نشریه زراعت و فناوری زعفران
سال پنجم شماره 2 (پیاپی 16، تابستان 1396)

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is a perennial plant which grows basically in arid and semi-arid regions of Iran. Despite saffron’s adaptation to these regions, the assessment of changes in cultivation area over the last 30 years reveals that cultivation of this crop has sharply increased. According to the available statistics, there are 21 provinces where saffron is cultivated on about 84,000 hectares of land. Nonetheless, saffron yield per unit area has aggressively fallen from 5.1 kg ha-1 in 1982 to 3.2 kg ha-1 in 2015. Saffron yield loss can be caused by several factors, such as mismanagement in agriculture section, economics and post-harvest processing as well as the recent droughts. Lack of attention to these factors could lead to further decline in saffron yield in the future. The saffron yield loss over the last 30 years is an alert for saffron-related institutions such as the universities, research centers and Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO) to pay more attention to this crop and prepare more comprehensive programs. In developing these programs, the importance of government policies for planning and approving enough budget is to be highlighted. In this review, first we focus on the reasons for saffron yield loss during the last 30 years and then we try to provide some solutions in relation to these reasons.

The corm size, nutrient management and corm type are the most important factors that may affect the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of saffron (Crocus sativus L.). In order to study the effect of mother corm size and nutrient foliar application on flower and corm yield of Spanish and Iranian Saffron landrace, an experiment was conducted with factorial arrangement based on randomized complete block design with three replications during two growing seasons (2013-14 and 2014-15) at the Faculty of Agriculture of the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran .The saffron corm type was considered in two levels (Iranian corm and Spanish corm), mother corm size were in three levels (1- 8g, 8.1- 15g, 15.1- 23g) and nutrient foliar application were in two levels (control and sprayed leaves with 7% micro and macro nutrients). The results showed that the effect of different mother corm size, corm type and nutrient foliar application on the number of flowers, flower fresh and dry weight (stigma style) were significant. The highest number of flowers (48.6 flower.m-2), flower fresh weight (24.3 g.m-2) and saffron (stigma style) dry weight (0.25 g.m-2) were obtained in 15.1-23g mother corm size, and the lowest were obtained in 8g > mother corms. In contrast, nutrient foliar application had not significant effect on total produced daughter corms. However, the highest number of flowers (43.7 flower.m-2), flower fresh weight (21.8 g.m-2) and stigmas dry weight (0.23 g.m-2) were obtained from Iranian corms in the second year. Hence, the use of appropriate weight for planting Iranian corms (over 15 g) with nutrient of foliar application can be useful for increasing the performance of the flowers and saffron corms.

The use of corms with appropriate weight is one of the main factors in the flowering of saffron. Thus, the impacts of six organic (OS) and conventional (CS) production systems on the growth of saffron replacement corms was studied during one growth cycle from October 2015 up to May 2016 in this experiment. The experiment was conducted based on a randomized complete block design with three replications and six treatments including low, medium and high input organic systems as well as low, medium and high input conventional systems. A transition period of 24 months was considered in the chosen field before corm planting. Based on the results of an analysis of variance, the effect of experimental treatments was significant on the growth properties of most replacement corms (RC). The results of means comparison revealed that the differences within each organic or conventional system were insignificant but they were found to be considerable between the two OS and CS production systems. Total RC weight per clone and the number of flowering buds per RC in the OS production system were on the average 40% more than that of the CS production system. The amount of mean RC weight for OS and CS was 4.75 and 2.54g, respectively. The percent of RC with weight of less than 5g in the CS production system was higher than that of the OS production system (70 vs. 84%), while the percent of RC in 5-10g (13 vs. 14.5%) and more than 10g (3 vs. 15.7%) categories in the OS production system were more than that of the CS production system. The mean value of flowering buds had a significant correlation with the total RC weights per clone (.58**), mean RC weight (.64**), number of small RC (-0.57**) and number of large corm per clone (.61**). In addition, there was a significant correlation between the mean RC weight with the number of RC per clone (-0.55**), the RC weight per clone (.73**), the number of small RC (-0.89**) and the number of large RC per clone (.81**). Overall, the employment of OS had a significant positive effect on the growth of saffron replacement corms especially on mean corm weight and the number of flowering buds.

