Scientific Name: - Curcuma Longa Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is native to Asia and India. The tuberous rhizomes or underground stems of turmeric have been used from antiquity as condiments, a dye and as an aromatic stimulant in several medicines. Turmeric is very important spice in India, which produces nearly entire whole world’s crop and consumes 80% of it. India is b There are about 30 turmeric varieties grown in India. Among them Alleppey and Madras (Perianadan) are of great commercial importance. Some of the improved varieties are: CO-11983, BSR-11986, Krishna, Roma, Suroma, Ranga, Rasmi, Megha Turmeric-1, Suguna, Sudarshana, Suranjana, Duggirala, Kodur, Suvarna, Varna, IISR Prabha, IISR Pratibha, Rajendra Sonia etc. Description of some of the varieties is given below: Variety : Characteristics Alleppey : Highly coloured variety. It is grown in Kerala and is marketed as Alleppey turmeric. Duggirala : A long duration type (9 months), major variety of Andhra Pradesh. Rhizomes are bright yellow in colour. Grown mostly in Guntur district. Yield of raw material 25 tons/ha. Armoor : Mostly grown in Nizamabad district of Andhra Pradesh. Medium duration type. Yield of raw material 25-30 tons/ha. Suvarna : This is a high yielding type released by IISR, Calicut. It has yield potential of 43 tons/ha. It has also high curcumin content of 8.7% Harvesting Season: January to June Arrival Patter: Turmeric is available in the markets almost throughout the year