Effect of nano-silver particles on saffron corm treated with NaCl

Saffron is dried stigma of Crocus sativus L., member of Iridaceae and a sterile plant that is propagated by corm. Corm is the underground stem surrounded with soil, which can be affected by many factors that cause stress including extra NaCl, drought, soil texture and heavy metals. It has been shown that nano particles are able to decline deteriorative effects of stress. An experiment was designed by using nano-silver particles (80 and 100 ppm) for saffron plants under salinity stress (100 and 150 mM NaCl) to study the effects of those treatments on corm. Treated corms were investigated for proline, MDA, polysaccharides contents and chlorophyll a/b and carotenoids contents of leaves and also the number of cormlets which were grown on the mother corm, in order to study at which levels the nano-silver declined salinity effects on corm properties. For this experiment, 5 corms were selected and used for each pot containing control soil texture. The corms were irrigated with five different solutions as 1) 100 mM NaCl; 2) 150 mM NaCl; 3) nano-silver 80 ppm plus 100 mM NaCl; 4) nano-silver 100 ppm plus 100 mM NaCl; and 5) water (control). The treated corms after flowering were collected for further analysis as mentioned. The results showed that nano-silver with 80up ppm concentration can reduce deteriorative effects of salinity on corms and increased antioxidant activities but when the concentration of nano particles increased, it not only did not control the salinity effects on corm but also caused extra stress and more damage on corm properties.