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Vol. 22No. 4

April 2009

SPICEINDIA

A JOURNAL DEVOTEDTO THE PROMOTION OFINDIAN SPICE INDUSTRY

IN APRIL ISSUE

SPICES BOARDMinistry of Commerce & Industry

Government of IndiaSugandha Bhavan

P.B. No. 2277Palarivattom P.O.Cochin - 682 025

No. 4Vol. XXII APRIL-2009

Chairman : V.J. Kurian I.A.S.Chief Editor : Dr. P.S. Sreekantan Thampi

Deputy Director (Publicity)Editor : S. PalanichamyPublisher : Smt. K. Lekshmikutty

(Secretary)

Editorial Advisory CommitteeS. Kannan

Director (Marketing)Dr. J. Thomas

Director (Research)R. CHANDRASEKHAR

Director (Development)SPICE INDIA

PUBLISHED SIMULTANEOUSLY INENGLISH, MALAYALAM, TAMIL, KANNADA

TELUGU, HINDI AND NEPALI

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Tel : 0484-2333610-616, 2347965Fax : 0484-2331429-2334429E-mail : spicesboard@vsnl.comWebsite : www.indianspices.com

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CHILLIES AND SEEDS SPICESQUALITY APPEAL CAMPAIGNSIN ANDHRA PRADESH,GUJARAT AND RAJASTHAN

Dr. P.S. Sreekantan Thampi 4

HEALTH BENEFITS OF SPICESDr. K.N.Pushpakumariand S. Pramod 10

BOMMI SUPERIOR-AN INNOVATION OF A CARDAMOMGROWER/OR A NEW CARDAMOM VARIETY

P. Ravi Kumar 17

NUTMEG - SEX-NUTS !B.Sasikumar 21

LANGKAWIHugh & Colleen Gantzer 23

FERTIGATION STUDIESIN GARLIC

V. Sankar, K .E Lawandeand P.C. Tripathi 27

EVENTS 30

CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS FORIMPORTANT SPICES-MAY 2009 37

SPICES STATISTICS-MARCH 2009 42

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The place of the farmer inthe country’s export offarm products is su-preme. It is he who producesthe commodity for exports, as-sures consistency in supplies,processes through the bestmethods and readies the prod-uct meeting the basic standardsfor the market.

The changing trends in theinternational trade and com-merce and the resultant changeover in the import regulationsand quality standards, expecta-tions of the buyer etc are knownonly to the exporter. The farmerwho produces these productsare totally unaware of thesechanges. But it is certain thatthe farmer also gets the feel ofthese so that commodity of

quality could be produced withconfidence. Many of the spicesthat India grow and export findeasy markets internationally.But it is not that easy these dayson account of stiff global com-petition. The short cut to wincompetition is to raise the qual-ity of the product exported.With this in view the SpicesBoard has taken up a pro-gramme to reach the farmer intheir growing tracts. The cam-paign highlighted the slogan“Clean spices for better prices”.During the months of Februaryand March, field publicity cam-paigns were organized in themajor spices growing tracts inAndhra Pradesh, Gujarat andRajasthan. Meeting thousandsof farmers, the campaign offi-cials interacted with farmers,

farm labourers and communi-cated to them the necessity tostick to scientific post harvestpractices to get rid of contami-nation and infestations. It wasan experience gaining exercisein a way for it helped in gather-ing the live styles and the prob-lems of the farmers.

The farmers in general areaware of the requirements butthey find it difficult to imple-ment the steps required in theirenvironments. Lack of facilitiesand poor infrastructure deterthem. They look forward forsupport in laying out cementedyards and polythene sheets fordrying produces, facilities forstorage and introduction to thereal buyer. The expectation ofthe farmers…the campaigncould feel their pulse.

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CAMPAIGN ON AFLATOXIN IN CHILLIES IN

GUNTUR VILLAGES IN ANDHRA PRADESHCampaign on aflatoxin in chillies initiated by

the Spices Board has got off to a start on 18th Febin Thullur Mandal in Guntur district of AndhraPradesh. The campaign covered the major chilligrowing villages in Guntur district viz; the vil-lages of Thullur, Nekkallu, 75/Tyallur, PedaKurupadu, Batluru, Lagadapadu and Rajupalem.

Former Principal Scientist of the RARS Lam,Guntur, Dr. Khalid Ahamed exhorted the farm-ers in the campaign on the necessity to observequality measures. The campaign meetings wereheld in the villages in the evening hours to facili-tate attendance of farmers. The meeting was fol-lowed by screening of film on aflatoxin in chil-lies. Literature on quality maintanance and on

A.C Girish Kumar, Field Officer, Ms Sani George.

