Saffron Agronomy and Technology
Year:2024 | Volume:12 | Issue:1|Papers Count:6

In order to investigate the effect of different methods and levels of irrigation water on some vegetative and reproductive characteristics of saffron, this research was carried out in the form of a split-plot experiment in the form of a randomized complete block design with three replications at the Razavi Khorasan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Training Center. (Gonabad Research Station) was carried out in the crop years of 2017-2018. In this research, irrigation method treatments (including basin, drip and sprinkler (Pflex) methods) were in the main plot and different levels of irrigation water (including supplying 100, 75 and 50% of the water requirement) were in the sub plot. Results The comparison of the averages showed that in both years of the experiment, changing the irrigation method from basin to drip (tape) and sprinkler (P-flex) led to an increase in the studied properties. Reducing the amount of irrigation water from 100% to 50% of the water requirement also caused a decrease in leaf characteristics and stigma yield, but the efficiency of irrigation water consumption increased. Based on this, reducing the water requirement of saffron from 100 to 50% in the first and second year caused a 33% and 30% decrease in stigma yield, and a 32% and 37% increase in water consumption efficiency, respectively. Examining the interaction effects table showed that in the first year of the experiment, reducing the amount of irrigation from 100 to 50% caused a greater reduction in the total length of leaves per square meter under drip irrigation (tape) than the other two irrigation methods (82% in the drip method (tape) in contrast to 79% in the sprinkler (P-flex) method and 69% in the basin method). Based on this, although the positive effect and relative advantage of modern irrigation systems is decreasing with the increase in the age of the farm, it seems that it is possible to achieve optimal performance in the region by using rain irrigation sprinkler (P-flex) method in 100% of the water requirement.

Saffron is a valuable plant that generally faces water stress in its life cycle. Therefore, in order to investigate the effect of corm priming of saffron on physiological and corm characteristics of this product under drought stress conditions, a split plot experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experimental treatments included two levels of irrigation based on 70 and 50% of field capacity as a main plot and six corm priming treatments including no priming (control), potassium nitrate, auxin, gibberellin, silicon dioxide nanoparticles, and hydro-priming as sub plot. The results showed that the increase of intensity in drought stress from 70 to 50% of field capacity caused an increase of 38.5%, 59.1% and 57.3% in the amount of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoids, respectively, and a decrease of 32.6% and 20% to the ratio of chlorophyll a/b and the amount of protein respectively. Priming of mother corn with two hormones of auxin and gibberellin, significantly increased the amount of protein and the highest weight of daughter corm was observed at gibberellin hormone treatment at the rate of 3.72 grams per plant. The two treatment levels of gibberellin and auxin hormones, under conditions of medium drought stress, significantly showed the highest number of daughter corms and gibberellin hormone, under medium drought stress conditions, significantly increased the diameter of daughter corm at the rate of 28 mm. In generally, corm priming of saffron with two hormones of gibberellin and auxin, is recommended to improve the physiological traits and tuber characteristics, especially in the conditions of drought stress.

Integrating cover plants with crops can be prioritized as a non-chemical method for weed control, promoting environmental protection and sustainable agriculture in saffron fields. This study aimed to examine the impact of cover crops on weed density and biomass in a saffron field using a randomized complete block design with three replications conducted in Neka in 2022. The experimental treatments applied in the saffron farm included: cover crop planting of Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L. ), rapeseed (Brassica napus), treatment of no weed control with cover crop (control 1) and weeds control with no cover crop (control 2). The measured traits encompassed the density and biomass of both broad-leaved and narrow-leaved weeds, the predominant weed density within the field, the Shannon-Wiener species diversity index, and performance indicators of saffron corms. These indicators included the number of daughter corms, total daughter corm yield, average daughter corm weight, average corm diameter, and corm yield across various weight groups per square meter. The results showed that barley cover crop cultivation treatment has the lowest density and biomass of broad-leaved and narrow-leaved weeds among the treatments, so its cultivation caused a decrement of 96 and 88% of the biomass of broad-leaved and narrow-leaved weeds, respectively. In addition, among cover crops, the highest species diversity related to canola and the lowest one related to barley are 0. 93 and 0. 43, respectively. With the comparison among the cover crops, the highest total yield of daughter corm belonged to canola, clover, fenugreek and then barley were 1273. 9, 1243, 1234. 8 and 1175.2 g/m2 , and the highest total corm yield, average corm weight and corm yield above 8 g was obtained withcanola cover crop cultivation, which showed an increase of 6, 79 and 14%, respectively, compared to the control with no weeding. Overall, while the weeding treatment and saffron corm yield indicators demonstrated superiority compared to other treatments, it's essential to note that planting cover plants not only enhances system stability and fertility in the long term but also offers higher economic advantages, ultimately benefiting the farmer.

