دانشگاه بیرجند پژوهش‌های زعفران 2345-3869 مقالات آماده انتشار 2026 01 01 Analysis of Soil Differences in Saffron Fields Managed by Leading, Skilled, and Ordinary Farmers in Torbat-Heydarieh County تحلیل تفاوت‌های خاک مزارع زعفران تحت مدیریت کشاورزان پیشرو، ماهر و معمولی در شهرستان تربت‌حیدریه 3854 10.22077/jsr.2026.10298.1291 FA حمیدرضا فلاحی دانشیار، گروه مهندسی تولید و ژنتیک گیاهی، دانشکده کشاورزی، دانشگاه بیرجند، بیرجند، ایران. گروه پژوهشی گیاه و تنش‌های محیطی، دانشگاه بیرجند، بیرجند، ایران. علیجان سالاریان پژوهشگر و کارشناس فنی امور پژوهشی، آموزشی و ترویج پژوهشکده زعفران، دانشگاه تربت‌حیدریه، تربت‌حیدریه، ایران. 0000-0001-7397-2757 Journal Article 2025 10 21 Introduction: Differences in the physical and chemical properties of soil are among the major factors contributing to the high yield variability observed among saffron fields in Iran. Although some physical properties, such as soil texture (percentages of clay, sand, and silt), are considered inherent soil characteristics and are rarely altered by farmers, other soil properties- including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic matter content, soil bulk density, and saturated moisture percentage- are directly or indirectly influenced by various management practices, such as the type and rate of fertilizers applied and the quality of irrigation water. Saffron farmers can improve soil properties to better meet the crop’s requirements through practices such as selecting soils with suitable texture, applying sand to partially amend heavy soils, using organic fertilizers, and incorporating plant residues. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to investigate differences in soil properties among ordinary, skilled, and leading saffron farmers in Torbat-e Heydarieh County, Iran, as one of the main centers of saffron cultivation in Iran and worldwide. Materials and Methods: In this study, selected soil properties from 125 saffron fields in Torbat-e Heydarieh County were compared among three producer groups: leading (expert) farmers, skilled farmers, and ordinary farmers. The numbers of selected farmers in the ordinary, skilled, and leading groups were 45, 48, and 31, respectively. A completely randomized design (CRD) was employed to compare soil properties among three groups. Due to the unequal number of farms in each treatment, an unbalanced completely randomized design was applied. As the results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) did not indicate significant differences among the three farmer groups for many of the evaluated traits, descriptive statistics were also used to obtain a more detailed understanding of data behavior. Accordingly, for each soil property examined, the minimum, maximum, range (maximum-minimum), median, mean, variance, and standard deviation were calculated separately for each producer group. Data analysis was performed using SAS and Microsoft Excel software. Results and Discussion: The results showed that the soil of saffron fields in Torbat-e-Heydariyeh is alkaline (pH: 7.5-8.4). Also, the soil pH of the fields of the three groups of farmers was very similar, and its average for the fields of ordinary, skilled, and expert farmers was 7.9, 7.8, and 7.8, respectively. The mean soil electrical conductivity (EC) of the fields of all farmers was about 1.2 dS m-2, which is within the range tolerated by saffron. The mean soil saturation percentage for the fields of ordinary, skilled, and expert farmers was 36, 37.4, and 38.2 %, respectively. The range of soil organic matter changes in the fields of ordinary, skilled and expert farmers was between 0.14-1.36, 0.14- 1.51 and 0.21-1.4 %, respectively, and its mean value was 0.54, 0.62 and 0.64 %, respectively. The highest and the lowest soil bulk density (1.61 and 1.53 g cm3) were obtained in the fields of ordinary and expert farmers, respectively. The mean soil clay content in the fields of ordinary, skilled and expert farmers was 13.1, 13.8 and 17.4 %, respectively. Overall, the soil of the fields of expert farmers had higher clay content, organic carbon and saturation percentage and lower bulk density. Conclusion: Overall, higher clay content, organic matter, and saturation percentage, and lower soil bulk density can be considered as the important reasons for achieving higher yields by leading farmers. In the present study, only differences in soil properties among the three groups of farmers were examined; however, soil-related factors are not the sole contributors to the yield gap observed in saffron fields. Other factors, such as differences in the level of technical knowledge and the agronomic management practices implemented by farmers, may also account for the higher yields achieved by leading farmers. تفاوت در خصوصیات فیزیکی و شیمیایی خاک یکی از دلایل مهم اختلاف عملکرد زیاد در بین مزارع زعفران ایران میباشد. در این پژوهش برخی خصوصیات خاک تعداد 125 مزرعه زعفران در بین سه گروه از تولیدکنندگان شهرستان تربتحیدریه شامل کشاورزان پیشرو (خبره)، کشاورزان ماهر و کشاورزان معمولی، در سال 1400-1399 مورد مقایسه قرار گرفت. نتایج نشان داد خاک مزارع زعفران در شهرستان تربتحیدریه قلیایی (شاخص واکنش بین 7.5 تا 8.4) میباشد. همچنین مقدار شاخص واکنش خاک (pH) مزارع سه گروه کشاورزان شباهت زیادی داشت و میانگین آن برای مزارع کشاورزان معمولی، ماهر و پیشرو بهترتیب 7.9، 7.8 و 7.8 به دست آمد. میانگین هدایت الکتریکی خاک (EC) مزارع تمامی کشاورزان حدود 2.1 دسیزیمنس بر متر بود که در محدودة قابل تحمل توسط زعفران میباشد. میانگین درصد اشباع خاک برای مزارع کشاورزان معمولی، ماهر و پیشرو بهترتیب 36، 37.4 و 38.2 درصد بدست آمد. محدودة تغییرات مادة آلی خاک در مزارع کشاورزان معمولی، ماهر و پیشرو بهترتیب بین 14.36- 0.1، 14.51- 0.1 و 1.4- 0.21 درصد و مقدار متوسط آن بهترتیب 0.54، 0.62و 0.64 درصد بود. بیشترین و کمترین مقدار وزن مخصوص ظاهری خاک (1.61 و 1.53 گرم بر سانتیمترمکعب) بهترتیب در مزارع کشاورزان معمولی و پیشرو به دست آمد. متوسط مقدار رس خاک در مزارع کشاورزان معمولی، ماهر و پیشرو بهترتیب 13.1، 13.8 و 17.4 درصد بود. در مجموع از منظر خصوصیات خاک، بالاتر بودن محتوای رس، ماده آلی و درصد اشباع و کمتر بودن وزن مخصوص ظاهری خاک میتواند از دلایل مهم کسب عملکرد بیشتر توسط کشاورزان پیشرو معرفی شود.

https://jsr.birjand.ac.ir/article_3854_9864f23143c725cdc7e06e0b03f7471b.pdf