Meetings were held Thulluru Mandal Head-quarters, Nekkallu, 75 Tyallur, Pedakurapadu,Batluru, Lagadapadu and Rajupalem

Dr. Khalid Ahmed, formerPrincipal Scientist of LamGuntur speaking at the aflatoxin campaign inThullur Mandal. Seen on the dias are[from right] MrH.C. Chandrasekhar, Joint Director, Spices Board,Guntur, Progressive Farmer, Sri N Krishna Rao andDr. P.S.S. Thampi, Deputy Director[Publicity].

A view of the farmer crowd attending the meeting.

aflatoxin issues were circulated in the villages.The campaign team consisting of Spices Boardofficials met farmers in the villages to know theirproblems. The campaign team consisted of JointDirector, Mr HC Chandrasekhar, Deputy Direc-tor Publicity,Dr. P.S.S. Thampi, Asst DirectorOfficial Languages, Dr. G. Usharani, Hindi Trans-lator, Mr Biju Shenoy, Senior Field Officer, Mr

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A chilli field in Rajupalem in Guntur district readyfor harvest

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Lalpur village of Sami Taluk in Patan districtof Gujarat is hot, sandy, dry and dusty. But still ithas many things to take pride of when comparedto other villages that are blessed otherwise.Located close to the Kutch desert and the IndoPak border, the village has very little water sourceat depth below 600 to 700 ft and that too salty.However the hardworking villagers make theirliving out of growing good quality cumin,fennel,dill, fenugreek and bishop’s weed. Almostall the farmers have an equally importantvocation in cow and sheep rearing. Milkproduction is equally important like that ofproduction of a variety of seed spices. Water isscarce but milk in plenty on account of intensiverearing of cow and buffaloes. Cow and buffalodung are found in large heaps kept for spreadingin the fields while the next season of sowingstarts. Gobar gas is used profusely in many of

SEED SPICES: CAMPAIGN TO

TRIGGER QUALITY AWARENESS

IN GUJARAT

the homes for cooking. Bank, post office, policestation and hospitals are kilometers away. Thisis the scenario in many of the villages where seedspices are grown. Farmers are generally illiterateand they take on farming by practice andexperience. It is from Lalpur that the SpicesBoard started the new field publicity campaignfor seed spices to educate the farmers on hygieneand cleanliness in processing of seed spices onMonday, 23rd March 2009.

The first meeting in the village was attendedby over 100 spice farmers who for the first timelistened to the necessity to undertake prescribedpractices to ensure cleanliness and hygiene inseed spices produced by them. The farmers wholistened to the presentations on the topicinteracted at the end. The reactions of the farmershovered around topics like making available

Farmers at the Amarpura village in Patan Taluktaking interest in viewing the Board’s Gujarathi filmon processing of seed spices.

Deputy Director [Publicity] Dr. P.S.S. Thampiaddressing the farmers at Lalpur in Sami Taluk,while Mr Krithi Kumar J Amin [right], President ofthe Pradesh Kisan Vikas Sangha translates.

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technical and back up support for drip irrigationin their seed spice farms, expert advise on plantcare, on organic farming etc. For the cleaning andprocessing of the produce, polythene sheets weresought. The meeting was presided over by MrRamesh Bhai Patel, General Secretary of PradeshKisan Vikas Sangh. Deputy Director of the Board,Dr. P.S.Sreekantan Thampi explained the needfor scientific post harvest practices in the light ofthe present day stringent measures imposed byinternational buyers of seed spices. Mr KirtiKumar J Amin, President of the Sangh exhortedthe farmers to adopt the steps suggested forachieving quality produce. Mr. SakthabhaiBhawal, President of the Milk Producers ServiceSociety, Lalpur and Mr Raionalji, Serpanch of thevillage participated in the deliberations. Board’sAssistant Director Official Languages, Dr. G.Usha Rani and Hindi Translator, Mr Biju Shenoyinteracted with the farmers.

The second meeting was held at Adiya inHariz taluk in Patan district which grows cumin,dill seed, mustard etc. The programme had agathering of around 75 farmers who assembledat the High school building in the village. MrMulchand Bhai Patel, a retired banker and aprogressive farmer moderated the proceedings

of the programme which was addressed by theDeputy Director [Publicity ] of the Board. Board’sAssistant Director Official Languages interactedwith the farmers. Farmers were looking forperiodic advices from experts on growing andprocessing. They wanted to improve the qualityfor a better market deal. Presentations on organiccultivation and its prospects, direct linkages withexporters were subjects of interest for the farmers.

