Research Paper
Agriculture
mahsa aghhavani shajari; Parviz Rezvani Moghaddam; Reza Ghorbani; Alireza Koocheki
Abstract
This experiment was conducted in order to study the effect of cover crops on weeds population, flower and corm yield of saffron. The experiment was carried out based on Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications at the Research Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, ...
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This experiment was conducted in order to study the effect of cover crops on weeds population, flower and corm yield of saffron. The experiment was carried out based on Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications at the Research Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran, in 2013-14. The treatments included six cover crops: barely (Hordeum vulgare), persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum), fenugreek (Trigonella Foenum – Graecum L.), grass pea (Lathyrus sativus), rapeseed (Brassica napus) and arugula (Eruca sativa) and control. The results of analysis of variance showed that the effect of cover crops was significant on all of the studied properties. The maximum flower number (23.m-2), flower fresh weight (61.88 kg.ha-1) and stigma dry weight (0.990 kg.ha-1) were observed in the planting of rapeseed. The stigma dry weight at the control treatment was 41% more than planting a different kind of cover crops. Furthermore, the highest total weight of replacement corms and replacement corms weight without tunic per clone were obtained at the control and then planting of rapeseed as a cover crop. The number of replacement corms per clone among cover crop treatments was about 17% more than that of control. However, the lowest amount of all parameters of flower and corm of saffron were obtained for arugula, Fabaceae species and barely cover crop treatments. Meanwhile, the minimum amount of weed density was observed for barely, arugula, Fabaceae species cover crops treatments and control. Therefore, the results indicated that control and rapeseed as a cover crop treatments had better effects on the flower and corm parameters of saffron.
Research Paper
Agriculture
Mani Jabbari; Mehdi Khayyat; Hamid-reza Fallahi; Alireza samadzadeh
Abstract
Saffron that is an important medicinal plant of Iran is influenced by several environmental stresses. Therefore, the consumption of appropriate hormonal and nutritional compounds can reduce the negative impacts of stresses on it and improve the growth and yield of the plant. For this purposes, an experiment ...
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Saffron that is an important medicinal plant of Iran is influenced by several environmental stresses. Therefore, the consumption of appropriate hormonal and nutritional compounds can reduce the negative impacts of stresses on it and improve the growth and yield of the plant. For this purposes, an experiment was carried out based on a Randomized Complete Block Design with four replications to study the effect of Salicylic acid (0, 0.5, 1 and 2 mM) and Potassium Nitrate (0, 250,500 and 1000 ml.g-1), in the research field station of the College of Agriculture, the University of Birjand, Iran, in the growing season of 2015. The indices evaluated included flower and corolla fresh weight, stigma weight and length, leaf length, corm and cormel weights and diameter, chlorophyll florescence parameters and total chlorophyll content. The results showed that the highest amounts of Fv, Fv/Fm, F'v/F'm (117, 0.27 and 0.44, respectively), total chlorophyll (0.85 µg.g fresh weight), flower and corolla fresh weight (36.9 and 32.1 g.m-2, respectively), stigma weight (4.2 g.m-2) and length (29.6 mm) and leaf length (37.7 cm) were obtained at 2 mM level of salicylic acid, while the highest F'm was recorded at 0.5 mM salicylic acid. In addition, pretreatment with 1000 mg.l-1 potassium nitrate increased the amounts of cormel weight and diameter by 30% and 19% compared with the control, respectively. Generally, the results of this experiment indicated an enhancement in saffron growth and yield, affected by corms soaking in salicylic acid and potassium nitrate.
Research Paper
Agriculture
Saeideh Madahi; mahdi Parsa; Morteza Goldani; Mohammad Kafi
Abstract
An experiment was conducted based on randomized complete block design with three replications at a field located in the Rivash town in the Khorasan Razavi province during the growing season 2013-2014 in order to compare and evaluate the effects of chemical fertilizer (Containing 12% N from Urea and nitrate ...
