Asian Journal of Advances in Research

The research carried out in Banias-Syria during the agricultural season 2023/2024 and in the scientific research laboratory affiliated to the Department of Field Crops at the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Tishreen University to study the effect of treatment with organic acids (humic and fulvic) at concentrations (0, 25, and 50 mg/L) on some chemical indicators of cultivated and wild saffron. Saffron corms (Iranian, Spanish, Abu Reiha, yellow wild) were planted according to a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Some chemical indicators were measured: chlorophyll and carotenoid content (μg/gFw), content of sugars in leaves and corms (%), content of active components crocin, picrocrocin, and safranal (μg/g). The results showed the positive effect of organic acid treatment where the concentration (50 mg/L) outperformed the control and the treatment with concentration (25 mg/L) in all studied traits and characteristics and for all varieties. The plants of the Spanish variety treated with concentration (50 mg/L) excelled in the traits (carotenoid content (μg/gFw), content of sugars in corms (%), crocin content (μg/g)), reaching (157.608 μg/g - 4.742% - 186.006 μg/g) respectively. Meanwhile, the plants of the Iranian variety treated with concentration (50 mg/L) excelled in the following characteristics (chlorophyll content (μg/gFw), picrocrocin (μg/g), and safranal (μg/g)), reaching (1262.312 μg/g - 63.218 μg/g - 63.676 μg/g) respectively. The yellow wild variety gave the highest content of sugars in leaves reaching (5.042%). Therefore, we recommend using the concentration (50 mg/L) for treating saffron with organic acids through irrigation during the growth season.