The third meeting was held in the village ofChendalaj in Sidhpur taluk on 25th Marchattended by around 100 farmers. AssistantDirector Official Languages, Dr. Usha Raniexplained the dos and don’ts in processing.Farmers interacted well. The Serpanch of theVillage, Mr. Kantilal, attended the meeting.

The fourth meeting was held in Agimanavillage under Patan Taluk. As part of thecampaign the Board’s team met farmers inunofficial gatherings of around thirty to fourtyfarmers in the villages of Amarpura andUntavada in Patan Taluk. Video film onprocessing and the CD prepared on the do’s anddon’ts in Gujarati language on processing byfarmers were played.

An informal interaction with the media in

Farmers at Agimana village under Patan Talukattending the campaign meeting.

Assistant Director [Official Languages] of the BoardDr. G. Usha Rani addressing the farmers at Agimanavillage.

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Patan on 22nd March helped ingenerating publicity for thecampaign in the district on theSpices Board’s qualityinitiatives and the campaign.The meetings in the villageshelped in outlining the need forthe improved post harvestoperations, the scope for gettingbetter prices through highquality produce besides thescope for organic production.Audio visual aids, distributionof literature in Gujarathilanguage and interaction withfarmers helped in reaching themessage of the qualitycampaign besides sendingword about the activities of theSpices Board.

The official team visited theAPMC market yard at Patanand had interacted with tradersand officials of the market yard.They sought details of theactivities of the Board. It wasdesired to have a meeting ofgrowers and exporters withofficials and technical experts inthe market yard either in Aprilor August.

The farmers in general likedto have the following:1. Details of the schemes of

the Spices Board

2. Technology on watermanagement.

3. Package of practices with

recommendations to avoidusing banned pesticidesand insecticides.

4. Technical advise on weeds,diseases besides onapplication of chemicalfertilizers.

5. Training on post harvestoperations.

6. Village level storagefacilities on scientific basis.

7. Guidelines on organiccultivation.

8. Interface with exportersand processors.

9. Silpaulin or polythenesheets to dry seed spices.

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CLEAN SEED SPICES:CAMPAIGN ENDS IN RAJASTHAN

The campaign to motivate farmers to produceclean and quality seed spices organised by theSpices Board in four villages in Jodhpur districtof Rajasthan ended on 1st April 2009. The pro-gramme was held in the remote villages of BaraKurdh, Bara Khala, Nevra and Pandithji Ki Taniin the Hosian subdivision of Jodhpur district. Thevillages covered in the campaign come under theorganic seed spice farming project of the Boardwhich is currently in progress. The meetings heldin the evening hours were well attended by farm-

ers in the villages. Dr.Gajendra Sharma of IRAD,Dr. P.S.S. Thampi, Deputy Director [Publicity],Mr Sopal Ram, Assistant Director [Jaipur], Dr. G.Usharani, Assistant Director [Official Languages],Mr Biju Shenoy [ Translator] of the Board inter-acted with the farmers at the meeting and dur-ing the day hours in the farms.

The harvesting and thrashing of cumin anddill were in progress in the farms at this point oftime.

The farmers have expressed their inability tostore their harvested produces for want of properwarehousing facilities, real buyers and non avail-ability of quality tarpaulin sheets to dry their pro-duces after harvest. Water for irrigation is a ma-jor hurdle in the villages which are otherwise welllooked after by the villagers to maintain the ecosystem. Birds like parrots, peacocks, snakes, deerand rare plant species peculiar of the desert landlike babool, keyar and neem are found in abun-dance decorating the vast expanse of this desertland. The villages which were covered by thecampaign are mainly growing cumin and celeryof high quality.

Dr. P.S. Sreekantan ThampiDeputy Director (Publicity)

Dr. Gajendra Sharma of IRAD addressing farmersat the meeting held in Nevra (Assistant Director,Jaipur, Mr. Sopal Ram is also seen (second from right)

Farmers at Bara Kurdh participating in discussionsat the meeting.

Farmers at the meeting held at Bara Khala

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HEALTH

BENEFITS OF

SPICES

Dr. K.N.Pushpakumari * and S. PramodAVT Natural Products Ltd.

South VazhakulamMarampilly P.OAluva 683 107

Black Pepper

Pepper, the universal spice,named as the “King of Spices”,is the fruit of piper nigrum , atropical vine, belonging to thefamily piperaceae, which

flourishes in a narrow, 15-degree band around theequator, in places where the sunis hot and monsoons can bringover 100 inches of rain peryear. Black pepper is native toSouth India and is extensivelycultivated in south India andother tropical countries.

Pepper happens to growbest in the kind of soil alongIndia’s Malabar coast—a loamy,red “laterite” soil produced bythe decaying rock, laden with

Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam,Sri Lanka, Brazil and WestAfrica.

