FOREWORD AND PREFACE

Medicinal and aromatic plants have been increasing in importance to society continuously for the past 100 years. Saffron is produced from dried stigmas of Crocus sativus L., member of the large family Iridaceae, and is cultivated in different countries. Saffron is produced world wide at the annual rate 170 tons. Historical records detailing the use of saffron date to ancient Egypt and Rome, where it was used as a dye in perfume and as a spice and colorant for culinary purpose. From ancient times saffron has been also used as a drug to treat various human health conditions. Although saffron have contributed to the quality of human life for thousands of years, utilizing this plant for treating human aliments and satisfying contemporary human tastes requires the efficient production of clean, quality plant materials in sufficient quantities for use in food and health care systems. Such production clearly will benefit from the scientific exchange of observations, facts, and ideas represented by the contributions in this publication.
This volume of Acta Horticulturae, strong of 60 contributions, is the Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on Saffron Biology and Biotechnology (ISSBB-2003) held in Albacete, Spain in October 22-25, 2003. The main intention of this Symposium, organised under the auspices of the ISHS and the University of Castilla-La Mancha, was to provide a worldwide overview of research results in saffron plant achieved in the last decades. The subject matter of the Symposium was wide-ranging and included basic biology, chemistry, agronomy, genetics and breeding, industrial production, pharmacognosy, pharmacology, and economics. At the same time, attention was given to the scientific and practical problems and the challenges for saffron plant in the coming century.
The participation of 97 persons from 15 countries (Spain, Iran, Mexico, India, Greece, Italy, France, Japan, Switzerland, USA, Turkey, Hungary, Denmark, Canada, and Azerbaijan) gave the opportunity for an intensive exchange of saffron research results as well as discussions during the four sessions and two round tables foreseen in the program, bearing in mind several points of interest as also formulated in the statement of the ISSBB-2003.
The symposium commenced with a welcome address by the convener Prof. José-Antonio Fernández, followed by the Chairman of the ISHS Medical and Aromatic Plants Section Prof. Lyle E. Craker, and the UCLM Vice-Chancellor of Research, Prof. Francisco J. Quiles. The major of the City of Albacete, Sr. Manuel Pérez-Castell, gave a reception to the ISSBB attendants at the Municipal Museum (former Major Hall), a XVIII century palace.
The scientific program consisted on four sessions including lectures and invited presentations, poster exhibitions and discussions, and room tables about hot topics on saffron technology. The first session, chaired by Professor Maria Grilli Caiola from the University of Rome Tor Vergata (Italy) was focused on Saffron Biology and included topics related with botany, reproductive biology, physiology, genetics, molecular biology and biochemistry of saffron. It was of particular interest the overview on saffron reproductive biology and the recent advances in the elucidation of the biosynthesis of saffron carotenoids using molecular biology tools, the enzymological characterization of saffron corm, the advances in genomic and molecular genetic analysis, and the botanic and physiological studies in Crocus sativus L. and allies species.
Dr. Imtiaz Khan, from the Government Fruit Research Centre of Pithoragarh in India, chaired the second session, which covered studies on Saffron Crop Techniques, Breeding and Tissue Culture. Amongst the various topics on ecophysiology and agronomy of saffron, the development of novel thermal-based treatments to program saffron flowering under greenhouse conditions was of particular interest for agronomists and producers. Various communications dealt with the application of in vitro technologies for both micro-propagation and genetic improvement of this crop. This session concluded with a room table on Agronomical and Biotechnological approaches for saffron improvement moderated by Professor Hasan Vurdu from the Gazi University in Turkey. It counted with the participation of scientists and agronomists of Iran and Spain, countries that are the leader and the former leader producers, respectively. In the dialogues was evidenced the different perspectives of both types of agriculture, the Iranian currently very competitive on the basis on low incomes and salaries, and the Spanish (and others of the Mediterranean area) that requires urgent technological changes for surviving.
The relevance of Food Technology and other Industrial Applications was discussed in the third session chaired by Professor Moschos Polissiou from the Agricultural University of Athens in Greece. Scientific communications dealing with technical basis of commercial quality, new methods of analysis for detection of adulterations and geographical differentiation, decontamination, harvesting effects, flower separation techniques, saffron by-product valorisation, development of new saffron products in health and cosmetics, and even marketing and ethno-historical approaches, were presented. Certainly, this session was of the main interest for the business sector. The session ended with a room table on Industrial Perspectives chaired by Jean Marie Thiercelin from Tradimpex, France. Delegates of saffron trade and manufacturing companies of Iran, Spain, India, and Switzerland participate in a passionate colloquium were quality, adulteration, traceability, and saffron benefits to human health were the spotlights of discussions.
