Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
M.Sc. of Seed Science and Technology, Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Univesity of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.
2
Associate Professor, Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran and Associate Professor, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Univesity of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.
3
Professor, Department of Agriculture and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Univesity of Urmia, Urmia, Iran.
10.22048/jsat.2026.578760.1591
Abstract
The aim of this research was to investigate the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) under the influence of corm inoculation with beneficial microorganisms and vermicompost in a randomized complete block design with three replications during two agricultural years, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, at the Research Farm of Urmia University, Iran. The involved factors included 1) control without using phosphorus chemical fertilizer and without corm inoculation, consumption of 100% of the recommended phosphorus chemical fertilizer based on soil test, and without inoculation, corm inoculation with Pseudomonas fluorescens, corm inoculation with Glomus etunicatum, vermicompost (10 t.ha-1 at planting time), corm inoculation with P. fluorescens + G. etunicatum, corm inoculation with P. fluorescens + vermicompost, corm inoculation with G. etunicatum + vermicompost, and corm inoculation with P. fluorescens + G. etunicatum + vermicompost. Based on the results of this study, the combined treatment of vermicompost with Pseudomonas and mycorrhiza had a positive, significant effect on the quantitative and qualitative yields of saffron. In most of the studied traits, the highest values were observed in the combined biofertilizer treatments, although this difference was not significant for some traits with the chemical phosphorus fertilizer. The highest fresh and dry weight of corms was observed in the combined treatment of vermicompost with Pseudomonas (6.3 and 1.8 kg.m-2) and mycorrhiza treatment (5.89 and 1.71 kg.m-2), and the highest yield of stigma fresh and dry weight was observed in the combined treatment of vermicompost with Pseudomonas (0.018 and 0.007 g.m-2) and also mycorrhiza treatment (0.017 and 0.005 g.m-2). The results showed that the fresh and dry yields of saffron style in biofertilizer treatments, and in the combination of biofertilizer with vermicompost, were significantly higher than those in the phosphorus chemical fertilizer and control treatments. The highest crocin content was obtained in the combined treatment of vermicompost with mycorrhiza (24.5%), mycorrhiza treatment (23.8%), and the combined treatment of vermicompost with Pseudomonas and mycorrhiza (23.7%), which showed an increase of 10.61, 7.98, and 7.59 percent compared to the control, respectively. The highest safranal concentration was observed in the vermicompost treatment (41%), although there was no significant difference compared with the combined treatment of vermicompost with mycorrhiza (37%) and phosphorus chemical fertilizer (39%). In addition, the use of biofertilizers and their combination increased the amount of picrocrocin in saffron stigma, so that there was no significant difference with phosphorus chemical fertilizer treatment. In general, the results indicate that feeding saffron vermicompost and inoculating it with microorganisms had a significant effect on saffron growth and yield. The use of these fertilizers is an acceptable approach to reduce the overuse of chemical fertilizers while maintaining yield.
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