Considering the growth period of saffron, intercropping it with species that have similar needs could be a favourable option for optimizing land use, provided that the allelopathic effects of saffron are taken into account. In order to investigate the allelopathic effect of saffron on quantitative and qualitative traits of some medicinal plants, an experiment was conducted under greenhouse conditions at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. Treatments were a combination of 4 species (Thymus vulgaris, Zataria multiflora, Ziziphora clinopodioides and Teucrium polium and corm and leaf extracts in four levels (0, 3000, 6000, 9000 mg. kg-1 ) arranged in a completely randomized design with four replications. Measured parameters were the fresh and dry weight of root and shoot, shoot-to-root ratio, stomatal resistance, SPAD reading and essential oil percentage and yield. Results indicated that interaction of corm and leaf extract concentrations affected fresh weight of root and SPAD reading. Four species showed different trends in different extract concentrations. In Thymus vulgaris and Zataria multiflora, with increasing extract concentration, stomatal resistance initially increased and then decreased, but other species did not follow this trend. By increasing extract concentration, SPAD reading initially increased and then decreased. In all species studied, except Thymus vulgaris, an increase in extract concentration led to an increase in the shoot-to-root ratio. Additionally, as extract concentrations rose, the percentage of essential oil decreased. Overall, across all investigated species, the physiological and qualitative traits of the plants decreased with the use of saffron leaf and corm extracts.

Diabetes is linked to heightened oxidative stress and diminished antioxidant potential, stemming from an increased generation of free radicals. The reported antioxidant attributes of saffron crocin highlight its potential in mitigating oxidative stress. The levels and functionality of BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) and NGF (Nerve Growth Factor) seem to undergo alterations in diabetes, primarily due to insulin resistance. These fluctuations in BDNF and NGF levels are intricately associated with the progression of type 2 diabetes.This study sought to explore the impact of crocin and safranal on the activity of antioxidant enzymes, including Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx), Catalase (CAT), and neurotrophic factors derived from the brain and nerve (BDNF). Thirty-six male rats were categorized into six groups: a control group, an untreated diabetic group, and diabetic groups subjected to intraperitoneal injection of two concentrations (100 and 50 milligrams per milliliter) of crocin and safranal over a 25-day duration. At the conclusion of the treatment period, brain tissue dissection was performed to assess antioxidant enzymes BDNF and NGF.In the treatment group with a concentration of 100 milligrams per milliliter of crocin and safranal, there was a notable increase in BDNF, NGF, SOD, GPX, CAT, and MDA levels compared to the group treated with a concentration of 50 milligrams per milliliter of crocin, safranal, as well as the control group. These results suggest that crocin and safranal effectively enhance antioxidant markers and alleviate diabetes-related damages in the brain tissue of diabetic rats

Saffron is one of the most valuable agricultural products in the global market. Iran has the largest area under cultivation and the highest production of this crop. However, Iran's share of the value added of saffron in the global market is unacceptable and declining, which indicates the many challenges facing this industry. The purpose of this research is to explain the hidden structures of the challenges of production, processing, and marketing, and to rank the most important challenges of the saffron industry in Torbat Heydarieh, Iran, which is the world's saffron center. The necessary data were collected in 2023 using a convenience sample of 108 questionnaires. The challenges were ranked using Friedman's test and the weight coefficients obtained from factor analysis. Principal component analysis was used to identify the hidden patterns in the challenges of production, processing, and market (domestic and international) of the saffron industry in Torbat-e Heydarieh. The challenges were then ranked using Friedman's test and the weight coefficients obtained from factor analysis. The study found that the most important challenge facing the saffron industry in the production sector is climate change, in the processing sector is the need for high working capital, in the international markets is strict customs regulations, and in the domestic markets is the lack of cooperation of the rural cooperative to purchase the product. Factor analysis revealed that the most important hidden components in the production sector are "production instability" and "low production efficiency"; in the processing sector, "technical and infrastructural challenges" and "financial challenges"; in the domestic market, "lack of development of the domestic competitive market" and "weak domestic market institutions"; and in the international market, "lack of access to foreign markets" and "poor saffron quality in foreign markets."