Vegetative Growth and Productivity of Potted <i>Crocus sativus</i> in Different Growing Media
Saffron (<i>Crocus sativus</i>) is the most expensive spice in the world and a valuable medicinal plant. In this study, the flowering, vegetative growth performance, and daughter corm formation of potted saffron were investigated in six growing media: loamy soil, silty soil, sandy soil,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Horticulturae |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/9/3/377 |
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| author | Mohammed E. El-Mahrouk Yaser Hassan Dewir Hassan El-Ramady Mayada Kadri Seliem |
| author_facet | Mohammed E. El-Mahrouk Yaser Hassan Dewir Hassan El-Ramady Mayada Kadri Seliem |
| author_sort | Mohammed E. El-Mahrouk |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Saffron (<i>Crocus sativus</i>) is the most expensive spice in the world and a valuable medicinal plant. In this study, the flowering, vegetative growth performance, and daughter corm formation of potted saffron were investigated in six growing media: loamy soil, silty soil, sandy soil, peatmoss, peatmoss + sandy soil, and peatmoss + foam. The highest values of the stigma fresh weight, the root weight, and the number and diameter of daughter corms were observed in plants grown in soil with a light texture, i.e., sandy soil or peatmoss + foam, although smaller daughter corms were produced by sandy soil-grown plants. Compared with loamy soil (heavy soil), the peatmoss + foam growing medium increased the leaf pigment levels and the number of leaves and daughter corms, and it produced the highest number of daughter corms with diameters of ≥2 cm. Compared with plants in other media, saffron plants grown in loamy soil had higher catalase and peroxidase activities but lower polyphenol oxidase activity. Overall, saffron could be cultivated and produced in growing media with various pH values (4.00–9.25), although a mixture of peatmoss and foam was the optimal growing medium for potted saffron production. These findings are beneficial for selecting the optimal growing media/soil for saffron cultivation in farmlands. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:27:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-342e4ea29f7b41d1a2c4e5d037fbb671 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2311-7524 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:27:51Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Horticulturae |
| spelling | doaj.art-342e4ea29f7b41d1a2c4e5d037fbb6712023-11-17T11:24:49ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242023-03-019337710.3390/horticulturae9030377Vegetative Growth and Productivity of Potted <i>Crocus sativus</i> in Different Growing MediaMohammed E. El-Mahrouk0Yaser Hassan Dewir1Hassan El-Ramady2Mayada Kadri Seliem3Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh 33516, EgyptPlant Production Department, College of Food & Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaInstitute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 138 Böszörményi Street, 4032 Debrecen, HungaryOrnamental and Floriculture Department, Horticulture Research Institute, El-Sabahia, Alexandria 21599, EgyptSaffron (<i>Crocus sativus</i>) is the most expensive spice in the world and a valuable medicinal plant. In this study, the flowering, vegetative growth performance, and daughter corm formation of potted saffron were investigated in six growing media: loamy soil, silty soil, sandy soil, peatmoss, peatmoss + sandy soil, and peatmoss + foam. The highest values of the stigma fresh weight, the root weight, and the number and diameter of daughter corms were observed in plants grown in soil with a light texture, i.e., sandy soil or peatmoss + foam, although smaller daughter corms were produced by sandy soil-grown plants. Compared with loamy soil (heavy soil), the peatmoss + foam growing medium increased the leaf pigment levels and the number of leaves and daughter corms, and it produced the highest number of daughter corms with diameters of ≥2 cm. Compared with plants in other media, saffron plants grown in loamy soil had higher catalase and peroxidase activities but lower polyphenol oxidase activity. Overall, saffron could be cultivated and produced in growing media with various pH values (4.00–9.25), although a mixture of peatmoss and foam was the optimal growing medium for potted saffron production. These findings are beneficial for selecting the optimal growing media/soil for saffron cultivation in farmlands.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/9/3/377foamgrowing medialoamy soilpeatmosssaffronstigma |
| spellingShingle | Mohammed E. El-Mahrouk Yaser Hassan Dewir Hassan El-Ramady Mayada Kadri Seliem Vegetative Growth and Productivity of Potted <i>Crocus sativus</i> in Different Growing Media Horticulturae foam growing media loamy soil peatmoss saffron stigma |
| title | Vegetative Growth and Productivity of Potted <i>Crocus sativus</i> in Different Growing Media |
| title_full | Vegetative Growth and Productivity of Potted <i>Crocus sativus</i> in Different Growing Media |
| title_fullStr | Vegetative Growth and Productivity of Potted <i>Crocus sativus</i> in Different Growing Media |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vegetative Growth and Productivity of Potted <i>Crocus sativus</i> in Different Growing Media |
| title_short | Vegetative Growth and Productivity of Potted <i>Crocus sativus</i> in Different Growing Media |
| title_sort | vegetative growth and productivity of potted i crocus sativus i in different growing media |
| topic | foam growing media loamy soil peatmoss saffron stigma |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/9/3/377 |
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