Javad Tabatabaeian; Saeed Hassanian; Azam Kadkhodaie
Abstract
This research was carried out with the aim of studying the effect of zinc and potassium levels as foliar application on quantitative and qualitative traits of saffron (Crocus sativa) in Natanz city (village Badrude) in the second year of agriculture during 2019. The experiment was done as factorial layout ...
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This research was carried out with the aim of studying the effect of zinc and potassium levels as foliar application on quantitative and qualitative traits of saffron (Crocus sativa) in Natanz city (village Badrude) in the second year of agriculture during 2019. The experiment was done as factorial layout based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Elements such as KNO3 at the levels of control (K1), 5 in thousand (K2) and 10 in thousand (K3) and Zn-EDTA at the levels of control (Z1), 5 in thousand (Z2) and 10 in thousand (Z3) were the treatments. The studied traits included quantitative traits of fresh and dry weight of the girl's corm, fresh and dry weight of mother corm, fresh and dry yield of the flower, fresh dry yield of the stigma, qualitative traits of Crocin, picocrocin and safranal. The results showed that K2 and K3 levels increased the quantitative traits, especially at K3 level. While spraying zinc only at the Z2 level quantitative traits increased and it had no significant effect on qualitative traits. The application of potassium fertilizer at the K3 level along with the Z2 had the greatest effect on increasing the quantitative traits of saffron. Perhaps one of the reasons for increasing flower yield can be attributed to the positive effects of potassium and zinc on the photosynthetic system of the plant. This increase in the amount of photosynthesis and metabolism, in turn, affects the amount of stigma production and increases dry weight of the stigma. As a result of potassium spraying, amount of crocin and picrocrocin increased from K1 to K3 by 18 and 13 %, and safranal increased from K1 to K2 and K3 increased by 30% and 48%, respectively. In the present study, there was a positive and significant correlation between the amount of Crocin, Picrocrocin and Safranal contents with quantitative characteristics in saffron. It can be said that quality traits are influenced by quantitative traits and yield components of saffron. Therefore, flowering and flower yield of saffron is also effective in improving its quality.
