Effect of Salicylic Acid and Foliar Application of Calcium, Potassium and Zinc Fertilizers on Quantitative and Qualitative Traits of Saffron

Seghatoleslami, Mohammadjavad; Moosavi, Seyyed Gholamreza; Feizi, Hassan

doi:10.22034/jmpb.2025.367483.1809

Effect of Salicylic Acid and Foliar Application of Calcium, Potassium and Zinc Fertilizers on Quantitative and Qualitative Traits of Saffron

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

¹ Agricultural, Medicinal Plants and Animal Sciences Research Center, Birjand branch, Islamic Azad University, Birjand, Iran

² Saffron Institute, University of Torbat Heydarieh, Torbat Heydarieh, Iran

³ Department of Plant Production, University of Torbat Heydarieh, Torbat Heydarieh, Iran

10.22034/jmpb.2025.367483.1809

Abstract

The use of some chemical compounds and nutrients can postpone saffron leaf senescence and increase photosynthesis and yield. A two-year experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of salicylic acid (SA) and solu potash (FP), nitro calcium (Fca) and zinc sulfate (FZn) fertilizers on saffron in Birjand, Iran. The experiment was conducted as a factorial based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results indicated that in the condition of SA₀, the treatment FP+ FCa+ FZn had the highest fresh weight and flower number. Also, in these conditions, the use of each fertilizer alone could not have a significant effect on fresh weight and number of flowers compared to the control. Under conditions of SA₀, fresh weight and flower number did not significantly differ between fertilizer treatments in the first year. But in the second year, the treatment FP+ FCa+ FZn had the highest fresh weight (51.23 g.m^-2) and the number of flowers per square meter (123.73). The consumption of salicylic acid significantly increased leaf chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll content. In conclusion, although the use of salicylic acid (without fertilizers) improved the amount of chlorophyll in the leaves, but did not have a positive effect on the economic yield of saffron. On the other hand, the qualitative traits of the stigma including the amounts of crocin, picrocrocin and safranal did not show significant changes with the use of fertilizer or salicylic acid.

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