Glory lily (Gloriosa superba): A phytochemical crop of commercial significance

Gloriosa superba L. is an important medicinal plant, which contains colchicine and colchicoside used to treat cancer related diseases, arthritis and gout. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University initiated research in glory lily to enable farmers get better remuneration. Glory lily is a cross pollinated species in which floral biology, anthesis, pollen dehiscence, pollination and pod set were investigated. The species is characterized by very low seed set in nature and is both self- and cross pollinated, seed set is dependent upon both pollinator activity and the time of pollination. Assisted hand pollination is practices to achieve high pod set. With an effort to initiate crop improvement research in this species, different breeding methods like selection, hybridization and mutation are being attempted. Seed propagation method with protocol for mini tuber production and bulking the mini-tubers has been standardised. Different breeding methods like selection, hybridization and mutation are attempted. Gloriosa superba is an exhaustive crop and demands more nutrients from the soil for growth and development, flowering, seed set, pod maturity besides, to meet the nutritional requirement for tuber growth and multiplication of daughter tubers for the next generation. Fertigation requirement for glory lily was standardized as 150:50:100 kg of NPK ha⁻¹, along with vermicompost @ 5t/ha (as basal). The maximum seed yield was obtained when the fertigation dose was combined with basal dose of ZnSO₄ @ 25 kg/ha, FeSO₄ @ 50 kg/ha, Borax @ 10 kg/ha, Sodium molybdate @ 0.5 kg/ha at the time of planting along with foliar application of FeSO₄ (1%), ZnSO₄,(0.5%). To combat laborious seed threshing problem,TNAU developed the Glorylily seed threshing equipment which is popular among the farmers.