ISHS Acta Horticulturae 650: I International Symposium on Saffron Biology and Biotechnology
EXTENDING THE HARVEST PERIOD OF SAFFRON |
| Authors: | R.V. Molina, A. García-Luis, M. Valero, Y. Navarro, J.L. Guardiola |
| Keywords: | corm programming, Crocus sativus L., flower forcing, flowering, saffron spice |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.2004.650.25 |
| Abstract:
Lifting the corms of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) after leaf withering (late June to early July) and storing them at 25 ºC during a variable period of time before forcing flowering at 17 ºC, allowed us to program flowering at will from mid September to mid December. An earlier flowering was obtained lifting the corms before leaf withering (by the end of May) and/or heat curing the corms at 30 ºC during 20 days before the incubation at 25 ºC. On the other hand, flowering could be delayed storing the corms at low temperature. The conditions of this cold storage were critical as regards to the stage of flower initiation of the corms, the temperature and duration of storage and the composition of the atmosphere. A departure from the optimal conditions resulted in flower abortion and/or a reduction in flower size. The combination of the techniques described allowed us to extend the harvest season of saffron in the greenhouse from early September to the end of January, with a saffron spice yield per corm higher than 17 mg. Since the mean duration of the period of flowering for a batch of corms was 13 days, we could grow 11 batches in that period. With the planting density we used (457 corms m-2); 1 hectare of greenhouse yielded 855 Kg of saffron spice in a year. The period of flowering could be extended until the end of March but with a smaller spice saffron yield per corm (over 14 mg). | |
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