The Effect of Using Solarized and Methanized Manure on Weeds Control in Eastern Moroccan Saffron Cultivation

Cultivated for its red stigmas, saffron is arguably the most expensive and precious spice in the world. However, saffron production is limited by a number of factors, including weed infestation which causes damage to this crop both quantitatively and qualitatively. Solarization and anaerobic digestion are techniques used to control weeds and plant diseases. It is for this purpose an experiment was conducted in 2018 with an objective to compare solarized manure and that resulting from anaerobic digestion on the development of weeds associated with saffron crop. During the trial, the parameters measured correspond, on the one hand, to morpho-metric measurements and the determination of saffron stigmas yield and, on the other hand, to the determination of density, dry biomass and weed control capacity. In this study, 16 weed species were recorded. The two treatments applied reduced weed density and biomass by about 55% of the weed species, including problematic species such as Cynodon dactylon, Cyperus rotundus and Convolvulus arvensis. However, there was no effect of manure treatment (T2, T3) on the populations of Chenopodium album, Aster squamatus and Medicago truncatula. The average stigmata yield from the addition of digested manure was 4% higher than the control. Similarly, the number, weight and percentage of daughter corms with a large diameter were higher for plants grown on treated manure. It was concluded that the incorporation of treated manure as a soil amendment slightly increased saffron yield and effectively controlled more than half of the weed species present. Keywords: Solarization, saffron, weeds, management strategies, manure, anaerobic digestion