Recent Advances in Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) Micropropagation: A Potential Plant Species with Antiallergic Properties

Saffron is a sterile triploid geophyte plant with an underground corm that is the world's most costly spice. There are a number of pharmacological significances of saffron including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, antibacterial, antidiabetic, and antiallergy. Indeed, there have been reports of beneficial effects of saffron extract for people with allergic asthma. This plant species is propagated vegetatively through the production of daughter corms. However, the supply of saffron planting material is limited by biotic and abiotic stressors, as well as the poor rate of corm multiplication in natural field circumstances. Thus, a biotechnological strategy like plant tissue culture might be useful in achieving these goals. Therefore, a wide range of information about saffron tissue culture techniques has been published in recent years. This includes plant direct regeneration from explants and indirect regeneration through the callus stage. In this chapter, the most significant developments and advancements in saffron tissue culture are highlighted and discussed. In addition, the main steps of organogenesis, somatic embryogenesis, and cell culture are described and discussed.