PLANT CELL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

To check the efficacy of different fungicides to control soil and corm borne disease of saffron (Crocus sativus) by conducting experiment at Balochistan Agriculture Research and Development Center (BARDC) Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan during the year 2019-2020. The corms were treated with one of the following fungicides; Copper Oxychloride, Cabriotop, Rovral, Vitavax Thiram, Acrobat MZ and Tanda. These corms were sown in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) along with control treatment (fungal-infected corms with no fungicide treatment). The results indicated that the positive effect of fungicides on the flower production (dry weight) of saffron was in the order of Acrobat MZ and Copper Oxychloride > Rovral and Vitavax Thiram > Cabriotop, Tanda and control (P < 0.05). The dry flower biomass of saffron under treatment of Acrobat MZ and Copper Oxychloride was ~ 3 and 4 times greater than the flower production of control treatment. The dry weight of stigma under treatments of Acrobat MZ and Copper Oxychloride was ~2 – 3 times greater than the control treatment (P < 0.05). All fungicides except Tanda significantly increased the length of stigma (2.98 – 2.82 cm) than control (2.65) (P < 0.05). Acrobat MZ also significantly increased the survival of croms than control treatment. These results demonstrate that corms treated with fungicides specifically with Acrobat MZ and Copper Oxychloride not only reduce the disease incidence and pathogen population in the soil, but also improved the certain growth parameters related to vegetative and reproductive parts of saffron.