1Advanced Research Station for Saffron and Temperate Seed Spices, Konibal, Pampore, 192 121
2Division of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura-193201
3Division of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura-19320
4Directorate of Research, Rangreth-191132
5Directorate of Extension, Rangreth-191132
6Dryland Agriculture Research Station, Rangreth-191132
7Division of Olericulture, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar-190025, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Weed pressure is a serious impediment to saffron cultivation and can significantly affect floral and vegetative growth. The present investigation was conducted at Advanced Research Station for Saffron & Temperate Seed Spices, SKUAST-K, Pampore, using a split-plot design, to assess the performance of 35 saffron (Crocus sativus L.) germplasm lines under two opposing weed regimes; weed-free and weedy. All evaluated traits showed significant differences between weed regimes and germplasm lines. Weed-free conditions improved critical traits such as fresh pistil weight, dry pistil weight, pistil length, tepal dimensions, and corm diameter. Genotypes G24, G4, and G31 consistently showed higher mean values under both conditions; however, these findings indicate phenotypic responsiveness rather than confirmed weed tolerance. Correlation study indicated significant positive relationships between pistil weight and floral elongation traits, emphasising their importance in reproductive yield. The study highlights the importance of timely weed management in enhancing saffron productivity and identified germplasm lines with comparatively superior performance across variable weed environments. Further physiological or molecular studies are required to validate their stability under weed stress.
Corm traits, Correlation floral traits, Germplasm lines, Saffron, Weed regime
