Research article · 2023 · Full text
International Journal of Horticulture and Food ScienceDesign of experimental lily plantation in Sundarbans
Volume 5(2) · Pages 53–55 · DOI: 10.33545/26631067.2023.v5.i2a.187 ↗
Research areasAgricultural and Environmental Management
Abstract
Author-writtenAn experiment is conducted in the Sundarbans delta region to determine if lilies can be successfully grown in the area. The experiment used a uniformity trial approach to evaluate the quality of the soil, and the results show that the coastal weather, frequent cyclonic storms, humid climate, and soil condition had little to no effect on the plantation. The statistical analysis of the data collected from the plantation site shows that all the plants have matured simultaneously, indicating that plantation of lilies in the Sundarbans Delta is environmentally feasible.
Summary
Source-checkedPlain-language reading of the full paper, prepared with AI and checked against the text. Each point links to the authors' own words.
Why it matters
- Lilies are typically found in northern hemisphere temperate regions and are not native to deltaic environments. View evidence ↗
The question
- The study aimed to determine if lilies could be successfully grown in the Sundarbans delta region. View evidence ↗
What they did
- The researchers used a uniformity trial design to evaluate the quality of the soil for lily growth. View evidence ↗
- Lily seeds were sown in clusters at regular intervals, achieving a germination rate of nearly 90%. View evidence ↗
- The experimental setup consisted of a row of 11 clusters spaced 1 meter apart in a straight line. View evidence ↗
- The plantation was grown for 5 years without the application of any manure or fertilizer. View evidence ↗
- A Chi-Squared test for goodness-of-fit was used to determine if the survival rate was similar across all clusters. View evidence ↗
What they found
- The resulting lily stems grew densely with an average height between 2 and 2.5 feet. View evidence ↗
- Each cluster averaged approximately 10 adult stems, with each stem producing 3 to 5 blooms. View evidence ↗
- Statistical analysis failed to reject the null hypothesis, indicating that the number of mature lily stems per cluster was effectively equal. View evidence ↗
- The study found that soil conditions, humid climate, coastal weather, and frequent cyclonic storms had little to no negative effect on the plantation. View evidence ↗
What it means
- The authors conclude that planting lilies in the Sundarbans Delta is environmentally feasible based on the 5-year survival rate and statistical analysis. View evidence ↗
Visual summary
2 visualsIllustrations explain the paper; charts are replotted from the paper's own table values.
Experimental Layout
AI-generated conceptual illustration (lily plants in a coastal soil plot). It explains the idea and does not show study data.
View source evidence ↗
Lily Stems / Adults and Infants and more: 1 vs 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 5
Replotted from Table 1 (page 2) of the original paper. Every bar is the paper's own table value.
View source evidence ↗Figures & tables
From the original paper
Table 1
Table 2
Figure 1
Figure 2Introduction
Once in full bloom, the peach-pink coloured lily flowers are truly a sight to behold [1] . Such a site can be seen on a small plot of land in the Kakdwip region of the Sundarbans delta [2] . The experiment was designed to mimic a uniformity trial. For context, a uniformity trial is an experiment that is conducted to ascertain the quality of the soil. Only a single variety of crops are used, and the type of treatment (fertilizer or manure) utilized is also one or none. Fertility contour maps are thereby created by computing the yield of different regions of the plot [3] . To remove biases, a fallow [4] row running through the middle of the plot was selected for the experiment. Lily seeds, sown as clusters at regular intervals (Figure 1), germinated with a germination rate close to 90% [5] . No treatment had been applied to the soil when sowing the seeds. Despite intensive care, some saplings were trampled upon by local stray dogs, cranes, and birds. Care of the plantation was also impossible during waterlogged monsoon seasons, and frequent cyclonic storms [2,6,7] . At present, the lily stems cluster densely together, attaining an average height of 2-2.5 feet. The row consists of a total of 11 clusters. Around 10 adult stems (Table 1) can be found in each cluster on average, each stem apexing into 3-5 lily blooms (Figure 2). The plantation, now, reveals a dense and stable flowering "lilygarden" having attained maturity after 5 years of growth period. The application of statistical methods for a feasibility study is necessary to determine the environmental impact on the existing plants. Each cluster houses approximately 12 lily stems (Table 1). And the straight-line distance between the clusters is 1 m (Figure 1). For the entire 5 years of its lifetime, the plantation has not been treated with any fertilizer or manure. A lack of nutrients in the soil as well as an unsuitable climate may have different physicochemical effects on the clusters. To determine if all the clusters exhibit similar survival rate, statistical methods such as a test for goodness-of-fit pertain to the present study.
