General Information about Turmeric

General Information about Turmeric

Turmeric is one of the most important spice crops in India. It consists of boiled, dried, polished rhizome called fingers. The spice is obtained by grinding dry rhizome into fine powder which is orange waspy in colour. The colour is due to the presence of crystalline pigment called curcumin (C12H20O6).

1) C. Ionga:

* Sterile triploid species (2n = 63).
* Commonly grown species accounting for 80% of the total production.
* Used as a spice, medicine and in dyeing industry.

2) C. Amada:

* Diploid species (2n = 42).
* Cultivated in Western Ghats of .Maharashtra and in West Bengal.
* It has flavor like unripe mango & hence locally called as ‘Ambehalad’
* Used for pickling and in medicine.

3) C. Aromaticar:

* Accounts for 3.6% the total area under cultivation.
* Smells like camphor.