Saffron is an important medicine, spice, dye, and cosmetic plant, and weeds limit its production and increase the related costs of management. This study aimed to determine effective control methods against weeds in saffron cultivation and find the effects of weed control on crown development, stigma yield, and daughter corm yield and quality. The study was established in the production periods of 2019-2021, at Hatay Olive Research Institute, Hassa Station, Turkey, based on completely randomized blocks design with 14 treatments and 3 replications. Results indicated that the highest effect (100%) on weeds was recorded for U5 (pine sawdust+benfluralin) and U6 (textile mulch) applications and the lowest effect was obtained from U13 (2,4-D amine) application at the first and second year of the study. The best quality criteria of saffron were achieved in U6 and U4 (pine sawdust) applications for corm production, and U6, U5, and U4 applications for quality daughter corm production.

The current study investigates the effects of different levels of nutrient and Fe foliar application on stigma and flower yield of saffron. A field experiment was conducted as a factorial layout based on complete randomized block design with three replications at the Agricultural Research Station, the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran in 2012-2014. The experimental factors included chemical fertilizer (NPK) at three levels (0-0-0, 30-15-30, 60-30-60 kg. ha-1), vermicompost at two levels (0, 4 t. ha-1), humic acid at two levels (0, 5 kg. ha-1) and two levels of Fe foliar spraying concentration (0, 0. 08 μ mol). The number of flower, fresh and dry weight of stigma and flower yield were determined for two years. The results of analysis of variance revealed that the studied experimental factors had a significant effect on quantitative traits of saffron flowers and stigma. There was a significant difference between the chemical fertilizer levels on flower number and stigma dry weight. The highest flower number (165. m-2) and stigma dry weight (1. 16 g. m-2) were obtained in the NPK fertilizer (60-30-60) treatment. Moreover, the interaction between chemical fertilizer and other factors was significant and led to the improvement of the number of flowers and stigma dry weight per unit of area. Stigma dry weight increased in vermicompost, humic acid and Fe foliar application compared with control (3. 3 1. 3 and 2. 7 percent, respectively). However, two-way interaction of factors did not affect the number of flower. m-2. In addition, the three-way interaction of humic acid, vermicompost and chemical fertilizer significantly affected stigma dry weight. m-2. Four-way interaction of all studied factors including year, vermicompost, chemical fertilizer and Fe foliar spraying were significant on flower dry weight and stigma fresh and dry weight per unit area when compared with control (p≤ 0. 05). Quantitative traits of flower and stigma in the second year improved in comparison with the first year. The interaction effects between year and chemical fertilizer was significant on the traits that were studied.

Background: Nowadays one of the most common causes of death is cancer worldwide, which its incidence and mortality rate dramatically increasing in Iran. Saffron herb is locally grown in South Khorasan. The present study reviewed the anticancer properties of saffron stigma on various macromolecule, cell, and animal models. In traditional medicine saffron herb treated many diseases including diabetes, blood pressure and cancer. The modern medical findings indicate that this herb and its active metabolites can be used to produce alternative antitumor drugs. Saffron selectively suppressed growth and proliferation of cancer cells while did not show any inhibitory effect on growth of normal cells. In addition, it reduced the side effects of common therapies. The main components of saffron stigma are monoterpene aldehydes and carotenoides. Its carotenoids, for instance crocin and crocetin, illustrated antioxidant, anticancer and antimutagenic properties more than other metabolites.This review suggested that anti-tumor drugs from saffron stigma can be applied as alternative, safe and promising agents.