Generally, pepper isidentified by its port of exportor the region where it is grown. ‘Lampung’, a commerciallyimportant pungent blackpepper is grown in theLampong province of Sumatraand in a few other areas ofIndonesia. Two well-knowntypes come from India’sMalabar Coast: Malabar pepperand Tellicherry pepper.Tellicherry is a higher-gradepepper, made from the largest,ripest berries from Malabarplants grown on MountTellicherry.(2) ‘Sarawak’pepper is grown in SarawakState in Malaysia, along thenorthwestern coast of Borneo.‘Brazilian’ pepper is producedin the State of Para on theAmazon River. Brazil was thefirst country in the westernhemisphere to produce pepperon a commercial scale.‘Vietnam” pepper is nowextensively traded though it isonly recently that Vietnam has

iron and other minerals. So itis not surprising that theworld’s best pepper comes fromthis region—Tellicherry pepper,which is grown north of Kochiand Malabar pepper, once

known as Alleppy pepper,which is grown to the south. Along the coast, vines inhomestead plots clamber up thetrunks of palm and eucalyptustrees. In the inland valleys, itis cultivated in commercialplantations and in the high hills,pepper can be found undershade trees, merrily growingalongside coffee, tea andcardamom at elevations of 3,000feet(1) .

Commercial sources areIndia, Malaysia, Singapore,

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become a major producer ofpepper(3)

Black peppercorns areplucked when the berries havegrown to full size, but are stillgreen. Traditionally, they arelaid out on woven mats to dryin the hot sun, although somegrowers now use kilns.Blackening of pepper berrieshappens due to the enzymaticoxidation of polyphenolicsubstrates present in the skinof green berries. (4) Thephenolics in pepper are amixture of phenolic glycosidesand flavanol glycosides. Onhydrolysis phenolic acidscomprising of hydroxyl benzoicacids and hydroxyl cinnamicacids along with querecitin andkaempherol were formed .(5)

White peppercorns areproduced by leaving the berrieson the vine until they are fullyripened, turning to deep pink orred—a risky procedure, sinceuntimely rain or too much sun can ruin the crop. The ripeberries are then packed intoburlap bags and placed in cool

pale green color andcharacteristic “fresh” greenflavor. Green peppercorns areavailable dried or packed inbrine. Freeze dried greenpeppercorns, which plump upin liquid, can be used whole incooking (6) .

Black and white pepper corns

running water for one to twoweeks. After the outer shellsoftens and separates from thehard inner core, thepeppercorns are rubbed andwashed until the pericarpcomes off, then are dried eitherin the sun or in kilns. Eitherway the resulting peppercorn ispale in color—not white, butshades of cream or beige—andhot in flavor, since all traces ofthe blackening enzyme and thearomatic pericarp have beenremoved. Also mechanicaldecortication of the pericarp orenzymatic processing is alsoused for producing whitepepper. White pepper producedby the traditional method willhave a peculiar fermentedodour, which is valued by someforeign countries. ‘Muntok’ isthe most important variety ofwhite pepper grown in theisland of Bangka and exportedthrough Pangkalpinang, a porton the southeastern coast ofSumatra. ‘Brazilian’ whitepepper is lighter and lesspungent than ‘Muntok’

Green peppercorns areunripe berries which areharvested as soon as they reachtheir mature size. To keep themfrom turning black, they areeither soaked and packed inbrine, or immersed in boilingwater for 15 minutes and driedin the sun. Either way, theblackening enzyme is destroyedand the peppercorns keep their

Green Pepper

Composition of dried blackpepper berries:

Dried berries of blackpepper constitutes 28- 49 percent starch, 8.7-18 per cent crudefibre, 1.55 – 2.6 per cent totalnitrogen, 4.4 – 12 per centalcohol extractives, 0. 3 -4.2 percent volatile ether extractives,3.9 – 11.5 per cent non-volatileether extractives, 2.8 – 9 per centpiperine, 3.6 – 5.7 per cent totalash, 0.03 – 0.55 per cent acidinsoluble ash and 8-14 per centmoisture.(7) Starch is thepredominant com -ponent inpepper. Fat content in pepperberries varies from 1.9 – 9 percent (8) and the composition ofthe fatty oil was studied by

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Sazler as palmitic (16-30 percent), oleic (18-29 per cent),linoleic (25- 35 per cent) andlinolenic acid (8 -19 per cent) (9).Recently Parmer et al listed thefollowing miscellaneousconstituents in pepper, acetylcholine, caffeic acid, capric acid,choline, p- coumaric acid, p andm- cresol, 2(3, 4- dihydroxyphenyl) ethanol, henriacontane,henriacontane – 16-ol,henriacontane – 16 –one, lauricacid, melvalic acid, 3,4methylene dioxycinnamaldehyde, myristic acid,oleic acid, palmitic acid, phenylacetic acid piperonal, stearicacid, sterulic acid and varnolicacid(10)