The reduction in water resources, increased occurrence of droughts and heavy damages to the country make the more efficient use of this resource very important. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of various policies of reduction of water consumption and the effect of any increase in the price of each cubic meter of water on saffron cultivation pattern. The data for the research was obtained by interviews done with 100 farmers in agricultural areas of the Rokh and Naishabur plain in 2012. The sample farms were selected using random sampling, the study was conducted and the models were calculated for both areas. The results of positive mathematical programming model showed that by 20 percent savings in water consumption in the Rokh Plain and 30% in the Naishabur plain, we can achieve cultivating a pattern similar to those which have achieved the previous values at the farm level for saffron. Also, by reducing the amount of water, the economic value of water increased. Doubling the price per cubic meter of water used in crop cultivation and water consumption does not lead to lower profit. Therefore, it is recommended to save water resources. In addition, precise time detection irrigation and the right to saffron can have negative effects when excessive irrigation is done and reduce the performance of this product. Effective and optimal water management policies to reduce the amount of available water is also planned to be presented to the policy makers.

In recent years many research studies have been carried out to use a vertical planting system for production of some plants. Although saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the word, there is no investigation about saffron production in a vertical planting system. Therefore, the growth and production of saffron plant in two different systems (vertical and horizontal) were studied in the agricultural research field of the Tarbiat Modares University during the 2013-2014 growing seasons. In the vertical system, saffron corms were planted in fabric bags containing potting soil. The fabric bags were hanged on a cube of metal with an area of each side of the cube being equal to 2.25 square meters. In the horizontal system, the corms were planted in three plots with the area of each plots being 2.25 square meters. The results showed that in the vertical planting system, the number of flowers, flower dry weight and dry weight of stigma per unit area of land (10 flower, 347.34 and 0.56 mg respectively) were significantly higher than those obtained in the horizontal culture (They were almost three times higher) .In contrast, the numbers and dry weight of lateral corms (2.4 corm and 0.36 g respectively) and the dry weight of apical corm (0.88 g) in the horizontal system were significantly greater than those obtained in the vertical system. Dry weight of leaf and root were significantly greater in the vertical system. The total number of buds and leaves were more in the horizontal culture. However, the maximum leaf length of the vertical planting system was higher than those of the horizontal system.

Packaging is a tool for recognition and differentiation of product and it plays a crucial role in consumer's purchasing decisions, and it can be used to create competitive advantages. Saffron is one of the most important agricultural crops in Iran and its packaging in accordance with consumer demand increases sales and satisfaction of the consumers. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to rank the factors affecting the packaging from the perspective of consumers of saffron in Mashhad. Data was collected in the form of 99 questionnaires that have been answered by the consumers of saffron in Mashhad in 2015. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to rank these factors. The results showed that labeling information about internal and international standards and saffron nutrients on the package have the greatest impact on consumer preferences. Also, the results of the ranking alternatives indicated that attention to the brand labelled on the packing is the most important issue from the perspective of the consumers. Hence, labelling information elements on the package can be a good way for brand differentiation and increasing its value. According to the results, it is recommended that producers and suppliers of saffron pay more attention to features and information elements in package design.

Saffron is the most important medicinal plants in the Khorasan Razavi and South Khorasan provinces, Iran. Aspergillus species can infect saffron tissues during harvesting, storage and transportation. Aflatoxin B1 is one of the important carcinogenic mycotoxin which is produced by Aspergillus species in saffron tissues. This study was carried out in order to investigate the production of aflatoxin B1 in saffron tissues from farm to food by TLC chromatography during the year 2015. Wet and dry saffron tissues and rice grains (with and without saffron extract) were inoculated with Aspergillus flavus spore suspensions. Production of Aflatoxin B1 in inoculated tissues was investigated by the TLC chromatography method. The results showed that the wet leaves and rice grains were infected with Aspergillus species very quickly. However, this process was very slow in dry tissues. Aflatoxin B1 was detected in all of the tested samples. The amounts of Aflatoxin B1 in the wet saffron tissues and rice grains were more than those found in dry tissues and saffron rice, respectively. The amount of Aflatoxin B1 had a direct correlation with moisture in the environment and the tissues. The contamination of the tissues and production of AflatoxinB1 were increased with increasing the amount of moisture. The results showed that the packaging of saffron before complete drying of its tissue or storing it in conditions with high humidity can increase the risk of infection with the Aspergillus species and production of Aflatoxin B1 in them. Based on our data, saffron can reduce Aspergillus infection and aflatoxin B1 production but not inhibit it. Saffron extract reduces Aspergillus infection and Aflatoxin B1 production in food and grains.