نشریه پژوهش های زعفران
سال دوم شماره 1 (بهار و تابستان 1393)

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of aqueous pennyroyal (Mentha plegium) and saffron petals extract on performance and meat quality in broiler. 330 birds were used in five treatments; Control (C), 0.1% saffron petals (S1), 0.2% saffron petals (S2), 0.1% pennyroyal (P1) and 0.2% pennyroyal (P2) extracts. Body weight gain and feed intake were measured. At the end of the experiment, four birds were slaughtered and meat temperature was measured at 15, 30 and 60 min postmortem in the right pectoralis major. Thigh meat quality parameters (water holding capacity, pH and Malon Di Aldehyde (MDA)) were measured in 1 and 60 day postmortem. Protein and lipid of thigh meat were evaluated on 1 day postmortem. The results showed that body weight gain and feed conversion ratio in grower and the whole period were improved for S2 compared to other treatments. Feed intake, meat temperature, fat, protein and pH were not significant between treatments. Meat dry matter was increased significantly in S1 and S2 treatment compared to P1 and P2 (P<0.05). MDA (1 day postmortem) was not significant between treatments but 60 day postmortem, MDA was significantly decreased in P2 compared to control treatment (P<0.05). WHC (1 day postmortem) significantly increased (P<0.05) in S1 and S2 compared to P1 but these differences were not significant for 60 day postmortem. The results also indicate that there were significant correlation between WHC, pH, dry matter, protein and fat. The Result of this study showed that Saffron petal extract can improve performance and it has antioxidant property but antioxidant effect of pennyroyal was higher than that of saffron petal.

Khorasan Province is one of the most important provinces of Iran، especially as regards agricultural product. The prediction of crop yield with available data has important effects on socio-economic and political decisions at the regional scale. Recently، the application of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) has been developed as a powerful tool which enables to solve accurately the most complicated equations and to perform appropriate numerical analysis. This study shows the ability of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) technology for the prediction of saffron (Corcus sativus) yield، based on the available daily weather and yearly agricultural data. Evapotranspiration، temperature (max، min، and dew temperatures)، precipitation and daily average relative humidity for 20 years at synoptic stations were the weather data used. The potential of ANN and Multi-Layered Preceptron (MLP) methods were examined to predict saffron yield. The MLP models of Artificial Neural Networks and regression using maximum temperature، precipitation، evapotranspiration and relative humidity of autumn and last year yield، as independent variables in predicting the crop yield (R2=0. 8832، RMSE= 0. 689 kg. ha-1، MAE= 0. 560 kg. ha-1)، the most efficiency was achieved.

The Mother corm size and nutrient management are the most important factors in relation to quantitative and qualitative characteristics of saffron (Crocus sativus L.). In order to investigate the effects of mother corms size, manure and chemical fertilizers on replacement corm criteria and yield of saffron, a field experiment was conducted as factorial layout based on a randomized complete block design with three replications at Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran, during the years 2012 and 2013. The mother corm size (4g and lower (small), 4.1–8 g (medium), 8.1-12 g (relatively large) and more than 12 g (large)) and fertilizer sources (manure 25 t. ha-1, chemical fertilizer (N+P) and control) were the first and second experimental factors, respectively. The larger mother corms (8.1-12 g and more) significantly resulted in a greater number of flowers per m2, increased fresh flower and dry stigma yields. As observed in flower and stigma yields, replacement corm yield per m2 was significantly increased by larger mother corms. In addition, number and yield of replacement corm significantly affected by fertilizer sources.However, effect of manure on yield of replacement corm more than 8 g and total replacement corm yield was higher than chemical fertilizer (by 12.5 and 21.8 %, respectively). It seems the selection of appropriate mother corm (more than 8 g) and applying manure can result in reducing the problems caused by consecutive using of chemical fertilizers.

Since apple trees have no economical yield during the first 10 years, saffron is a suitable plant for growing between apple trees. The growth period of saffron is in the time that apple tree is dormant, so there is not any interference between saffron and farming operation of apple trees. So in order to study the effects of sowing patterns and densities on saffron yield under the apple trees, an experiment carried out in an apple garden of Semirom region in 2012 and 2013. This experiment was a factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications. The first factor included of three sowing paterns (two, three and four rows) and second factor included of three sowing spaces on each rows (20, 25 and 30 cm). Results showed that maximum and minimum stigma and flower dry matter obtained from four rows pattern and 20 cm plant space and tow rows and 30 cm plant space, respectively. Maximum leaf dry matters, corm number and corm yield, in first year, obtained from four rows and 20 cm plant space treatment. Generally yield of second year was two times more than the first year for most of the measured traits. Finally with respect to results of the first and second years, applying of high density, four rows and 20 cm plant space, can be a proper option for saffron production under apple trees in Semirom region.