Black pepper’s aromacomes from the volatile oil. Thearoma is released when pepperis cracked or ground. This is thereason that smart cooks only buywhole peppercorns and grind themas needed. Pepper gets its spicyheat mostly from the alkaloid,piperine , which is found bothin the outer fruit and in the seed.The outer fruit layer, left onblack pepper, also containsimportant odour-contributingterpenes including pinene,sabinene, limonene, betacaryophyllene, and linalool,which give citrus, woody, andfloral notes. These scents aremostly missing in white pepper,which is stripped of the fruitlayer. White pepper can gainsome different odours

(including musty notes) from itslonger fermentation stage(3).The pungency is attributed tothe presence of piperine, butmore recent studies reveal thatseveral other related alkaloidslike chavicine, isochavicine,isopiperine, piperitine,piperanine, piperylin,piperolein A and pipeoroline B,also contribute to the pungencyto varying extents(11).

Piperine : Molecularformula C17H19O3 ; MolecularWeight – 285.34 ;

Melting point – 128 -132 degC ; CAS No : 94 – 62 - 2

Volatile oil in black pepperranges from 1.5-4.5per centdepending on the variety andgeographical origin.Components in the volatile oiland their percentages also varywith origin. The most abundantcompounds in pepper oil arebeta -caryophyllene , limonenebeta -pinene , delta -3-carene,sabinene , alpha -pinene,eugenol , terpinen-4-ol, beta -eudesmol and caryophylleneoxide. The oil from groundblack pepper contained moremonoterpenes and lesssesquiterprnes and oxygenatedterpenoids as compared togreen and white pepper oils.After 1 year of storage of peppersamples in a glass vessel atroom temperature, the amountof the oils isolated decreased,the content of terpenesdecreased, and the amount ofoxygenated terpenoidsincreased.(12)

Health Benefits of BlackPepper

Black Pepper and longpepper (Piper longum L.) areboth important medicinal herbsin Ayurvedic and Unani(traditional Indian) medicinesystems, in which remediesgenerally consist of mixtures ofherbs. A wide range of themedicinal uses of black pepperhave been documented byKirtikar and Basu(13), includingits use in the treatment ofleucoderma. Black pepper has

Pepper loses flavour andaroma through evaporation, soairtight storage helps preservepepper’s original spicinesslonger. Pepper can also loseflavour when exposed to light,which can transform piperineinto nearly tastelessisochavicine(3). Piperine hastrans configuration at 2 and 4positions, while chavicine is thecis form and isochavicine is 2trans and 4 cis.

Chavicine

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also been implicated as apossible adjunct to Vernoniaanthelmintica in the treatmentof leucoderma(14). The twoherbs- pepper and long pepperare employed as a constituent inmany traditional herbalpreparations for a variety ofuses, including gastro-intestinaland skin ailments.Compositions comprising blackpepper, ginger and pipali havebeen used in the treatment ofvitiligo(15) ; however thespecific therapeutic action ofblack pepper in this orallyadministered composition hasnot been established.

The use of black pepper asa healing spice was writtenabout as far back as the 5thcentury in the Syriac Book ofMedicines. Other less harmfuluses include its use intreatment for insect bites,insomnia, liver problems,gangrene, hernia, lung disease,heart disease, liver problems,sunburn, and toothaches(3).

Black pepper has long beenrecognized as a carminative, asubstance that prevent theformation of intestinal gas, aproperty likely due to itsbeneficial effect of stimulatinghydrochloric acid production.In addition, black pepper hasdiaphoretic( promotessweating) and diuretic(promotes urination)properties. Black pepperstimulates the taste buds in such

a way that an alert is sent to thestomach to increasehydrochloric acid secretion,there by increasing digestion.Hydrochloric acid is necessaryfor digestion of proteins andother food components in thestomach. When the body’sproduction of hydrochloric acidis insufficient, food remains inthe stomach for longer period oftime, leading to indigestion, ormay pass into the intestines,where it is used as a food sourcefor unfriendly gut bacteria,whose activities produce gas,irritation and causingdiahrrohea and constipation.Thus pepper helps to treatailments like gas, heartburn,nausea, diarrohea andconstipation.(16)

But the health benefits ofpepper are not limited todigestive malaise. It is a“warming” spice and helpsenhance the effects of otherherbs throughout the body. It isalso said to help enhancecirculation and get oxygen tothe brain. In addition, it mayhelp keep your joints andrespiratory system healthy.

