NEW EMERGING TRENDS ON PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY OF SAFFRON

Owing to the incredible utilization of saffron, the world production is not sufficient enough to meet the growing global demand because most of the European countries have abandoned the saffron cultivation due to high cost of production and urbanization of rural areas and as such chances of its horizontal expansion are very slow. However, in India, there is a tremendous human resource base, and as such saffron industry has an ample scope to expand, provided saffron in India is cultivated on scientific lines and replantation in the traditional and non-traditional areas is taken up. Keeping in view a strong association of more than 95,000 farm families with this crop directly or indirectly in Iran and India efforts are to be made to safeguard the interests of growers by making the industry more profit oriented. Lack of availability of high yielding saffron cultivars, high input cost due to non availability of planting material, lack of mechanization, dry land farming, spreading inoculum of saffron corm rot, postharvest losses and poor market due to involvement of agents and middlemen are the major causes of saffron decline. The possibility of improving yield per se through genetic manipulation have been showing encouraging results in recent years. However, sustained efforts are required towards genetic improvement of saffron to develop high yielding varieties through mutual exchange of germplasm base across saffron growing countries of the world, followed by their molecular characterization. In order to increase the productivity and the fertility of these soils, there is a need to adopt the integrated nutrient supply and management (INSAM) practices. Introduction of postharvest technology for flower picking, separation of pistil and quick reduction in moisture have potential to bring about improvement over strenuous traditional practices and returns to the growers from the superior quality product.