Blue Light Improves Photosynthetic Performance and Biomass Partitioning toward Harvestable Organs in Saffron (<i>Crocus sativus</i> L.)
Shirin Moradi,
Mohsen Kafi,
Sasan Aliniaeifard,
Seyed Alireza Salami,
Majid Shokrpour,
Carsten Pedersen,
Moein Moosavi-Nezhad,
Jacek Wróbel,
Hazem M. Kalaji
Affiliations
Shirin Moradi
Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Science and Engineering, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj P.O. Box 31587-77871, Iran
Mohsen Kafi
Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Science and Engineering, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj P.O. Box 31587-77871, Iran
Sasan Aliniaeifard
Photosynthesis Laboratory, Department of Horticulture, Aburaihan Campus, University of Tehran, Tehran P.O. Box 33916-53755, Iran
Seyed Alireza Salami
Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Science and Engineering, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj P.O. Box 31587-77871, Iran
Majid Shokrpour
Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Science and Engineering, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj P.O. Box 31587-77871, Iran
Carsten Pedersen
Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg, Denmark
Moein Moosavi-Nezhad
Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Science and Engineering, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj P.O. Box 31587-77871, Iran
Jacek Wróbel
Department of Bioengineering, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, 17 Słowackiego Street, 71-434 Szczecin, Poland
Hazem M. Kalaji
Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Biology, University of Life Sciences SGGW, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
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.