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An experiment was conducted based on randomized complete block design with three replications at a field located in the Rivash town in the Khorasan Razavi province during the growing season 2013-2014 in order to compare and evaluate the effects of chemical fertilizer (Containing 12% N from Urea and nitrate sources, 8% P, 4%K and also Zn, Cu, Mg, Fe, Chelates), vermiwash and different levels of manure and vermicompost fertilizer with the use of biological EM (effective microorganisms) on the characteristics of corm in Saffron. Treatments included: 1.fertilizer chemical (containing 12% nitrogen from urea and nitrate, %8-P, 4% potassium and chelates together iron, zinc, manganese and copper) 2.Manure 40 t.ha-1, 3.manure 40 t.ha-1 + EM, 4.manure 80 t.ha-1, 5.manure 80 t.ha-1 + EM, 6.vermicompost 10 t.ha-1, 7.vermicompost 10 t.ha-1 + EM, 8.vermicompost 15 t.ha-1, 9.vermicompost 15 t.ha-1 + EM 10.vermicompost 20 t.ha-1 , 11.vermicompost 20 t.ha-1 + EM, 12.vermiwash, 13.vermiwash+ EM, 14.Manure 40 t.ha-1+ vermiwash, 15.Manure 40 t.ha-1 + vermiwash + EM, 16.Control (no fertilizer application). The results of analysis of variance showed a significant effect of treatments on all of the characteristics with the exception of the total number of saffron corms. The results indicated that the highest increase in total yield of corm (715 g.m-2), corm number more than 8 grams (57 corms.m-2), was obtained as a result of the use of chemical fertilizers and was equal to the combined application of Manure 40 t.ha-1+ vermiwash + EM. The orthogonal comparisons showed that the use of EM with vermicompost and manure versus using vermicompost and manure alone significantly reduced the traits of saffron.
Research Paper
Pharmaceutical and Medical Science and Technology
ali Mohammadian; Hassan Ahmadvand; Reza Karamian; Reza Siahmansour; Ali Sepahvand; Shahram Omidvari
Abstract
Saffron is one of the most valuable food and medicine products that has a high economic importance in Iran and other countries. Harmful environmental factors prohibit the human body from collating the free radicals that are produced during breathing resulting in problems such as premature aging, atherosclerosis ...
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Saffron is one of the most valuable food and medicine products that has a high economic importance in Iran and other countries. Harmful environmental factors prohibit the human body from collating the free radicals that are produced during breathing resulting in problems such as premature aging, atherosclerosis and cancer. There has been only a few reported research studies on the antioxidant properties of Saffron petals in world. This research was carried out in order to survey the antioxidant compound that may be extracted from Saffron petals and indicate the total phenol content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) in the cultivated Saffron farms of the Lorestan province. After specifying the Saffron farms by the Random systematic method, the compound sampling was carried out (Saffron petals amount 2 kg). Then, the antioxidant activity, total amount of phenols and flavonoids in the extracts were measured by methods of DPPH, Folinciocalteau and Colorimetric assay, respectively. The results showed that the amount of IC50 was the lowest and highestin Noorabad and Vician farms with amounts of 1.66 and 156.4μg/ml, respectively by the Duncan test. The results of mean comparison showed that the total phenol content and total flavonoid content of 1098.8 mg Gallic acid/g extract and 41.39 mg cou/g extract, respectively that belonged to the Noorabad and the Chaghalvandi farms had the highest amounts among all of the saffron cultivation in the farms.
Research Paper
Agriculture
Farideh Ahmadi; Mohammad Hossein Aminifard; Mahdi Khayat; Alireza Samadzadeh
Abstract
The effects of applications of humic acid and planting density on antioxidant activities and components of saffron were evaluated under field conditions. Treatments were of four levels of humic acid (0, 5, 10 and 15 Kg.ha-1) and three densities of planting (50, 75 and 100 corms.m-2). The experiment was ...
