EXPLORATION OF TURMERIC (Curcuma longa L.) CULTIVA TION : A REVIEW Ravi Pujari*, A. A. Arif and Shivanand Rayar Dept. of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, KRC College of Horticulture, Arabhavi. University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot, Karnataka 591 218 *E- mail: pujariravihort556@gmail.com ABSTRACT : Curcuma longa L is an important sacred and spice crop of Asia, used in several culinary purposes and also for treatment of several diseases. It is cultivated for its rhizomes for extraction of curcumin forming the principal source of drugs and colouring principle. In India, Andra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu are the major state producing turmeric. There is a need to standardize the production technology which may help to improve the yield, quality so as to extend the farmers’ hand of reliability so that they can get high net returns per unit area. The present review is focusing on production practices of Curcuma longa L. Key words : Curcuma longa, turmeric, herbal medicine, production. Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is an important, sacred and ancient spice of India. It is a major rhizomatous spice produced and exported from India. Turmeric is a herbaceous perennial plant, native to tropical South-East Asia, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, under the order Scitaminae. It is cultivated for its underground rhizomes which is used as spice and condiment, dye stuff and in cosmetic and drug industry, particularly in the preparation of anti-cancerous medicines. It forms an important adjuvant in Indian culinary as it imparts colour and aromatic flavour to various dishes. Turmeric is widely used as a condiment in the preparation of pickles and curries and as a colouring agent in textile, food and confectionary industries. It is also used as herbal medicine ‘Amraharidra’ , which gives a cooling, aromatic effect and promotes digestion (Srivastava et al., 25). Turmeric has long been used in India for the treatment of sprains and inflammatory conditions. The turmeric rhizomes contain ‘curcumin’ which is responsible for colouring. India is the world’s largest producer and exporter of turmeric and it produces nearly 50 per cent of global turmeric production. It is grown in an area of 1.92 lakh hectares with an average production of 8.93 lakh MT (Anon., 1) with an average production of 156.31q/ha (Deshmukh et al., 6). It is cultivated extensively in tropical regions of the world, from India to Indo-China, the East Indies and parts of China. It is also cultivated in Iran, Sri Lanka, China, Pakistan, East Indies, Indonesia, Libya, Nigeria, Sudan, Persia, Taiwan, Jamaica, and Peru. In India, it is mainly grown in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and North-Eastern region. In Karnataka, it is largely cultivated in Chamarajnagar, Belagavi, Mysore, Mandya, Bidar, Kodagu, and Chikamagalore districts (Lokesh and Chandrakanth, 13). In India, Andra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu are the major state producing turmeric. There is a need to standardize the production technology which may help to improve the yield, quality so as to extend the farmers a hand of reliability so that they can get high net returns per unit area. The present review is focused on production practices of Curcuma longa L. so as to promote the production of the crop in non-traditional areas. In this regard the studies on different aspects of Curcuma longa L. are reviewed and presented under different headings. Plant Fresh rhizomes Powder Dried rhizome www.hortflorajournal.com HortFlora Research Spectrum, 4(1): 28-33 (March 2015) ISSN : 2250-2823 Received : 22-11-2014 Accepted : 20-12-2014 ⇒ ⇐ ⇓ Fig. 1: Plant and plant parts of turmeric.