Study of Diversity in Some Moroccan Population of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) | Chapter 05 | Research and Development in Agricultural Sciences Vol. 1
To study Moroccan saffron germplasm variability relating to different agro-morphological and phenological traits, 969 saffron corms (accessions) were collected from thirteen different sites located in traditional saffron area of Taliouine-Taznakht. The study confirmed a wide range of phenotypic variability within and between populations. The variance analysis revealed that the mother corm weight (MCW), taken as covariant, has significant effect on all studied traits. The difference within and between origins (Provenances) was highly significant for all traits, which showed highly significant correlation. The flowers number (NF) as well as the number of daughter corms weighing above 7 g per plant (NDC≥7) turned out to be the most determinant parameters of saffron yield. The produced FN per corm varied from 1 to 9 with an average of 2.2 flowers. P1 population recorded a flowering rate of 65.5% with a maximum average of NF (2). Stigmat length (SL), which is an important yield trait, sh...