Malheur Experiment Station Information for Sustainable Agriculture

TECHNIQUES TO TRANSPLANT CORN LILY (VERATRUM CALIFORNICUM)

Clinton Shock, Erik Feibert, Cheryl Parris, and Lamont Saunders, Malheur Experiment Station,Oregon State University,Ontario, OR

Introduction

Corn lily (Veratrum californicum) is of interest because it has the potential to provide pharmaceutical precursors for use against cancer. One method of establishing plantings of corn lily could be to transplant rhizomes from the wild to agricultural fields. If corn lily seedlings are grown in a nursery for use in a plantation, they would also need to be transplanted into a production field. Prior experience over the last half century suggests that corn lily does not transplant well. Failure of successful transplanting could be due to the handling of the plants or to the nature of the site where they are transplanted.

Does very slight desiccation of corn lily prior to planting affect rhizome growth? To avoid desiccation, the rhizomes might have to be kept cool and moist until planted. Does transplanting introduce or spread disease in the corn lily root systems? Should rhizomes be treated with fungicides prior to planting? Does undue loss of roots prior to planting affect rhizome growth? Potential removal of roots prior to planting could provide a source of raw material for the pharmaceutical industry. This trial tested five rhizome preplant treatments for their effect on corn lily transplanting success and subsequent plant growth.

McCall, Idaho should be a favorable site for transplanting, with enough irrigation, because corn lily grows naturally in the moist areas there. Transplanting corn lily to Ontario, Oregon should be considered a less favorable site, since it has a lower elevation and hotter climate than where corn lily naturally occurs in this region (2,900 to 10,000 ft)

Materials and Methods (Ontario and McCall)

Corn lily rhizomes for this trial were collected in early October, 2009 from the Manti-La Sal National Forest in Utah. The rhizomes were placed in a cooler set at 32-34°F and at approximately 90 percent relative humidity until planting. On October 30, the rhizomes from each location were sorted subjectively into three size categories (small, medium, and large). The rhizomes in each size category were weighed and submitted to five treatments before planting (Table 1). Rhizomes for the untreated check treatment received no treatment prior to planting. Captan (5 percent Captan) and the Ridomil MZ58 fungicides were applied to the rhizomes as dry powder formulations prior to planting. For the modest desiccation treatment, the rhizomes were left in a room heated to 70°F for 24 hours prior to planting. For the pruning treatment, the roots of each rhizome were clipped roughly in half prior to planting. The clipped roots were weighed. The trial was conducted both at McCall, Idaho and at Ontario, Oregon.

The rhizomes were planted 19.7 inches (0.5 m) apart on 30-inch (0.76-m) beds immediately after treatment. The roots were planted with the growth bud facing up and 3 inches (8 cm) below the soil surface. Each plot was 1 bed with 10 roots per bed. The experimental designs were randomized complete blocks with the five treatments replicated five times.

In McCall, the first two replicates were planted with large rhizomes and the last two replicates were planted with medium rhizomes (Table 1). In Ontario, the first two replicates were planted with medium rhizomes and the last three replicates were planted with small rhizomes.

Table 1. Corn lily (Veratrum californicum) rhizome weights at planting. Oregon State University, Malheur Experiment Station, Ontario, Oregon, 2010.

Figure 1. Plot layout for Ontario and McCall corn lily (Veratrum californicum) Transplant Trials. Oregon State University, Malheur Experiment Station, Ontario, Oregon.

Ontario Procedures

Corn lily was planted November 4, 2009. Drip tape (T-tape 515-16-340) was installed after planting in each bed at 1-inch depth offset 7 inches from the bed center. All corn lily in Ontario was irrigated for 24 hours on November 24. The trial was conducted in a field of Owyhee silt loam (30 percent sand, 52.5 percent silt, and 17.5 percent clay) at the Malheur Experiment Station, Ontario, Oregon. Analysis of a soil sample showed a pH of 7.9, 1.85 percent organic matter, 18 ppm phosphorus (P), 353 ppm potassium (K), 24 ppm sulfate (SO₄), 1,932 ppm calcium (Ca), 432 ppm magnesium (Mg), 99 ppm sodium (Na), 4.1 ppm zinc (Zn), 1.7 ppm copper (Cu), 11 ppm manganese (Mn), 11 ppm iron(Fe), and 1.5 ppm boron (B).

Urea-ammonium nitrate was applied through the drip tape at 25 lb N/acre on May 3, 2010, 50 lb N/acre on May 21, and 50 lb N/acre on June 4. Ammonium polyphosphate at 25 lb P₂O₅/acre was applied through the drip tape on May 3. On June 10, 2010, all corn lily plants in each plot were measured for height and rated subjectively for health and vigor: 0 = dead rhizome (no growth), 1 = dead plant, 2 = diseased plant, 3 = normal plant.

McCall Procedures

Corn lily was planted November 3, 2009. The trial was conducted in a field of loamy sand (85 percent sand, 5 percent silt, and 10 percent clay). Analysis of a soil sample taken in the fall of 2009 showed a pH of 6.3, 1.63 percent organic matter, 17 ppm P, 304 ppm K, 7 ppm SO₄, 846 ppm Ca, 102 ppm Mg, 21 ppm Na, 0.8 ppm Zn, 0.3 ppm Cu, 6 ppm Mn, 57 ppm Fe, and 0.2 ppm B. Drip tape (Toro Aqua Traxx, EA 508 1222-750, 0.13 gal/hour emitters spaced 12 inches apart) was installed as in Ontario on June 8, 2010. On June 5 all corn lily plants in each plot were measured for height and rated subjectively for health and vigor as above.

Results and Discussion

Modest desiccation of the corn lily rhizomes resulted in an average of 26 percent weight loss prior to planting. Desiccation of the rhizomes or root clipping resulted in significantly lower plant height compared to the untreated check plants at both sites. There were no significant differences in plant height between the fungicide treatment and the untreated check at either site (Table 2). There were no significant differences in plant health ratings or survivability between treatments at both sites. At Ontario, plant height increased with increasing rhizome weight at planting (Fig. 2). At McCall, plant height increased with increasing rhizome weight at planting, but the effect was much smaller (Fig. 3). After the first observations, hail reduced the corn lily plants at McCall to shreds.

Table 2. Corn lily (Veratrum californicum) plant height, subjective health rating and survival for rhizomes submitted to five preplant treatments. Corn lily data reported here were from June 5 at McCall, Idaho and June 10 at Ontario, Oregon. Oregon State University, Malheur Experiment Station, Ontario, OR, 2010.

^aPlant health rating: 0 = dead rhizome (no growth), 1 = dead plant, 2 = diseased plant, 3 = normal plant.

Figure 2. Effect of corn lily (Veratrum californicum) rhizome weight at planting on plant height at Ontario, Oregon, Oregon State University Malheur Experiment Station, 2010.

Figure 3. Effect of corn lily (Veratrum californicum) rhizome weight at planting on plant height at McCall, Idaho. Oregon State University, Malheur Experiment Station, Ontario, Oregon, 2010.

Cite as:

Shock, C.C., E.B.G. Feibert, C.A. Parris, and L.D. Saunders. 2011. Techniques to Transplant Corn Lily (Veratrum californicum). p 216-221. In Shock C.C. (Ed.) Oregon State University Agricultural Experiment Station, Malheur Experiment Station Annual Report 2010, Department of Crop and Soil Science Ext/CrS 132.

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Last updated  Friday September 2, 2011.