Source: TOI
Subject: Species in News
Context: Kashmir’s red gold (Saffron) is under severe threat as the Indian crested porcupine has begun devouring saffron corms (underground bulbs) in the Pampore highlands.
About The Indian Crested Porcupine:
What It Is?
- The Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) is a large, nocturnal rodent belonging to the Old World porcupine family. It is characterized by its coat of sharp quills, which serve as a highly effective defense mechanism against predators. In Kashmir, it has recently emerged as a significant agricultural pest, specifically targeting the roots and bulbs of high-value crops.
Habitat:
- Geographic Range: Found throughout Southern Asia and the Middle East, including India, Pakistan, and Iran.
- Ecological Preference: They are highly adaptable and live in various habitats, including rocky hillsides, scrublands, forests, and increasingly, cultivated agricultural highlands (like the karewa uplands of Pampore).
- Nesting: They are expert burrowers, creating extensive underground tunnel systems or using natural caves and rock crevices for shelter.
IUCN Status:
- Least Concern (LC): Globally, the species is widespread and not currently threatened with extinction.
Key Characteristics:
- Defense Mechanism: Its body is covered in multiple layers of quills; the longest quills are located on the neck and shoulder, forming a crest.
- Nocturnal Behavior: They are active primarily at night, making it difficult for farmers to monitor or deter them during their peak foraging hours.
- Diet: They are herbivorous, feeding on fruits, grains, and roots. Their powerful incisors allow them to dig deep and hollow out corms and tubers.
- Size: They are the largest rodents in India, weighing between 11 kg and 18 kg.
- Reproduction: They have a high survival rate in areas where natural predators like leopards are declining.
About Saffron:
What It Is?
- Saffron is the world’s most expensive spice by weight, derived from the dried, vivid crimson stigmas (thread-like structures) of the Crocus sativus flower, commonly known as the saffron crocus. Each flower produces only three stigmas, which must be hand-harvested and dried to produce the spice used in cooking, medicine, and dyes.
Region and Cultivation:
Saffron requires a very specific climate—cool, dry summers and cold, snowy winters—to thrive.
- Global Leaders: Iran is the largest producer, accounting for roughly 90% of global supply. Other major producers include Spain, Greece, and Afghanistan.
- Indian Context: In India, saffron is primarily grown in the Kashmir Valley, specifically in the Pampore highlands (Pulwama district), often referred to as the Saffron Bowl of Kashmir.
- Soil Type: It grows best in Karewa soil—lacustrine (lake-derived) deposits consisting of silt, sand, and clay, which are unique to the Kashmir valley and provide excellent drainage.
Key Features:
- The Corm: Unlike many plants grown from seeds, saffron grows from corms, which are underground, bulb-like stems. These corms are perennial and are the target of pests like the Indian crested porcupine.
- Labor Intensive: It takes approximately 150,000 to 175,000 flowers to produce just one kilogram of dry saffron. Because the flowers bloom for only a few weeks in autumn and must be picked at dawn, the labor costs are immense.
- Chemical Profile:
- Crocin: Responsible for the intense orange-yellow color.
- Picrocrocin: Gives saffron its distinct, slightly bitter taste.
- Safranal: Provides the characteristic hay-like or metallic aroma.
- GI Tag Status: Kashmir Saffron has been granted a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, which protects its identity and prevents the sale of adulterated or cheaper Iranian saffron under the Kashmiri name.
- Grade and Quality: It is graded based on the length of the red part of the stigma. Mongra (Kashmiri) or Sargol (Iranian) represents the highest grade, consisting only of the deep red tips without the yellow style.
