Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Researcher of Gonabad Agricultural and Natural Resource and Education station, Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Khorasan Razavi, AREEO. Gonabad. Iran.
2 Khorasan Razavi Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Center
Abstract
In order to investigate the effect of density and cover management on corm behavior and economic performance of saffron in Gonabad climatic conditions, an experiment was conducted in the form of split plots in a randomized complete block design with three replications at the Khorasan Razavi Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center (Gonabad Research Station). In this study, planting density treatments were at four levels including 60, 90, 120 and 150 corms/m2 in the main plot and plant residue management and shading at four levels including removal of saffron residues at the end of the growing season (control), presence of saffron residues at the end of the growing season, control + use of cereal straw (2 tons/ha), control + use of artificial canopy in the subplot. The results of this study showed that all of the attributes were affected by increasing density in both years studied. On the other hand, the application of various types of cover in summer increased all the studied traits compared to the control treatment (removal of saffron residues). Also, the study of interaction effects showed that the application of cereal straw (first year) and canopy (second year) under density levels of 90 and 120 corms per m2 increased the dry weight of stigma compared to other cover management treatments. Considering the positive effect of using cover on the economic performance of saffron, it seems that the practical recommendation of using various types of cover, especially cereal straw , considering its lower cost compared to shade and also easier access to cover saffron fields at the beginning of the hot season can be considered for sustainability and increasing saffron yield.
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