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| Saffron flowers |
Scientific Cultivation of Saffron
By: Ed. Sheikh GULZAAR
Saffron, is the most expensive spice in the world. The scientific name for saffron is "Crocus Sativus L." It belongs to the family of Iridaceas and the line of liliaceas.
Saffron is a bulbous perennial plant, ranging from 10 to 30 centimetres in height. The bulb is meaty and round, although somewhat flat at the base. It is white coloured on the inside, covered with a fibrous and rough membrane, and brown in colour.
Flowers surge from the bulb in a stem of about 3 millimetres in diameter, which develop in two purple to violet coloured membranes.
The flower is called the "Rose of the Saffron" and made up of six eliptical pieces. The stem is also a violet colour when it initially emerges, becoming more opaque, and finally turning white.
The flower contains three large stamen with orange coloured anthers. Inside the flower tube is the style, a long white filament whose apex is orange coloured. This divides into three red threads, the threads or cloves of the saffron, which correspond to the stigmas.
Saffron is a perennnial , low growing herb with a globular corm ranging from 0.5 to 5cm in diameter. The corms (Monje/Seed) produce 6-15 narrow, needle like leaves about 10 cm long; surrounded in the lower region by four to five scales. The flowers are borne singly or in two to three. The three stigmas of the flowers along with the style when dried constitute the saffron of commerce. The plant is a native of Iran and Asia Minor. In the former princely state of Kashmir Vale is a legendry crop of well drained plateau of Pampore (South Kashmir) where it is being grown since ancient times. The recorded time of saffron cultivation in Kashmir dates back 550 AD nearly four centuries earlier than that recorded in Spain. It is rightly called the golden condiment of Kashmir. World's best Saffron also cultavated in Iran, Spain, Baluchistan, Gilgat and now in Afghanistan
COMPOSITION
Saffron is an essencial oil (0.4 to 1.3 percent), rich in Saffranol, Cineol, and Pineno. It contains Glucocids (alfa, gamma, and beta) and Protocrocines. Picrocrocines (4 percent) have been found, in addition to bitter Heterosides like the Pirocrocides.
A Heteroside of the Carotine Group, the Agliconan of the Picrococrocine is an aromatic Aldehide, the Saffranol (Dehidro-Beta-Ciclocitral). The pigment which gives it the peculiar color is Crocosid, also known as Policroita. Other pigments such as Crocinal, Licopine, Zeaxantine, and other Carotinoide pigments, like Carotine and Licopine, were also found.
USES/ DOSAGES
Via Infusions
2 to 4 grams per quart of water.
Powder Form
300 mg to help digestion. 0.5 to 1.5 grams daily to help bowel activity.
For Use in Food
Crush the Saffron threads with your fingers or in a morter, add a small amount of hot water, then add to your dish. In most recepies the Saffron is added in the latter part of dish preparation, moments before removing the dish from the oven or stove top, to conserve its pungent aromatic flavor and color. It is common to use 2 to 4 strands of Saffron per person. Saffron is as precious as gold not because of its high demand and low production but because it is used in various religious rituals. Hindus use saffron for marking their foreheads, Muslims divine extract in water and write charms with ink thus formed. In Indian market mostly 50-60 per cent of saffron is used in chewing tobacco and for preparing wine. Saffron is used to prepare saffron rice, saffron cakes, wazwaan, tea, kehwa. cakes, in the preparation of scent and perfumes. It is used for colouring butter, Saffron Steamed Rice ,Saffron Rice Chicken, Special Scalloped Potatoes, Parsnip Lemon Puree,Orange Saffron Butter Cookies, Saffron fried rice, Saffron mutton rice, Saffron chicken rice cheese, puddings and confectionary. Like most oriental aromatic herbs saffron is also used in medicinal and culinary reputations. It stops vomiting, expels worms, heels headache and wounds. It is good for hemorrhoids, for removing the discoloration of face and pimples. It is good for epilepsy. Some times it is used in exenthematous diseases to promote eruption. It is popularly supposed to be a stimulant warm and dry in action helping in the alleviation of urinary, digestive and uterine troubles. Paste of saffron is used in dressing bruises, superficial sores, rheumatic and neurological pains and congestion of chest. Passaries of saffron are used in painful complaints of uterus. Dry boiled corms are administered in Ayurvedic and Unani ststem for treatment of gousciatica and rheumatic pains.
Saffron Crocus Care
Growing saffron crocus can prove beneficial in two ways. It can be an inexpensive way to get saffron and apart from that saffron crocus plants are the first plants to bloom in fall and produce flowers throughout the season. The lavender-colored flowers can be a beautiful addition to your flower garden. If you are interested in knowing more about how to grow saffron crocus, read on.
* Saffron crocus can be grown from bulbs,seeds or corms. As most of the current varieties are SG1, you may not get saffron crocus seeds. But, purchase saffron crocus corms from reputed sellers only. Make sure that you are buying a saffron crocus variety (like Crocus sativus cashmirianus) only and not autumn meadow crocuses.
* The right time for planting these saffron crocus bulbs is late spring or early summer. You may also plant the corms or bulbs during the onset of fall, but, it will sprout the following spring only.
* Prepare the soil with organic material like adding compost, leaves or grass clippings to the soil. Saffron crocus plants need full sun and well drained soil for a healthy growth. The soil must not get soggy and the plant must be protected from wind. Read more on composting.
* Once you are ready with the location of planting, plant the corms in holes, which are at least four inches in depth. Always remember to plant these corms with their roots facing downwards. Keep a distance of six inches between the holes.
