Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 1 Associate Professor, Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Iran 2 Plant and Environmental Stresses Research Group, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Iran
2 Agricultural Faculty, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad
3 Assistant Professor, Food Science and Technology, Khorasan Science and Technology Park, Mashhad, Iran 5 Guest Researcher, Saffron Research Institute, Torbat Heydariyeh University
Abstract
Saffron is considered as a strategic crop for Iran due to its food, cosmetic, health and medicinal uses, high economic value and adaptability to the arid climatic conditions. the research trend was evaluated during the seven sessions of the Iranian National Conference of Saffron. The first of them was held in Qaen in 1988 and the last one was held in Birjand in 2024. Research topics were divided into eight main axes, 17 branches, and 98 subgroups. out of 601 articles presented at seven sessions of the national conferences of saffron, 236 articles (39.3%) dealt with the subject of production and cultivation, 90 articles (14.9%) with saffron uses and applications, 77 articles (12.8%) with harvesting and post-harvest issues, 73 articles (12.1%) with economic issues, 55 articles (9.1%) with genetics, breeding and biotechnology, 24 articles (0.4%) with pests and diseases, 19 articles (3.2%) with mechanization and 27 articles (4.5%) with other topics. The most important ecological and agronomic issues that have recently received more attention include the effect of climatic factors on saffron, the allelopathic effects of saffron, crop rotation, pretreatment of corms with growth hormones, and the most important issues that have been considered in most conferences include corm weight and planting density. Some agronomic issues such as planting date, corm planting bed, corm specific propagation, corm storage conditions, and soil physical properties have received less attention from researchers. Indigenous knowledge and agrotourism are also among the issues that, although they have recently received more attention from researchers, have not yet been sufficiently researched.
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