PLANT GROWTH REGULATOR EFFECTS OF AQUEOUS AND ACETONIC EXTRACTS OF SAFFRON (CROCUS SATIVUS L.) IN WHEAT (TRITICUM SATIVUM) SEEDLINGS

Wheat (Triticum sativum) is a monocotyledonous plant from Graminea family. The stigma of the Crocus sativus plant, commonly known as saffron, is used in traditional medicine as an aphrodisiac, antispasmodic and expectorant. Recent pharmacological studies have demonstrated that saffron extract has antitumor and hypolipidemic effects but plant growth regulator effects of extracts of saffron have not been studied. In this investigation, we studied plant growth regulator effects of extracts of saffron in wheat. In the maceration method, stigma was macerated in warm distilled water for three days. The extract was subsequently filtered and remains of stigmas were washed. The remains of stigmas were macerated in acetone for one day and it was filtered and concentrated under reduced pressure at 35°C. The acetonic extract was solved in 100 ml of distilled water. The seeds of wheat (100 seeds) were cultured in 15-20 ml of these two extracts with different concentrations. After two weeks, results of these experiments indicated that the treatment decreased the rate of shoots and roots growth but it increased the number of secondary roots, width of shoots and roots. The extracts of saffron are rhizogenesis stimulator in wheat.