Production Practices and Quality Assessment of Food Crops. Vol. 1

238 S. A. Ordoudi and M. Z. Tsimidou
Table 7. Typical soil characteristics of saffron fields at Birjhand and Ghaen, Khorasan, Iran (after Behnia
et al., 1999).
Soil characteristics Birjhand fields Ghaen fields
Potassium (mg/kg) 270 215
Phosphorous (mg/kg) 007 004.5
Total N (%) 000.05 000.06
Organic C (%) 000.51 000.71
CaCO 3 (%) 015.0 017.0
PH 008.0–8.1 007.5–7.9
Electrical conductivity (dS m –1 ) 002.1–3.0 002.0–3.3
Iron mg/kg 004.4–6.4 002.8–6.8
Manganese 013.2–23.0 009.6–22.0
Zinc 000.48–0.68 000.48–0.82
Copper 000.7–1.1 000.72–1.1
Clay (%) 022.6 017.6
Silt (%) 031.4 040.0
Sand (%) 046.0 042.4
Irrigation was by siphons and rains. First irrigation was three weeks before
flowering (in September), the second after collection of flowers (early November)
and the third in March and two more at 15 days intervals. The flowers were picked
au by hand. The results of this tedious experimental work, which deserved attention,
did not clarified which edaphic or climatic factors were responsible for the
differences in productivity in these two locations. In any case fertilisers were found
not to improve significantly the yield. This study gives evidence for the organic
cultivation of saffron in the years to come.
Italy. Nowadays, cultivation is restricted to Navelli highlands and to a lesser
extent in Sardinia (Cagliari province) and the Val di Taro (Parma province). Some
attempts are currently made to renew interest in this cultivation in Tuscany. Sicily
and Campania do not produce saffron crocus any more. Ten hectares and 100
growers are rather small figures for this otherwise profitable cultivation (Tammaro,
1994 and 1999) who reports that after experimentation in multiannual cultivation
it was evidenced that by taken up the corms at the early summer and replanting
at the end of August reduced significantly root rot. In the highland of Navelli
rainfall is common throughout the year except for August, whereas temperatures
below zero and snow are also common during late November and winter. High
humidity in summer favours development of parasitic fungi that destroy corms.
The use of anti-fungal agents is, thus, recommended to save the reproduction
material.
Japan. Morimoto et al. (1994) referred to an ‘indoor’ cultivation system that is
used for more than 80 years and that it is even mentioned in the Japanese
Pharmacopoeia. The authors commended that achievement of full blooming in the
room is advantageous for the homogenous quality of saffron and also for reducing
labour.