Black pepper has beendemonstrated to haveimpressive anti-oxidant andanti-bacterial effects. Theantioxidant property of blackpepper prevents and curtailsoxidative stress. Moreover,several of these compoundswork indirectly by enhancing

the action of other antioxidants.Black pepper also reduces thedamage caused by a diet full ofsaturated fats which is found tobe the main cause of oxidativestress and prevents bacterialgrowth in the intestinal tract.

Piperine inhibits some ofthe pro-inflammatory cytokinesthat are produced by tumourcells, there by interfering withthe signalling mechanismsbetween cancer cells, therebyreducing the chances of tumourprogression.

The outer layer ofpeppercorn stimulates thebreakdown of fat cells, keepingyou slim while providing youwith energy.

Hence, black pepper is notmerely a spice. To prevent therisks of cancer, oxidative stress,and intestinal gas troubles andimprove your digestion, all youneed to do is add some amountof black pepper in your food.

The important healingproperties of pepper are listedbelow:(17,18)

Black pepper inducessweating, which consequentlycools down the body andrelieves feverish symptoms.

It improves circulation andpromotes mental clarity.

It can help clear up colds,viral infections and flu whentaken as tea.

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Black pepper helps toprevent gas and flatulence andinduces urination.

Black pepper is a powerfulanti-oxidant and antibacterial,which was useful for meatpreservation before the time ofrefrigerators.

Black pepper helps to breakdown and digest fats and meatproteins much more easily, as itinduces the production of salivaand gastric juices needed fordigestion in the stomach.

Black pepper is a goodsource of manganese and iron,which are important for thebody to function correctly.

Components of blackpepper are often added tomouthwashes and gargles usedto treat sore throats.

Black pepper is a stimulantthat can stimulate various partsof the body such as the heart,kidneys and the stomach.

When foods are consumedwith black pepper, the body isable to absorb valuable vitaminsand nutrients from the foodmuch easier.

Black pepper has been usedto treat fatigue and tiredness, itstimulates the appetite and hasbeen used to treat anorexics andpeople with eating disorders.

A strong black pepper andmint tea will help clear chestand lung infections and bring

up unwanted mucous andphlegm.

Medicinal Properties ofPiperine

Piperine has shown potentchemoprotective effect againstprocarcinogens.(19) Theextracts of Piper nigrum arefound to have ahypercoagulative effect invitro., they lessen the clottingtime by accelerating thethrombin activation andlowering the heparin level inthe clotting systems (20) andvalued for rubefacientproperties and hence used aslocal application for sore throat,piles and some skin diseases.(5)and found to be potential in thetreatment of vitiligo as it helpsincrease pigmentation in theskin.(21)

Anti-metastatic activity ofpiperine was demonstrated byclinical trials on mice by Kuttanetal from Amla Cancer ReseachCentre, Trichur.(22)

Piperine increases thebioavailability of valuablephytochemicals present in otherspices and can boost the activityof biochemically activecompounds contained in greentea, curcumin and a variety ofother spices by up to severalfold, depending on themolecule concerned. It does thisvia two principal mechanisms.First, it promotes the rapid

absorption of certain chemicalsfrom the gastrointestinal tract,protecting them from beingbroken down by chemicals inthe intestinal lumen and byenzymes that occur in the cellslining the intestines. Secondly,once the compound has enteredthe blood stream, piperineprovides protection againstoxidative damage by liverenzymes. In this way blackpepper enables to reapoptimum benefits from themedicinal phytochemicalsfound in other dietaryspices.(23) It has been shownthat piperine can dramaticallyincrease absorption of selenium,vitamin B and beta-carotene aswell as other nutrients.

Several studies reveal thatpiperine increases thebioavilability of nutrients(24-26)and drugs(27-30). It inhibitsseveral enzymes responsible formetabolizing nutritionalsubstances, stimulates amino-acid transporters in theintestinal lining, inhibitsremoval of substances fromcells so they continue to beavailable for use, and decreasesthe intestinal activity allowingmore of the substances to enterthe body in active form. Theresults of these actions are thatsubstances reach, enter andremain within their target cellsfor longer periods of time thanwould normally be the case.Piperine can turn a marginally

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effective therapeutic substanceinto a highly effective one byincreasing its bioavailabilityand intracellular residencytime. As an example, piperinecan increase the bioavailabilityof the cancer, inflammation andinfection fighter, curcumin, bytwenty-fold.

