Water Deficit and the Effect of Silver Nanoparticles on Morphological Traits onSome Saffron Ecotypes (Crocus sativus L.) in South Khorasan

The present research was conducted to investigate the effect of water stress and silver nanoparticles on morphological traits of some saffron ecotypes. The experiment was done in form of split plot factorial in a randomized complete block design format in three replications at research farm of Birjand University with two levels including full and low water irrigation on 10 ecotypes of saffron and at three levels of silver nanoparticles including control treatment (distille water), 55 and 110 ppm. The traits such as germination date (germination), the number of germinated corm, the number of tillers, the number of leaves, leaf length, the pods length and leaf width were measured. The best date of emergence and the largest number of paws in complete irrigation treatment was observed under distilled water treatment (control). The highest number of corm germinated was observed in irrigated conditions at 55 ppm of silver nanoparticles in the Qaeen ecotype. The highest leaf length was observed under drought stress in the treatment with distilled water (control). The largest number of leaves and leaf width were observed under drought stress at 55 ppm of silver nanoparticles. According to the obtained results of this study, some of the traits at the conditions of drought stress under the silver nanoparticles with a concentration of 55 ppm and some of the traits in the full irrigation and lack of use of silver nanoparticles had the best performance, which it could be said that probably, in stress dryness, the amount of ethylene increases. Some of the obtained results of this study can be related to the effect of silver in preventing ethylene activity.