Gloriosa superpa(Glory lily, kanvazhi/kalappai kilangu)

Gloriosa superpa is one of the medicinal plant grown as a commercial crop and will give good returns. NABARD is providing the loans around 80-90% for cost of cultivation for it.Among the medicinal crops it gives more returns like cash crops.
Other names: Kalihari, Glory Lily, Flame lily.

Gloriosa

General information:
                    It is an annual climbing perennial herb with tuberous roots. Growing between 3.5 to 6 m in length. Tubers and seeds contain colchicine, isoperlolyrine and related tropolane alkaloids, sitosterol and its glucoside, 2-hydroxy 6-methoxy benzoic acid.Flower’s contain Luteolin, its Glucoside, N-Formyl-de-Me-colchicine, its Glucoside and 2-de-Me-colchicine. The colchicine content varies from 0.15 to 0.3% in the tubers and 0.7 % to 0.9% in the seeds.

Medicinal uses:
It is mainly used in Ayurvedic medicines. According to Ayurveda, tuber is pungent, bitter, acrid, heating, anthelmintics, laxative, alexiteric, abortifacient, and useful in ulcers, leprosy, piles, iflommations, abdominal pains, itching and thirst.
The roots and leaves used in snakebite. Leaves given to cattle as anti worm treatment.
Colchicine, an alkaloid extracted from the tubers and seeds gives high price in the market and used in scientific research. Glory lily extract is useful against many
skin diseases. It is used to rectify the many respiratory disorders.

Cultivation methods:
       Red loamy soils is good for cultivation. Water logged soils are not suitable. Planting can be done during the rainy seasons and need nearly 1800kg of tubers per ha.

Land Preparation

        Land should be ploughed many times and soil should be in fine tilth & incorporate 10 tonnes of  Farm Yard Manure(FYM) during last ploughing. Furrows of 20 cm depth and 120 to 140cm between the furrows are formed and tubers are planted at 20 – 35 cm spacing. It is mainly propagated through tubers. Tubers are treated with 0.1% carbendazim for avoiding rotting.

Land preparations
        The plant requires are some support. Vines trained over support plants (Commiphora beryii, Dedonea viscose). Permanent structures like iron wires can also be formed for growing the vines.With 5 days interval go with irrigation. After flowering no need of irrigation. Nowadays drip irrigation is well suited with growers. During early stages frequent weeding is necessary.

Harvest:
      Flowering during Sep-Oct and pods can be harvested 170 to 180 days after planting. Seeds dried in shade for 10 to 15 days. The tubers are finally harvested after 5 to 6 years.

Seeds

Yield:
       In initial years, the yield is low and gradually increase year by year. First 2 years about 100kg per acre but after 3 years 200-300kg of dried seeds per acre can be achieved in well maintained fields. Artificial pollination need for more yields. Market price is around Rs. 600 to 800/kg.There are many companies (extractors of colchicine) purchasing seed material from farmers by executing MOU with assured buy back of seeds at a fixed price.  Total cost of cultivation is estimated around Rs. 85,000. From banks we can arrange the loans and they will give 85%to 90% of the total cost of cultivation.The bank loan along with interest can be repaid within five years including one year grace period.