Agriculture
Masoumeh Vakili-ghartavol; Saeedeh Alizadeh Salteh
Abstract
Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is a valuable product that is moderately resistant to drought and is cultivated in environments with very different climatic conditions. The most important chemical compositions of saffron include crocin and crocetin derivatives. Saffron is used as a food colouring and flavouring ...
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Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is a valuable product that is moderately resistant to drought and is cultivated in environments with very different climatic conditions. The most important chemical compositions of saffron include crocin and crocetin derivatives. Saffron is used as a food colouring and flavouring agent in the food industry. Moreover, it is utilized in folk medicine as antispasmodic, carminative, sedative, anti-depression and for heart disease. In this study, saffron samples from different altitudes, i.e. Marand with altitude of 1360m and Kashmar with altitude of 1000m above sea level were collected and dried in the same conditions and compared with commercial samples. Three major metabolites (crocin, picrocrocin and safranal) were quantified in both altitudes by Spectrophotometry. The results obtained showed that saffron samples from Marand had the most amounts of crocin and picrocrocin (absorbance: 306 and 118). Also, after extraction, antioxidant activity was quantified by the DPPH free radical scavenging method. The results indicated that saffron samples from Marand had higher concentration of these constituents and antioxidant activity in comparison to that of samples from Kashmar. However, due to reduction of rain and increasing drought in the Azerbaijan region, cultivation of saffron in Marand is recommended on the basis of the results of this research and high yield and quality of saffron.
Agriculture
Saeideh Alizadeh-Salteh
Abstract
In order to evaluate and access the best conditions to cultivate saffron in Tabriz, an experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Research Station of the University of Tabriz (Khalatpooshan), in a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design and three replications. The treatments ...
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In order to evaluate and access the best conditions to cultivate saffron in Tabriz, an experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Research Station of the University of Tabriz (Khalatpooshan), in a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design and three replications. The treatments included two ecotypes of saffron in 4 levels of mother corm weight (3.1- 5, 5.1- 7, 7.1- 9 and more than 9 g) and two planting methods (row and mass). The results showed that corm weight and planting method had significant effects on the number and weight of replacement corms. But there was no significant effect on the different ecotypes. Among the experimental treatments, corms with 7.1- 9 g weight lead to the highest total corm number (342.65 corm.m-2) and corm yield (892.9 g.m-2) and the yield of flowers and stigma of saffron. It seems that for production of larger replacement corms and increased flowering yield, we need to culture large maternal corms. In addition, we observed the best economical yield that is determined by amount of stigma, in row planting method. The results showed that row planting method leads to a higher amount and yield of replacement corm production in comparison to mass planting method. As a result, producing corms with high weight followed by increasing of flower yield requires the use of large maternal corms for cultivation and row planting method.