Last but nor least, session 4 dealt with different aspects of Saffron Biomedicine, such as the effects of saffron on senile dementia, retina-degeneration, immunomodulation, and antimicrobial, antidepressant or antitumor activities. Dr. Hiroshi Saito, Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo (Japan), chaired this last session. Finally, Dr. Fikrat Abdullaev exposed the concluding remarks of the symposium.
On Saturday afternoon the attendants went to the near town of Santa Ana for its Saffron Festival, to witness the annual harvesting of the saffron flower, and discover the roots of La Mancha Saffron. The symposium was finished with a saffron-based dinner in the XVI century cloister of the former Monastery of the Incarnation.
The Symposium, held in new buildings of the University of Castilla-La Mancha, was, according to comments received from both Spanish and foreign participants, a great success, focusing world attention on horticultural research for this important medicinal, aromatic, and condiment plant. The presence of Professor Lyle Cracker in the symposium was extremely helpful for the organizers and was deeply acknowledged.
The Executive Board of the 1st ISSBB agreed to organize a Working Group on Saffron within the ISHS Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Section, and to propose the celebration of the second ISSBB on October 2006 at Mashhad (Iran). The primary goal of this group is to provide a professional support for carrying out presentations, criticism, and debate concerning topics of saffron research and technology. A secondary goal is to promote the development of different topics of saffron research. Topics under investigation cover a wide spectrum. At one end are apparent anomalies in well-established disciplines. At the other, we find paradoxical phenomena that belong to not established discipline and therefore may offer the greatest potential for scientific advance and the expansion of saffron knowledge. The Working Group will encourage the promotion of various lines of saffron research, such as gene banks to preserve biodiversity in saffron and related species, analytical techniques and control of quality, biomedical research, tissue culture for propagation and crop improvement, and patent protection and other legal issues in saffron technology. The Working Group also plans to organize regularly (each three year) the International Symposium on Saffron Biology and Biotechnology (ISSBB), to coordinate saffron research in different laboratories of the world, to improve cooperation with saffron trading companies and to promote inter-laboratory exchange programmes for students and scientist. The Symposium was carried out thanks to the financial support received from the Castilla-La Mancha Regional Government (Departments of Science and Technology, and Health), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology and the University of Castilla-La Mancha.
Based on the information accumulated during the Symposium we concluded that the worldwide increase in utilisation of saffron as natural product requires new biological and economical development, and co-operative programs on technological and medicinal studies. It was also concluded that production and processing of medicinal and aromatic plants should be one of the successful branches of horticulture in the future. To fulfil these requirements, however, the production systems need to be modernised and high quality propagation material must be provided to farmers. Technology related to cultivation, post-harvest processing, quality control, and product development must also be modernised. To stabilise the production of saffron, new methods and techniques in worldwide marketing need to be developed.
The globalise, international co-operation exhibited in this Symposium support the concept of the medicinal and aromatic plant sector, including saffron plant, continuing to develop and to play an important roll in the future on both national and international levels.
It is a pleasure for us to present you herewith the Acta Horticulturae volumes containing the proceedings of the ISSBB-2003.

José-Antonio Fernández and Fikrat Abdullaev
Conveners and Editors

PREFACE

The papers contained in this volume of Acta Horticulturae report the Proceedings of the I International Symposium on Saffron Biology and Biotechnology. Keynote speakers and authors of selected contributed oral and poster presentations were given the opportunity to submit a manuscript for publication.
These manuscripts were reviewed by the members of the Editorial Board. Only those papers judged suitable for publication following the authors consideration of reviewer suggestions appear in this volume of Acta Horticulturae.
The ISHS acknowledges and appreciates the contribution of all editors and reviewers. They have made a significant contribution to improving the quality of this publication.

The ISHS Board of Directors