Saffron as the world's most valuable agricultural and medicinal product is among the plants that has a significant role in the economic and social conditions of arid and semi-arid areas of Southern and Central Khorasan. On the other aspect, the basic point in agricultural development is having detailed knowledge of the environmental characteristics in any place and applying specific management. Therefore, knowledge of the special dependency of soil and water characteristics of plantations is important to achieve higher production and better management. In this study, soil and water quality variables for saffron cultivation in Torbate Heidariyeh City located in Khorasan Razavi Province was evaluated. For this purpose, multi-criteria decision-making methods were used based on Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) by using Arc GIS software and the modeling and spatial analysis of information was conducted. Research process included data collection, data entry into GIS, criteria valuation, spatial modeling and integrating information. Finally, different regions were categorized into five groups based on their potential for saffron cultivation. The results showed that from the total 9570.2071 km2 area of the Torbate Hidariyeh city according to saffron cultivation zoning, 8.5% has a very good quality, 46.5% of the area has a good quality, 16.5% has relative conditions for cultivation, 17% has poor and 11.5% of the area has a quite unsuitable quality for the cultivation of saffron. Finally, the main limiting factor for saffron production was primarily poor quality of irrigation water and then soil properties.

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is one of the native and valuable plants of Iran that proper use of nutrients is particularly important in the development and production. Since saffron is reproduced by corm, so always been considered production of replacement corms through appropriate nutrition; and foliar application is one of auxiliary methods in this crop nutrition. In order to investigate the effects of different maternal corm weight and different levels of foliar concentrations on replacement corm characteristics and flower yield of saffron, an experiment was conducted as factorial based on a complete randomized block design with three replications and 16 treatments at the Agricultural Research Station, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad during growing season of 2011-2012. Treatments were four corm weights (1.1- 3, 3.1- 5, 5. and 7.1- 9 g) and 4 levels of foliar application (0, 6, 8 and 10 per 1000). Variance analysis results revealed that the maternal corm weight had significant effect on studied characteristics of saffron corm and flower. Among the treatments, maternal corm with 7.1-9 g weight had the highest total corm number (408 corms.m-2), corm yield (809 g.m-2) and fresh flower yield (5.25 g.m-2). The number and yield of corm, flower and stigma of saffron were decreased with decreasing in maternal corm weight. The studied characteristics of corm and flower were not affected using foliar application and interactions of corm weight with foliar application. Generally, the results of presented research show that the maternal corm with high weight has significant and positive effects on the studied characteristics of replacement corm and flower of saffron. Therefore, it is recommended to achieve high yield of saffron, as far as possible, large maternal corms with more weight should be used.

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is considered as the most expensive spice in the world. Although Iran has the highest world saffron production, but its yield is less compared with other producing countries. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effect of potassium and zinc application on flower yield and qualitative characteristics of saffron stigma. This study has been implemented based on the soil analysis results at south of Sabzevar city (in west of Khorasan Razavi province) during growing season of 2012 2013. Experiments had been performed as factorial layout based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Three levels of potassium (0, 100 and 200 kg.ha-¹) and three levels of zinc (0, 25 and 50 kg ha-¹) was investigated as treatments. The measured responses were fresh weight of flowers and stigma, stigma dry weight and number of flowers for saffron. Then data were analyzed by using SPSS software. The obtained results showed that consumption of potassium has no significant effect on the measured characteristics. But consumption of 200 kg ha-¹ potassium sulfate lad to %5.5 numbers of flowers, %5.6 weights of flower, %10 fresh weight of stigma and %8.5 dry weights of stigma increase in flower number compared to control.
While the impact of different levels zinc consumption were significant on studied trait. Consumption of 25 kg ha-¹ zinc sulfate increased % 65 numbers of flower, %84 weight of flowers, %73 fresh weight of stigma and %150 dry weight of stigma to control. However, by using of 50 kg Zinc sulfate, not only measured characteristics didn’t increase, but also saffron yield was lower than control. As regards the many soils in Khorasan province (more than %80) are faced with zinc deficiency, can be concluded that zinc consumption is so necessary to improve yield of saffron.