Effect of Irrigation Method and Frequency on Corm and Saffron Production (Crocus sativus L.)

Iran with a cultivation area of 45000 ha and production of 150 ton/year is the number one saffron producer in the world. Planting of large size corms will increase flowering, but production of corms (number and size) may be affected by irrigation method or frequency. In this research which is performed in the farm of College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, the effects of method and frequency of irrigation on corm production, and the effect of produced corms on flowering were evaluated in two consecutive years. Two irrigation methods (basin and furrow) with four levels of irrigation frequencies (12, 24 and 36 days and dryland farming) were applied. In August of 2000 sample corm was taken from every plot, and the effect of applied treatment from previous growing period on corm production and the effect of produced corms on future flowering were evaluated and analyzed. Based on the results, in furrow irrigation, total number of corms and total number of corms smaller than 4 gr is significantly higher than basin irrigation. In all of the above cases, irrigation frequencies did not show a meaningful difference between themselves or in comparison with dryland farming treatment. Total weight of corms and number and weight of corms larger than 8 gr in basin irrigation were more than furrow irrigation. This is to the extent that it is considered as the main reason for the difference in the flowering of corms, and has caused the flowering of basin irrigation to be significantly higher than furrow irrigation. In basin irrigation, irrigation frequencies of 12 and 24 days had the highest amount of flowering. No significant difference was observed on average corm production between the treatments in the two irrigation methods. However, irrigation treatments in both irrigation methods showed significant differences when compared with dryland farming treatment. So, basin irrigation with irrigation frequency of 24 days is preferred over furrow irrigation due to lower water consumption and production of larger size corms which is effective in flowering.