Background: Tuberculosis continues to be a common health problem worldwide. Rifampin, an antibiotic used routinely for tuberculosis chemotherapy is documented to be a potent hepatotoxicant. The aim of the present study was to assess the antioxidant activity of ethanolic extract of Crocus sativus L. stigma (EECSL.S) against rifampin induced hepatotoxicity in the rats.Materials and Methods: Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into 5 groups of 8 animals each. Group I served as normal control and received normal saline (10 ml/kg). Group II served as toxicant control and received rifampin (500 mg/kg). The reference drug silymarin (50 mg/kg), EECSL.S at 40 mg/kg and EECSL.S at 80 mg/kg were administered to the groups III-V, respectively. These three groups received rifampin (500 mg/kg) too. All treatments were administered by P.O. route dissolving in 10 ml/kg normal saline daily for 1 month. At the end of experiment, product of lipid peroxidation (MDA), activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione reductase (GR) were assayed in liver homogenates to evaluate antioxidant activity. Significant differences among the groups were determined by one way analysis of variance followed by Bonferroni post-test. Statistical significance was considered at p<0.05.Results: In rifampin-treated rats, EECSL.S (40 and 80 mg/kg) and silymarin significantly decreased the lipid peroxidation and elevated the levels of antioxidant enzymes, in a dose dependent manner.Conclusion: The present findings suggest that the hepatoprotective effect of Crocus sativus L. stigma in rifampin induced oxidative damage may be related to its antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity.

Although, weed control in saffron farms is critical, no herbicide is registered for saffron fields. This experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with three replicates during 2016-2017. Treatments included application of trifluralin, pendimethalin, metribuzin, bentazon, ioxynil, oxadiazon, oxyfluorfen, haloxyfop-r-methyl, sethoxydim, clethodim, cycloxydim, nicosulfuron, rimsulfuron, tribenuron methyl, foramsulfuron, paraquat, dicamba + triasulfuron, and dicamba + tritosulfuron herbicides at recommended and reduced doses. Mother corms were planted on 10th of September 2016 at 5 × 10 cm corms distance and planting depth of 15 cm. Measured indices included: number of flowers, fresh and dry weights of flower and stigma, number of replacement corms and total corms weight. Results showed that visual phytotoxic symptoms were not observed in pre emergence herbicides. Post emergence herbicides showed different levels of phytotoxicity from slight to severe. The application of paraquat, oxyfluorfen and oxadiazon, caused higher levels of phytotoxicity compared to other herbicides. Acetyl CoA carboxylase inhibitor herbicides caused the least injury to saffron, while acetolactate synthase inhibitor herbicides damaged saffron severely. The highest and the lowest dried stigma yield was obtained from control treatment (0. 54 g. m-2) and post application of tribenuron methyl (0. 003 g. m-2) respectively. Among pre emergence herbicides, the highest dried stigma yield was recorded for pendimethalin herbicide. The post application of metribuzin, oxadiazone and oxyfluorfen resulted in greater dried stigma yield than other broadleaf herbicides. By reducing herbicide dose saffron yield increased and phytotoxic levels were reduced significantly. Among the studied herbicides, trifluralin, oxyfluorfen, pendimethalin and metribuzin can be used as selected herbicides in saffron.

Background: Cisplatin, as an important anti-cancer drug, is a potent hepatotoxicant.The aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective effect of ethanolic extract of Crocus sativus L.stigma (EECSL.S) against cisplatin-induced hepatotoxicity in the rats.Materials and methods: 40 male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into 5 groups (1-Normal control, 2- Toxicant control, 3-Positive control and 4&5- Treatment with extract) of 8 animals each.Cisplatin was injected (0.4 mg/kg) to groups 2-4 daily for 8 weeks, intraperitoneally.Simultaneously, normal saline (10 ml/kg) for groups 1 and 2, silymarin (50 mg/kg) for group 3 and EECSL.S (40 and 80 mg/kg) for groups 4 and 5 were administered through the gavage.At the end of experiment, levels of serum biomarkers of hepatic injury as well as antioxidant activity in liver homogenates of the rats were assessed.Moreover, histopathological observation was assayed at the degree of hepatic injury.Results: In the cisplatin receiving rats, EECSL.S (40 and 80 mg/kg) and silymarin significantly decreased the levels of serum biomarkers of hepatic injury and total bilirubin and significantly elevated the levels of serum albumin and total proteins.In these rats, EECSL.S and silymarin decreased the lipid peroxidation and elevated the levels of antioxidant enzymes in a dose dependent manner.Histopathologically, EECSL.S and silymarin ameliorated cisplatin-induced hepatic injuries and the changes were in agreement with biochemical findings.Conclusion: EECSL.S protects hepatic tissue against cisplatin-induced hepatotoxicity in rats due to its anti-oxidant properties.

