Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Assessing the potential adaptability of water lilies (Nymphaea sp.) under arid climatic conditions 

Author(s):

Habibah S. Al-Menaie, Majed Al-Zalzaleh, Meena Mathew, Nisha Suresh

Recieved Date: 2012-10-08, Accepted Date: 2013-01-29

Abstract:

The arid climatic conditions of Kuwait limits the range of plant species exploited in landscaping and in such environments, water gardening, which is suitable for a variety of climates including the desert climate, becomes significant. Hence, the relative growth rate and adaptability of 15 imported cultivars of water lilies (Nymphaea sp.) were assessed at the Urban Demonstration Garden Site (UDG) of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR). The cultivars were imported from Shanghai Xinhai Cultivation of Flowers Co., Ltd, China, and the experiment was conducted in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. The cultivars were planted in one-gallon containers filled with sand:sphagnum peat moss (2:1 v/ v) and placed in pond compartments filled with fresh water. The periodic data on the number of leaves, petiole length, leaf width, leaf area index, and number of flowers of water lily cultivars were analyzed using the statistical procedure, R method. The results of the study were very promising, indicating that using water lilies for greenery enhancement and in landscape beautification projects in Kuwait is a viable option. All the introduced water lily varieties from China were found suitable for growing under the climatic conditions of Kuwait as evidenced by the data on growth rate and survival percentage. All of the varieties exhibited a positive growth rate during the summer season and their growth was drastically reduced during the winter season. Further studies on the performance of water lilies are required to ascertain the long-term impact of prevailing environmental conditions on their growth and contribution to visual appeal. 

Keywords:

Nymphaea sp., relative growth rate, survival percentage, seasonal fluctuations

---

Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2013
Volume: 11
Issue: 1
Category: Environment
Pages: 1129-1132

---

Full text for Subscribers

---

Information:

Note to users

The requested document is freely available only to subscribers/registered users with an online subscription to the Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment. If you have set up a personal subscription to this title please enter your user name and password. All abstracts are available for free.

Article purchasing

If you like to purchase this specific document such as article, review or this journal issue, contact us. Specify the title of the article or review, issue, number, volume and date of the publication. Software and compilation, Science & Technology, all rights reserved. Your use of this website details or service is governed by terms of use. Authors are invited to check from time to time news or information.

---

Purchase this Article:   20 Purchase PDF Order Reprints for 15

---

Share this article :