limiting factor for sustainable saffron (Crocus sativus L.) production. Hence, it may be necessary to consider efficient approaches for improving P uptake mechanism. The effects of lateral buds removal and mother corm size on daughter corms behavior, flower yield and P acquisition efficiency (PAE) were studied in saffron grown in a P-deficient soil in a two-year field experiment during 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 growing seasons. The sixteen main plots [lateral bud removal (no removing lateral buds as control, keeping apical bud+removing all lateral buds, keeping apical bud + 1 lateral bud, and keeping apical bud + 2 lateral buds) × mother corm size (4.1–6.0, 6.1–8.0, 8.1–10.0, and 10.1–12.0g)] and 2 sub-plots (first and second sampling) were conducted based on a randomized complete block design arranged in factorial-split with 3 replicates. The maximum leaf area, flower number, and dried stigma yield were observed by keeping 2 lateral buds on mother corm. By contrast, the minimum values were obtained in control treatment. Furthermore, keeping 1 or 2 lateral buds alleviated the adverse effects of small-sized mother corm on leaf and flower related traits. Large-sized daughter corms (> 10.0g) constituted 25.0, 22.5, and 22.1% of the total number of daughter corms, respectively, when 0, 1, and 2 lateral buds were kept on 10.1–12.0g mother corms. The highest P concentration in large-sized daughter corms (3.72g kg−1) and PAE (38.89%) were obtained by keeping 2 lateral buds on 10.1–12.0g mother corms, while the lowest values (2.66g kg−1 and 6.77%) were observed by planting 4.1–6.0g untreated mother corms. It can be concluded that the sprouting mechanism in saffron is controlled by mother corm size. In sum, considering the cultivation of saffron in arid and semi-arid regions, selecting 10.1–12.0g mother corms treated for keeping 2 lateral buds is recommended.

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