Development and Gene Exression in Saffron Corms (Crocus Sativus L.): an Analysis of Ests During Growth and Dormancy in the Corm of Saffron

Saffron is a traditional crop from the geographic area of La Mancha, known to be one of the most expensive spices in the world, and very appreciated for its colouring and flavouring characteristics, and medical properties. It is a monocot, triploid sterile plant that is vegetatively propagated by means of a subterraneous organ, the corm. To help us to understand corm physiology and gene expression knowledge more deeply, six developmental stages were defined, including the complete development of this organ, from its appearance as latent buds, until its senescence and death. Gene expression is analyzed in two of them, generating 650 partial sequences (ESTs) from two cDNA libraries. The first one was constructed from corms collected in February, at a stage characterized by storage accumulation and enlargement (C3). For the second one, corms collected in July, at a dormant stage (C4) were used. In both libraries, a great percentage (36 % in C3 and 50 % in C4) did not show any significant similarity when compared to sequences present in public databases, emphasizing the lack of knowledge about this organ.