The Ornamental Curcuma

Abstract

The Ornamental Curcuma 13The cut-flower industry is growing in several parts of the world and there is a huge market for the same in India, as well as in overseas countries. For Indians engaged in this enterprise, it is a money spinner. The boom has occurred especially during the last decade. Many cut flowers are sent from India to overseas countries, the Netherlands being a very important destination. Turmeric also falls in this category and ornamental Curcuma falls in this category of exportable tropical cut flowers. The beautiful and attractive flowers of the inflorescence, arising from the apical buds of the underground rhizomes are the ones cut and exported or locally consumed. The turmeric cut-flower group is a new entrant into the cut-flower (floriculture) industry in India. The cut flowers from India occupy the ninth position among those traded in the Dutch market auctions. The flowers are popularly cultivated in Southeast Asian countries, for both the domestic and export markets. Some of the popular ornamental Curcuma species include Curcuma alismatifolia, Curcuma zedoaria, Curcuma amada, and Curcuma angustifolia. The crop is amenable for hybridization and a large number of promising hybrids have been developed. Studies are also being conducted across the world on various aspects of cultivation, such as the use of growth regulators, shade levels, photoperiodic responses, storage of rhizomes, postharvest physiology, and so forth. Since some of the species are native to India, there is potential to develop new varieties and technologies for commercial cultivation.Gingers form an important group of tropical flowers of which Curcuma are known for their beauty and elegance. Having originated in the Indo-Malayan region, the genus is widely distributed in the tropics of Asia to Africa, including Australia (Sasikumar, 2005). The maximum diversity is concentrated in India and Thailand, with at least 40 species in each region, followed by Myanmar (Burma), Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Vietnam.Curcuma occupies the ninth position in the cut-flower trade in the Dutch auction market. World over, the market for tropical flowers is small, representing approximately 4% of all cut flowers traded. Germany, Italy, and the United States are the chief importers of tropical flowers. In Dutch auctions, the change in turnover for Curcuma is 2.8% in a period of 4 years (Table 13.1). The trade of these flowers is characterized by standard products, large volumes of one or a few chosen varieties, efficiently produced against the background of minimal costs.