In addition to its effects onbioavilability, piperine hasmany other actions in the bodythat include increasing beta-endorphins in the brain, actingas an anti-depressant,increasing serotoninproduction, boosting brainfunctioning, stimulatingadrenal production, relievingpain and asthma symptoms,stimulating melaninproduction, decreasingulcerations of the stomach andcoordinating digestive tractcontractions. It is highlyeffective against colon cancer.

Sabinsa Corporationreceived U.S. patent 6,849,645and UK patent no. GB2380675for the invention titled “Methodof increased bioavailability ofnutrients and pharmaceuticalpreparations withtetrahydropiperine and itsanalogues and derivatives.”

Tetrahydropiperine is aderivative of piperine. Thepatent describes novelapplications of this ingredientto enhance the bioavailability ofnutrients, drugs and other

active compounds. Accordingto the company, whenformulated withtetrahydropiperine, poorlyabsorbable active compoundssuch as curcumin are betterabsorbed through the skin andgastrointestinal tract.

Sabinsa has also developeda branded ingredientcosmoperine for use in cosmeticformulations to enhance thebioavailability of topicallyapplied active compounds.

Bioavailability enhancingproperties makes black pepperone of the most importantspices. It should be added torecipes and meals as often aspossible as it boosts themedicinal value of many spicesand other foods.

References :

1. International PepperCommunity, 2nd Sept 2008

2. Pepper varieties informationfrom A Cook’s Wares.Retrieved 6 November 2005.

3. Davidson & Saberi, 178

4. Lewis et al, The need ofgrowing Pepper Cultivars tosuit pepper products, (1976),Proc. Int. Sem. on pepper,Spices Exports PromotionCouncil, Cochin, India, pp 428

5. Vandyopadhayay et al, (1990),Phenolics of Green Pepperberries, J. of Agric. Food Chem,38 (1990) 1696-99

6. Black Pepper – Wikipedia

7. The Wealth of India, Vol. V111(1969), 109-110

8. Bedi et al, Component of fattyacids of seed fats of somePiperaceae, Indian Seed OilsV111 (1971); Lloydia, 34, 256-57

9. Salzer, U (1975) Uber diefettsaurezussamensetzung derlipoide einiger geweuze. FetteStenfen Anstrichm, 77 (1975)446-450

10. Parmar,V.S et al,Phytochemistry of the genuspiper, Phytochem(1997) , 46,597 -673

11. Govindarajan, V.S, 1977,Pepper: Chemistry,Technology and Qualityevaluation,CRC CriticalReviews, Food ScienceNutrition, 9(2), 115-117;Salzer,U-J, 1975, Analyticalevaluation of seasoningextracts(oleoresins) andessential oils fromseasonings.1.Int. FlavoursFood Additives 6: 151-157.11.Ibid.6 : 206-210, 111. ibid 6: 252

12. J. Agric. Food Chem., 52 (9), 2582-2586, 2004. 10.1021/jf030635sS0021-8561(03)00635-6

13. Indian Medicinal Plants, 2ndEdition, Vol. 3, (1935) pages2128 - 2135

14. Indian Medicinal Journal, Vol.1, 3rd Edition, (1982) 1267 –1270

15. Ancient Science of Life, Vol. IX,No. 4 (1990) 202 – 206

16. WH Foods Black Pepper .htm

17. A guide to Black Pepper, oneof the most popular andwidely used spices in theworld, 2nd Dec 2008

18. Capsicum by Dr. John R.Christopher. Pub. ChristopherPublications Utah USA.

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19. Reen and Rashmet, J.Ethnopharmacol., 1997, 58(3),165-173

20. Hasselstorm et.al., Food Res.,1954 19, 373

21. European Patent EP 1094813

22. Barbara Minton, Substance inblack pepper increasesabsorption up to 2000 percent,Nov 17, 2008, Natural HealthEditor, Natural News

23. C.R.Pradeep & G.Kuttan,Effect of piperine on theinhibition of lung metastasisInduced B16F-10 melanomiacells in mice, J. Clinical &Experimental Metastasis, Vol.19, No.8 Dec 2002, 703-7

24. Keith Scott, The HealingPower of Spices and NaturalHome pharmacy 08

25. Majeed et al., (1996) Use ofpiperine to increase thebioavailability of nutritionalcompounds. U.S. Pat. No.5,536,506.

26. Majeed et al., Use of piperineas a bioavailabilityenhancer.(1998) U.S. Pat. No.5,744,161.

27. Majeed et al.,(1999) Bioperineapplications for nutraceuticalbioavailability U.S. Pat. No.5,972,382.

28. Zutshi, U. et al., (1984).Influence of piperine onrifampicin blood levelsinpatients with pulmonarytuberculosis. J. Assoc.Physicians of India. 33; 223-224.

