SHIRAZ – The use of standardized mother orchards and certified saplings is essential to developing export-oriented agriculture and improving the global competitiveness of agricultural products in Iran’s Fars province, a provincial official said.

 

Ahad Bahjat Haghighi, head of the Fars Agriculture Organization, said mother orchards provide the foundation for producing standard saplings, using trees with superior genetic characteristics, high productivity and strong resistance.

 

He warned that unregulated propagation and the absence of registered mother orchards can undermine genetic control, facilitate the spread of pests and diseases, reduce product quality and cause significant losses for growers.

 

Certified saplings, he added, ensure traceability from the mother orchard to planting and are health-certified to reduce the risk of viruses and latent diseases.

 

With Fars possessing strong potential for crops such as citrus fruits, pistachios, dates and saffron, standardizing sapling production is a strategic requirement for meeting international standards on product health, traceability and origin, Haghighi said.