In order to evaluate the effects of planting beds and methods on vegetative and reproductive characteristics of saffron (Crocus sativus L.), a filed experiment was carried out as factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications at the Agricultural Research Station, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, during two growing seasons of 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. Treatments consisted of five planting beds included leaf compost, mushroom compost, house hold wet waste compost, cow manure and bean stover and two sowing methods of row and mass planting. Criteria such as leaf and tunic dry weight, leaf length, corm dimension, number of daughter corm, corm number and corm weight in weight groups (2-4, 4-8 and 8-16 g), flower number, flower fresh weight and stigma dry weight of saffron were measured. The results showed that the simple effects of planting bed and sowing method were significant on all characteristics of saffron during two years of experiment. The highest stigma weight at the first and the second years were observed in cow manure (with 0.7 and 0.8 kg.ha-1, respectively) and the lowest was for leaf compost (with 0.5 and 0.6 kg.ha-1, respectively). Mass planting at the first and the second years enhanced stigma yield up to 13 and 10% compared with row planting, respectively. Interaction effects of different planting beds and methods on corm dimension, number of daughter corm, corm number and corm weight in weight groups of saffron were significant in which these criteria were improved by application of cow manure in mass planting method.

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