African Journal of Agricultural Research Vol. 8(3), pp. 234-242, 24 January, 2013 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJAR DOI: 10.5897/AJAR12.1955 ISSN 1991-637X ©2013 Academic Journals Review Saffron as a valuable spice: A comprehensive review Salwee Yasmin* and F. A. Nehvi Saffron Research Station, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, India. Accepted 26 September, 2012 Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is an autumn flowering high value, low volume spice crop that grows throughout Mediterranean Europe and Western Asia between 10° west and 80° east longitudes and 30 to 50° north latitudes. At present, saffron production is limited to Iran and countries of older civilizations such as India, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey. Its cultivation is under threat of extinction and thus warrants attention of researchers and policy makers. Like Kashmir, its revival is to be taken on mission mode approach, particularly in the areas where its cultivation has been abandoned by the farmers. Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kasmir, India, and other International Organizations, have instituted research programme for systematic improvement of saffron from production to consumption system. This review deliberates on the latest work being done for promotion of saffron farming as an economically viable venture for livelihood security. Key words: Plant, research and development (R & D), saffron. INTRODUCTION History and distribution Saffron as a cultivated plant grows from altitude of sea level to almost 2000 m, although it is more acclimatized to hill sides, plateaus and mountain valleys ranging in altitudes between 600 and 1700 m (Delgado et al., 2006). The advantage with this crop is that this plant can be cultivated in arid or semi arid areas where the water deficit is extreme in summer (Agavev, 2003). There are different accounts on the origin of saffron from the mountainous regions of Asia Minor to Greece, Western Asia, Egypt or Kashmir (Delgado et al., 2006). Saffron was known by the Sumerian civilization (6th millennium BC) and Greece was the physical bridge for its entry in Europe. Polien, the Greek historian at 2 BC, has recorded all the spices from the metal column erected in front of the King’s palace (Kafi et al., 2006). Around 2400 BC, there were evidences of its use in coloring tunics in Castile-la-Mancha region of Spain (Perez-Bueno, 1995). Saffron became more renowned in *Corresponding author. E-mail: salwees@yahoo.com. Mesopotamia with the development of Babylonian culture. Several texts speak of its use as a condiment during the reign of Hammurabi (1800 to 1700 BC) and also of the fact that dyes and paints constituted other uses to which it was put (Perez, 1995). It was also reported to be important in Acadia culture around 2350 BC (Polunin and Smythies, 1981). Iranian historians have different theories about the origin of saffron. According to the Iranian history, saffron originated from Zagross and Alvand Mountains. Its oldest evidence dates back to “Achaemenian”, an ancient Persian dynasty (Kafi et al., 2006) Saffron finds its name in the oldest text of Kashmir (Nilamatapurane, Vol. 1). Also, in the much celebrated ancient cluster of Kashmir, “Rajtarangini”, Kalhana includes Kashmiri saffron among those special attributes of Kashmir, which according to the people of Kashmir cannot be available even in the paradise (Nehvi, 2010; Nehvi and Salwee, 2010). Saffron is mentioned in the 5th century BC in Kashmiri records (Nauriyal et al., 1977). Iran, Kashmir and Spain are the major saffron producing countries of the world. In Iran, saffron is cultivated in Sourthern Khorasan province located at an altitude of around 1000 m.a.m.s.l (Koocheki, 2004; Agavev