Effect of Reduced Levels of the Herbicide Haloxyfop R-methyl ester in Combination with Some Adjuvants on the Growth and Flowering of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.)

Hamdard, Safi-Allah; Fallahi, Hamid Reza; Hammami, Hossein; Sahabi, Hossein

doi:10.22077/jsr.2025.8793.1261

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ M. Sc. Student in Agroecology, Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran.

² Associate Professor, Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran. Member of Plant and Environmental Stresses Research Group (PESRG), University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran.

³ Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Production, University of Torbat Heydarieh, Torbat Heydarieh, Iran. Saffron Institute, University of Torbat Heydarieh, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.22077/jsr.2025.8793.1261

Abstract

Introduction: Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is one of the important medicinal plants in the arid and semi-arid regions of Iran. This plant has high economic value due to its pleasant taste and aroma as well as numerous medicinal properties. Therefore, the cultivation and production of this plant in areas with suitable climatic conditions has become one of the most important economic activities. Although Iran accounts for about 90% of the global production of saffron, the yield gap of this plant in the country's fields is very high. One of the important factors in increasing the yield gap in saffron are weeds. Given the limited competitive capacity of saffron, weeds can reduce crop growth and yield if not managed well. For this reason, farmers use various methods to control weeds, including the use of herbicides. Haloxyfop R-methyl ester (super gallant) is used as a common herbicide in saffron fields to control narrow leaf weeds. However, the potential damage of this herbicide to saffron plants has not been well studied, so far. In addition, implementing strategies to increase efficiency and use lower amounts of herbicide is important for sustainable saffron production.

Materials and Methods: In this study, the effect of reduced levels of super gallant herbicide (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% of the recommended dose) and the application of adjuvants (arugula oil, Citogate mineral oil and no oil application) were investigated on saffron growth and flowering in a factorial experiment based on a randomized complete block design with six replications. The experiment was conducted in pots, from the beginning of autumn 2023 to the end of autumn 2024, in the open environment of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Iran.

Results and Discussion: The effect of experimental factors was not significant on the quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm). The experimental factors had no significant effect on the length and the number of leaves, but their interaction effect on leaf dry weight was significant. The application of herbicide and adjuvants reduced leaf dry weight, and the highest value of this index (66.6 g m^-2) was obtained in the control treatment. The interaction effect of experimental factors was significant on the number of small (<3 g) and large (6-9 g) replacement corms and on the total number of replacement corms. The highest number of small corms and total number of corms were obtained in the control treatment (837 and 962 No. m^-2, respectively), while the lowest number was obtained by application of arugula oil × no- herbicide (375 and 465 No. m^-2, respectively) and also by the application of Citogate at a concentration of 20% herbicide (358 and 466 No. m^-2, respectively). The highest number of large replacement corms (6-9 g) with flowering potential, were obtained by application of Citogate at a concentration of 20 and 40% herbicide (25 No. m^-2), application of arugula oil at a concentration of 40% herbicide (16.6 No. m^-2), and then by no adjuvant at a concentration of 40% herbicide (3.8 No. m^-2), while there were no large corms in the other combined treatments. Similar results were observed for the yield of large corms and thereby flowering was recorded only in the mentioned treatments. The application of herbicides and adjuvants improved the mean weight of replacement corms and the weight ratio of corms to leaves.

Conclusion: Overall, the results of this preliminary research showed that the application of herbicide and adjuvants reduced the number of small replacement corms and increased the allocation of photoassimilates towards replacement corms and had no inhibitory effect on the photosynthetic efficiency of the plant. This potted research showed that the use of Supergallant herbicide did not have a negative effect on saffron, but conducting field experiments in the natural environment is necessary to fully understand the response of saffron to the experimental factors in order to provide applied recommendations.

Keywords

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