The major secondary metabolites crocin, picrocrocin and saffranal are important for high quality of saffron: The major pigment of natural stigmata (44% from total pigment). Were observed in in vitro stigma-like structure (48% from total pigment). picrocrocin which was identified from absorption point, detected only in natural sigmata. After crocin, monogenibioside monoglucoside esters of crocetin are important. These pigment were presented in stigma-like structures and stigmata in nearly equal percent (33% from total pigment in stigma-like structures and 32% from total pigment in natural stigmata). Diglucoside esters of crocetin (14% from total pigment in natural stigmata and 12% from total pigment in stigma-like structures) and one of the crocetin ester types (6.1% in natural stigmata and 5.8% in stigma-like structures), were also detected. The direct stigma-like structures (were produced in low ratio NAA to BAP were more similar to natural stigmata than the indirect types (were produced in high ratio of NAA to BAP) in shape, colour & size.

Introduction. Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder as old as mankind and its incidence is considered to be high all over the world. Renal insufficiencies are the most important causes of death in this disease. A multitude of herbs have been described for the treatment of diabetes throughout the world. The aim of the present study was to assess the protective effect of ethanolic saffron extract (Crocus sativus L) on early renal injuries in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Methods. Male wistar rats were randomly assigned to six different groups of 12, including healthy rats, normal healthy rats receiving ethanolic saffron extract, mild diabetic (MD) rats, mild diabetic rats receiving ethanolic saffron extract, severely diabetic (SD) rats, and severely diabetic rats receiving ethanolic saffron extract. The ethanolic extract of saffron was administered intraperitoneally to treatment groups for 30 days at a dose of 40 mg/kg dissolved in 10 ml/kg body weight of ISS. Control groups received ISS (10 ml/kg) in this manner. Animals of the different groups were sacricified by cervical dislocation at the end of experiment. Tissue specimens were fixed in 10% buffered formalin and 5-micron thick sections were prepared using routine histopathological techniques. Histopathological studies of the kidneys were conducted in all experimental rats. Biochemical studies include urea, uric acid, and creatinine. Results. Significant increased values of urea, uric acid, and creatinine were seen in diabetic rats. The extract caused significant reductions in the levels of the mentioned parameter in diabetic rats. Histopathology of the kidney in diabetic rats showed a spectrum of changes including membranoproliferative glomerulitis, enlargement of lining cells of tubules, lymphocytic infiltration, hyperemia, and hemorrhage. The mentioned injuries were more prominent in SD rats. The histopathological appearance of kidneys in ethanolic extract treated diabetic rats was near normal.Conclusion. The findings of the present study indicate that ethanolic extract of Crocus sativus L. stigma has protective effect on early diabetic nephropathy in experimental induced diabetes. Therefore, ethanolic extract of saffron stigma is recommended for prevention of early renal injuries in diabetes mellitus.

Functional genomics methods such as Expressed Sequenced Tag (EST) analysis have provided possibilities for identification, expression analysis and study of transcripts involved in metabolic and regulatory networks. In order to identify of genome orientation and to determine gene networks involved in the evolution of saffron stigma, 6202 EST sequences from mature saffron stigma were analysed. After initial trimming, sequences clustering and assembling resulted in 910 unigenes (604 Coting's and 304 Singleton). BLAST X revealed that 570 unigene had significant hit among the Arabidopsis protein database, whereas the remaining unigenes displayed no significant match with the any hit. Classifying and gene enrichment analysis of unigenes, put them into 31 distinct functional groups, where 12 groups of them were statistically significant at α=0.01. Gene network of high represented Coting's (which had greater than 20 transcripts), showed that there is a complex gene interaction in mature saffron stigmas. Results revealed that jasmonic acid signalling pathway and its transcription factors such as MYB21 and Zinc fingers play a key role in regulating of stigma primary and secondary metabolism, especially in metabolism of carotenoids (as the most important saffron metabolites). The genes identified in this study could be good candidates for manipulating the evolution and metabolism of saffron stigma.