* If the location is likely to be frequented by rodents, it will be better to cover the area with a mesh enclosure, so that your corms are not eaten by the animals.
* During summer, the soil must be dry, as the plants become dormant in this season. The leaves and flowers develop during fall and during this season, you have to keep the soil moist (not soggy) through occasional watering.
* The flowering period may last for one month and during this time, a single application of liquid fertilizer is recommended. Continue with occasional watering till the onset of spring, as the leaves start withering during this time.
* During cold climates, dig out the corms and store them in a cold, dark place. Plant these corms again during late spring or early summer. Read more on saffron - fit for kings.
Now, you know more about saffron crocus cultivation. Start planting a saffron plant and enjoy the benefits.
Soil & Climate
Saffron grows well in drained loamy soil. Medium grade, light soil with neutral to slightly alkaline reaction is suited for its cultivation. It prefers very well drained, clay loam soils of karewas of Kashmir. The soils should be deep and free from stones. Saffron thrives well in sub-temperate regions ranging from 1500 meter to 2400 meter.
It requires cool and sunny situation for promising growth. An optimum of 12 hours light duration is essential for growth and flowering. The day temperature should be 20-22 0C with a difference of 10-12 0C between day and night temperatures. A good shower during August-September facilities flowering and increased yield. Dry weather condition during flowering period is essential for realizing higher yields. In general locations which receive 30-40 cms rainfall and are covered with snow during winter are good for its cultivation. Spring rains are favourable for promoting corm multiplication wherease, a second spell of rains at the beginning of autumn encourages profuse flowering.
Prpoagation
Propgation of the plant is through corms. The plant remains dormant from May-August. The mother corm reproduces annually and gives rise to four to six daughter cormlets. The corms formed during a year produce flowers in the following year. The mother corms provide food to the new developing corms and in doing so wither, shrink and finally die. Now corms develope each year to replace the older once. Saffron bulbs multiply readily, and can (and probably should) be divided every few years
Land Preparation and planting
Land preparation starts in March -April. The field is ploughed four to five times to a depth of 30-35 cms.Another polghing is done in May and fields leveled. Well developed seed corms @1600 to 2000 kg per per hectare should be used after dipping in five percent solution of copper sulphate. The corms should be of 1.5 cms and above in diameter with outermost loose covering cleaned before planting. The corms should be planted in second fortnight of August at a depth of 15-20 cms with a row to row spacing of 15 cms and corm to corm spacing of five to eight cms. After planting divide the field into 2 meters x 4 meters strips by opening 15 deep and 30 cms wide furrows for proper drainage. Saffron can also be planted as an inter crop in newly planted orchards. The superior and less expensive method recommended by Jammu and Kashmir Medicinal Plants Introduction Centre is strip system.
Manures and fertilizers
Mix 15-20 tonnes per hectare of well decomposed FYM during last ploughing. Recent studies have revealed that application of vermicompost @350 kg/hectare has given a yield of 4.88 Kg/hectare.
Interculture
Keep the planted field undisturbed till the following June. Perform the first hoeing in June using a short handled tangru locally called (in Kashmie) "ZOUN". This operation provides aeration to the soil which is very important for proper development of Saffron Corms.
Subsequently the second hoeing is done in the month of September along with cleaning and repairing of the drainage channels. Care should be taken not to disturb the growing buds of corms. This hoeing is accompanied by light dressing of FYM at the rate of two tonnes per hectare. Third and final hoeing is given after the flowering is over and mannure is mixed in the soil with the help of iron rakes. This schedule of operations is followed every year until the crop remains in the field.
Diseases and pests
Fungal diseases often infect the corms. Fungi like Rhizocotnia crocorum,, Sclerotina bulborum and Phoma Crocophila are reported to infect the corms changing the colour of flesh from white to yellow and finally to black resulting in death of the corms. poor aeration in the soil, injury to corms and hail storms provide ideal conditions for the development of diseases. Discarding can prevent this. Treat healthy corms with five percent copper sulphate solution during planting. Incidence of Gangrane disease (in this, the normal plant which prevents flower formation) is also reported from some fields. Rate and moles causing damage tones of corms every year often damage saffron cro. Zinc phoshide baiting and rat control campaign on watershed basis may be of great help.
Harvesting and processing
The flowering season is confined to three weeks from middle of October to first week of November. The flowers are picked daily in the morning and stigmas and styles are trimmed immediately. About 1,60,000 flowers are hand picked to produce one kg of good quality dried saffron.
Saffron Bulbs/Seeds/Corms
Saffron is the only spice that comes from a flower. The flowers themselves are magnificent with a striking purple colour. Add a splash of colour to your flowerbeds or balconies with this splendid flower which blooms in October, thanks to its exceptional flower reversed vegetation cycle. What is more, you can grow and produce your own saffron easily.
Crocus Sativus (Saffron corms) for planting from August to October
Harvest in October-November of the same year!
The corms (size 2/5cm) are available from June to 10 September, however you can reserve them from now on. Corms are delivered with information of culture
Advance Booking of Saffron Corms from January to December
Buying Saffron Bulbs/Seeds/Corms
Available packets: 50, 100, 200 (Seeds/Corms/Bulbs)
For more details :
Chenab Industries
Ist Street, Shaheed-e-Azemat Road, Nambalbal, Pampore PPR Jammu and Kashmir 192121
Or
Chenab Industries
PO Box 667 GPO Srinagar SGR Jammu and Kashmir 190001
Ph: 01933-223705
Mob: 09858986794
e-mail: cikashmir@gmail.com, iirc@rediffmail.com
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