| Cluster | Lily Stems | — | — |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adults | Infants | Total | |
| 1 | 11 | 1 | 12 |
| 2 | 16 | 1 | 17 |
| 3 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | 8 | 2 | 10 |
| 5 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| 6 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| 7 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| 8 | 13 | 1 | 14 |
| 9 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| 10 | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| 11 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Total | 120 | 8 | 128 |
| Mean | 10.90909 | 0.727273 | 11.63636 |
Table text extracted from the original PDF; superscript letters are shown inline. The original table image is below.
View original table image
Results and Discussion
The Chi Squared (χ 2 ) Test for Goodness of Fit is performed to test the null hypothesis ) that the number of lily stems is the same in each cluster against the alternative hypothesis that the null is not true.
The test statistic is given by where in The test statistic follows a distribution with degrees of freedom [8] . To test the hypotheses, both the adult and infant stems are considered together as mature plants to avoid complicacy of the computation.
The calculated value comes out to be 7.09375 (Table 2). At α = 0.05 level of significance, the critical value of for (k -1 = 11 -1 =) 10 degrees of freedom. Therefore, . Based on the observed data, the test fails to reject the null hypothesis at the given level of significance. That is, the number of mature lily stems per cluster may be considered equal.
| Cluster | O | E | — |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | 11.63636 | 0.011364 |
| 2 | 17 | 11.63636 | 2.472301 |
| 3 | 8 | 11.63636 | 1.136364 |
| 4 | 10 | 11.63636 | 0.230114 |
| 5 | 14 | 11.63636 | 0.480114 |
| 6 | 13 | 11.63636 | 0.159801 |
| 7 | 8 | 11.63636 | 1.136364 |
| 8 | 14 | 11.63636 | 0.480114 |
| 9 | 10 | 11.63636 | 0.230114 |
| 10 | 9 | 11.63636 | 0.597301 |
| 11 | 13 | 11.63636 | 0.159801 |
| Total | 128 | 128 | 7.09375 |
Table text extracted from the original PDF; superscript letters are shown inline. The original table image is below.
View original table image
Conclusion
Generally found in the temperate regions of the globe in the northern hemisphere, lilies are not native to the deltaic region. Lilies thrive under the sun. The alkaline soil of the Sundarbans along with the moist coastal climate [2] was a major concern of the experiment. However, the test for goodness of fit performed on the data collected from the plantation site of lilies reveals that all the plants have matured simultaneously. A failure of the test would have implied that each cluster could not support an equal number of lily plants. A large variance in the number of stems recorded in each cluster would have led to such a failure. However, the experiment shows that the coastal weather, frequent cyclonic storms, humid climate, and soil condition had little to no effect on the plantation leading to a hypothetical equality in the number of stems in each cluster with a high germination rate. Backed by the 5 years of survival of the plants in the present experimental setup, the result obtained from the statistical analysis provides solid ground for concluding that plantation of lilies in the Sundarbans Delta is environmentally feasible.
References
5 in the original paper- Yamagishi M. How genes paint lily flowers: Regulation of colouration and pigmentation patterning. Scientia Horticulturae. 2013;136:27-36.
- Sanders HG. A note on the value of uniformity trials for subsequent experiments. The Journal of Agricultural Science. 1930;20(1):63-73.
- Baradwal H, Ghosh A, Kumar A. Ecological restoration of degraded lands with alternate land use systems improves soil functionality in semiarid tropical India. Land Degradation & Development. 2022;33(7):10761087. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.4225
- Nasimova ZH, Tashpulatov YS, Mukumov IU. Methods for Initial Propagation of Species and Varieties of Ornamental Lily (Lilium L.). Student Science in 2023. Samara, Russia; c2023.
- Das NR. Missing Fishing Trawlers in Sundarbans. Indian Science Cruiser. 2022;36(5):39-41.
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