily is extensively difficult;  it is performed to add value as ornamentals. The present study was undertaken to identify and develop three novel variants of Zephyranthes- Z. rosea, Z. citrina, Z. candida through multilocation assessment. Initial field trial was conducted with fifteen germplasm for each species during spring 2018, 2019 and identified one lines for each species- RRL-PRL-05 (Z. rosea), RRL-YRL-02 (Z. candida) and RRL-WRL-27 (Z. citrina). RRL-PRL-05 with bright pink flowers and flat, broad leaves; RRL-YRL-02 showed bright yellow flowers with flat narrow leaves while RRL-WRL-27 showed white flowers with fine hairlike leaves. Multilocation study conducted for two consecutive years showed the identified lines to be stable for quantitative characters and colour combinations. Bangladesh J. Bot. 53(2): 265-271, 2024 (June)