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The effects of applications of humic acid and planting density on antioxidant activities and components of saffron were evaluated under field conditions. Treatments were of four levels of humic acid (0, 5, 10 and 15 Kg.ha-1) and three densities of planting (50, 75 and 100 corms.m-2). The experiment was designed in randomized block design with three replications at the research station of the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Birjand during the growing season of 2015. Petal antioxidant compounds (antioxidan, total phenol and Anthocyanins) and active ingredients of saffron (picrocin, safranal and crocin) were influenced by humic acid and planting density treatments. The highest antioxidant activity (69.7%) was obtained in plants treated with 5 kg.ha-1 humic acid with a planting density of 50 corms.m-2. However, no significant difference was found in phenol content under different treatments. The highest anthocyanin content (46.4 mg.100 g-1) was observed in 10 kg.ha-1 humic acid with a planting density of 75 corms.m-2. Picrocin content was influenced in response to humic acid planting density and the highest value (40.60%) was obtained from 15 kg.ha-1 humic acid with a planting density of 75 corms.m-2. The highest safranal (20.1%) and crocin (55.57%) were obtained in plants treated with10 kg.ha-1 acid humic, while the lowest values were recorded in the control (15.70%) and (43.12%) respectively. Thus, the results showed that humic acid and planting density have strong impacts on antioxidant compounds and active ingredients of saffron under field conditions.
Research Paper
Biotechnology and genetics
faezeh gharari
Abstract
Saffron is grown for using its flower and red color stigma. This plant has many uses in the food industry, paints and medicine. Due to its high monetary worth, identification of genes involved in the flowering is very important. In order to better understand the molecular mechanisms involved in the onset ...
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Saffron is grown for using its flower and red color stigma. This plant has many uses in the food industry, paints and medicine. Due to its high monetary worth, identification of genes involved in the flowering is very important. In order to better understand the molecular mechanisms involved in the onset of flowering, Gene and gene expression of Pistillata-Like MADS box (PIC2) were studied. The Gene sequences have high homology with other family members of the MADS-box family (one of the transcription factors control the expression of proteins flowers). In this research, the gene was studied using bioinformatics resources. Primers were designed for amplification of the gene and then the total DNA and RNA were extracted from the leaves of saffron. cDNA synthesis was performed by the reverse transcriptase enzyme and it was used as a template for amplification of PIC2 gene by PCR reaction. The reaction was amplified to a fragment with length 900 bp from cDNA and another fragment with length 2100 bp from genomic DNA. This gene encodes a protein that includes 210 amino acids. By analyzing the molecular structure of protein transcripts based on modeling of the gene homology, the spatial figure showed that they have a regular structure.
Research Paper
Economics and Marketing
Majid Khosravi; Ali Shams; Higar Gholi Zadeh; Zahra Hoshmandan moghadam
Abstract
The marketing behavior of different Saffron farmers is different due to a few effective factors. The present descriptive/correlational study is aimed at investigating the selling behavior of Saffron farmers and the associated factors. The statistical population consisted of all Saffron farmers in the ...
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The marketing behavior of different Saffron farmers is different due to a few effective factors. The present descriptive/correlational study is aimed at investigating the selling behavior of Saffron farmers and the associated factors. The statistical population consisted of all Saffron farmers in the Qaen Township in 2015 (N= 12860) of which 230 were selected through a randomized multi-stage sampling method. The sample size was identified based on Cochran's sampling formula. Data was gathered through a valid and reliable questionnaire with face to face interviews done with farmers and analyzed by SPSS software package. The results indicated that Saffron farmers have distinct marketing behaviors, such that 30.7 percent of their Saffron products were sold in Dasteh type, 35.8 percent in Poshal type and 33.5 percent in Negin type. The results also showed that there were significant correlations between marketing behavior with variables such as the amount of self-consumption of saffron, acreage of cultivated area, their satisfaction from product quantity, the extent of use of some marketing information channels and the ratio of saffron income to total income.
