Agrivoltaic systems have the potential to unlock saffron cultivation in northern latitudes

Saffron is a bulbous herb with edible flowers and is considered a high-value crop. However, cultivating saffron at northern latitudes presents challenges, primarily due to adverse weather conditions during its productive phase. Therefore, this study tested whether microclimate modifications induced by a single-axis tracking agrivoltaic (AV) system could enhance saffron production. The experiment was carried out near Västerås, in central Sweden. A field trial was set up to cultivate saffron both under open-field conditions and beneath the photovoltaic (PV) modules of a single-axis tracking system, utilizing areas that are typically unused for cultivation. Intercropping saffron within AV systems improved land-use efficiency by reducing land loss associated with PV panel structures from 10% to 3%, thereby creating approximately 700m 2 of additional cultivable area per hectare for saffron production as a secondary crop without affecting the primary crop. Beneath the AV system, a maximum density of 24.3 flowers/m² was observed, compared with a maximum of 0.5 flowers/m 2 in the open field. In total, 226 flowers were counted beneath the AV system, yielding 1.09 g dry stigma, whereas only three flowers were observed in the open-field, corresponding to 0.02 g dry stigma. Based on these plot-scale measurements and effective saffron cultivation within the AV system (700 m 2 per hectare), the potential dry stigma yield was estimated up to 203.4 g/ha under the single-axis-tracking AV system, compared with 90.1 g/ha in open-field conditions. This represents a 2.26-fold increase in saffron yield while maintaining Primary crop production within the AV system. Overall, the results demonstrate that AV systems can positively influence saffron productivity at northern latitudes. However, further research is required to assess the long-term productivity, as saffron was cultivated for only 1 year in this study, despite its potential productive lifespan of 5 to 10 years.