Blue Light Improves Photosynthetic Performance and Biomass Partitioning toward Harvestable Organs in Saffron (Crocus sativus L.)

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Shirin Moradi
  • Mohsen Kafi
  • Sasan Aliniaeifard
  • Seyed Alireza Salami
  • Majid Shokrpour
  • Pedersen, Carsten
  • Moein Moosavi-Nezhad
  • Jacek Wrobel
  • Hazem M. Kalaji

Saffron is a valuable plant and one of the most expensive spices worldwide. Nowadays, there is a tendency to produce this crop in indoor plant production systems. However, the production of saffron is restricted by the need for the reproduction of high-quality corms. In this study, we investigated the effect of different ratios of red (R) and blue (B) light spectra (including 100% B (monochromatic B), 75%, 50%, 40%, 25% B, and 0% B (monochromatic R) on the photosynthetic performance and biomass partitioning as well as morphological and biochemical characteristics of saffron. The growth of flower, root, and corm was improved by increasing the proportion of B to R light. B-grown plants were characterized by the highest photosynthetic functionality with efficient electron transport and lower energy dissipation when compared to R-grown plants. B light directed biomass toward the corms and floral organs, while R light directed it toward the leaves. In saffron, the weight of a daughter corm is of great importance since it determines the yield of the next year. As the ratio of B to R light increased, the daughter corms also became heavier, at the cost of reducing their number, though increasing the proportion of B-enhanced antioxidant capacity as well as the activity of ascorbate peroxidase and catalase while superoxide dismutase activity was enhanced in R-grown plants. In conclusion, B light increased the production of high-quality daughter corms and altered biomass partitioning towards harvestable organs (corms and flowers) in saffron plants.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1994
JournalCells
Volume10
Issue number8
Number of pages23
ISSN2073-4409
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

    Research areas

  • corm production, chlorophyll fluorescence, light spectra, O-J-I-P transient, photosynthetic functionality, CHLOROPHYLL-A FLUORESCENCE, EMITTING-DIODES LEDS, RED-LIGHT, VEGETATIVE GROWTH, GLYCINE BETAINE, IN-VITRO, TEMPERATURE, QUALITY, PLANTS, STRESS

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