April 2005 issue of the Cornell Flower Bulb Research Program Research Newsletter:
In the previous Newsletter, we reported on Cornell research on upper leaf necrosis, a calcium deficiency disorder that occurs in many Oriental hybrid lily cultivars. In oriental hybrids, the leaves on the upper stem, and those associated with the flower buds are susceptible (Fig. 1). Leaves lower on the stem are not susceptible. In our work, we have shown that ‘Star Gazer’ bulbs have very low levels of calcium (about 0.04%), and that the overlapping of young leaves before and during leaf unfolding are key factors in the development of the calcium deficiency that leads to the disorder.