Visakhapatnam: After the success of Tulips, now saffron flowers, said to be the most expensive spice in the world, are blooming in Chintapalli in Alluri Sitarama Raju district, some 100 km off Visakhapatnam.
Scientists at the regional agriculture research station succeeded in growing the crop. Flowers are blooming, creating a wonderful ambience for the valley.
Called ‘Red Gold’, saffron is currently grown in the Himalayan foothills of Pampore region in Srinagar and Kishtwar districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The annual demand for saffron in India is 100 tonnes, but its production is less than 6.46 tonnes - from a cultivated area of 2,825 hectares.
Globally, the total annual production of saffron is 300 tonnes a year. Iran is the largest producer of saffron followed by Spain and India.
Senior scientist and assistant director at the research station M. Suresh Kumar said saffron thrives well in temperate dry climates at altitudes ranging from 1,500 to 2,800 metres above mean sea level. The optimum temperature required for flowering as well as corm development is in the range of 23°C-27°C. Corms require a temperature of 17°C for flowering.
He said advice was sought from a famous saffron grower from Madanapalle Shrinidhi (Purple springs), who visited RARS, Chintapalle, and studied the existing conditions for saffron cultivation.
He said corms were sown in August, September and October in different climatic conditions. They were grown in shaded nets, glass houses (pots) and open fields.
“As per schedule, a total of 6,500 corms were sown between August and October. In these three conditions, a high per cent of germination was seen in the case of glass houses followed by shade net and poor germination in open fields,’’ Suresh Kumar told Deccan Chronicle.
He said seeds sown in shade net in August started blooming. Seeds sown in September were ready to bloom. As for the shade net for the August-sown crop, it took 87 days for the first flower to bloom.
For the September-sown crop, it took 56 days for the first flower to bloom. Tulips are coming up in 10 acres, being grown by a private entrepreneur, Rehman,” he added.
