Investigating the effect of soil texture and compaction on the characteristics of the corm and yield of saffron flowers

In order to investigate the effect of soil texture and compaction on the yield of saffron flowers and tubers, an experiment was conducted in the research farm of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Faculty of Agriculture. The results showed that the number and dry weight of saffron corms were significantly affected by the type of soil texture. A significant negative correlation was observed between the percentage of soil clay with the number and dry weight of corms, the number of flowers and the yield of flowers and stigmas of saffron, so that with the increase of clay percentage, the analyzed parameters showed a non-linear decreasing trend.

Cultivated saffron is a herbaceous and stable plant from the lily family, which has a special place among Iran’s export products. Many factors such as soil texture, planting time of corms, irrigation, type of nutrition, climate, density, and planting depth play a significant role in the quantity and quality of corms and economic yield. In the study of the effect of planting density on the number and weight of tulip bulbs, it was stated that with the increase of planting density, the number of bulbs produced decreased. An experiment that was conducted to investigate the effect of plant density on saffron yield found that with increasing planting density, the yield increased significantly and recommended a density of 50 plants per square meter. They recommended the square meter to achieve the maximum yield of saffron in row cultivation.
The physical properties of soil are important because of their important role in supporting plant growth. These characteristics determine how the plant interacts with the soil, the absorption of water and nutrients, the penetration of roots, the temperature of the soil and the activity of microorganisms. Among the physical properties of soil, soil texture has a significant impact on important features such as plant growth, root development in bulbous plants, and water penetration and retention in the soil. Despite the limitation of saffron cultivation to certain parts of the world, it can be produced in many existing agricultural soils. Soils with medium structure and more or less good permeability are the best soil for saffron cultivation. According to previous studies, light soils, rich in organic matter, deep and with proper drainage are significantly suitable for saffron cultivation. Also, the texture of clay soil is suitable for saffron.
During a greenhouse experiment in order to investigate the effect of three treatments of soil + gravel, soil + gravel + manure, soil + gravel + two layers of manure on the yield of saffron, they found that the treatment of soil + gravel + two layers of manure in Under and on saffron corms, it had the greatest effect on increasing the yield of saffron flower and stigma. Since the size of the corm has a significant effect on the final yield of saffron flowers and stigmas, it is necessary to investigate the factors that increase the yield of saffron corms. Among these effective factors are soil and agricultural factors such as soil texture and corm density on the performance of saffron flowers and corms.

The results of this research showed that the soil texture alone and in combination with different densities affected the yield of saffron corms and flowers, so that with the increase in soil clay percentage, the number and dry weight of corms, the number of flowers and the yield of saffron flowers and stigmas. , showed a decreasing trend. Also, in both years of the experiment, plant density had no significant effect on the number of flowers and the dry weight of flowers and stigmas.

Edited by Sabaghzadeh Saffron collection
Title of the publication: Agricultural Ecology
Issue Information: Volume 6, Number 3, Fall 2013, p. 466-453