Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Assistant Professor. Department of Plant Production. Faculty of Agriculture. Higher Education Complex of Saravan, Saravan, Iran
2 Associate Professor. Department of Plant Production. Faculty of Agriculture. University of Torbat Heydarieh, Iran
3 Professor. Department of Water Resources Management. University of Birjand. Birjand, Iran and University of Torbat Heydarieh, Iran
4 Assistant Professor. Department of Plant Production. Faculty of Agriculture. University of Torbat Heydarieh, Iran
Abstract
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.
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