29. Zutshi, U. et al. (1989). A

process for preparation ofpharmaceutical combinationwith enhanced activity fortreatment of tuberculosis andleprosy Indian Patent No.1232/DEU89.

30. Bano, G. et al. (1991). The effectof piperine on thebioavailability andpharmacokinetics ofpropranolol and theophyllinein healthy volunteers.European J. Clin. Pharm. 41;615-618.

31. Bano, G. et al. (1987). The effectof piperine on thepharmacokinetics ofphenytoin in healthyvolunteers. Planta Medica. 53;568-570

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Sri. Murugan with his Bommi Superior cardamom plantP. Ravi Kumar

Field OfficerSpices Board

BodinayakanurMegamalai hills inTamil Nadu is anideal location forcardamom cultivation withelevation ranging from 750 -1200 meters MSL. A hamletcalled Bommarajapuram, inMegamalai hills is 60 km awayfrom Theni on the way toVellimalai estates. It lies in thelower elevation under theinfluence of North Eastmonsoon. Most of theinhabitants are marginal andsmall cardamom and coffeefarmers . Malabar variety ofcardamom is predominantlycultivated in this area. Some ofthe elite farmers have switched

over to high yielding Njallanicultivar, but performance ofthis introduced cultivar is notpronounced because of the lackof congenial climatic condition and timely culturaloperations as done by thefarmers of Idukki district,Kerala state .

Sri Ramaiah, a veteran incardamom cultivation is a thirdgeneration farmer possessing 1.1 hectares of cardamom field.During 1999-2000 he wasawarded second prize by Spices Board for obtaining second highest productivity inIndia. The field is

predominantly with Malabarcultivar and some vazhukkaplants. Sri Murugan son ofShri.Ramaiah possessing 4.25hectares of cardamom land noticed a Malabar type of clumpwith exceptionally bold , darkgreen capsules with higheryield compared to theadjoining plants in the year2000-01. This clump was putunder surveillance by his familymembers for the yield and incidence of pest and disease .In the subsequent year also, this

BOMMI SUPERIOR-AN INNOVATION OF A

CARDAMOM FARMER

BOMMI SUPERIOR-AN INNOVATION OF A

CARDAMOM FARMER

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clump performed well without decline in yield and lesserincidence pest and disease. In2002-03 he collected the seedsand raised a polybag nursery asper the norms of the SpicesBoard. During 2003-04 heplanted 200 plants in a 0.2hectare which is now under yield with high productivityand less incidence of pest anddisease. The capsules are darkgreen in colour and he termedit as Patchakai (Green capsules).To commorate the place oforigin the cultivar is christenedas BOMMI SUPERIOR . Unlikeother varieties , the colour of thecapsules did not fade out evenafter a year.

Nursery

As cardamom is a crosspollinated crop , in recent yearsin order to get uniform plantingmaterial in a short span of timesucker / rhizome multiplicationis adopted. But this particulartype of plant is raised from

seeds only. The capsules wereuniform , bold and green withmore number of seeds compared to other varieties.Seed capsules for raisingnursery were collected fromthird and fourth rounds ofharvest . Seeds were extractedfrom the selected capsules, afterremoving the mucilage, andsown in primary beds andtransplanted to the polythenebags in August. Thetransplanted seedlings werekept in open to hasten tillering ( see photo) . On receipt of northeast monsoon , the seedlingswere planted to the pits.

Planting and aftercare

The area proposed for (re)planting was cleared off thejungle growth, and sufficientshade trees were maintained.Planting was done on terracedbenches at a distance of 10 feetbetween plants and rows . Pitsof 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 3 feetdimension were dug out two to

three months in advance ofplanting. Top soil was keptaside for pit filling( see photo) .Planting may be done either inJune or in October /November (on the receipt of North eastmonsoon). The pits were filledwith trash collected from thefield , a basket full of composedcow dung mixed with top soil.When the pits are ready theplants may be planted. Thisplant showed a goodestablishment in the field andthere was no casualty. Threemonths after planting the totalnumber of tillers produced were32, whereas in any othercultivar less than five tillerswere produced for the sameperiod. Similarly , cardamomplanted during June 2007 produced 88 tillers with 22panicles( see photo) whereas inother varieties number of tillerswas less than 20 for the sameperiod. Sprinkler irrigation was

Local Patchaikai

Patchaikai - 5

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given throughout the yearexcept during the monsoonperiod. Shade was regulatedwhen the wind velocity wasminimum ( September /October ). Earthing up of thebasin was done twice a year , thefirst immediately after harvestand the second duringSeptember/ October afterremoving the old leaves.

Manuring

Irrespective of age of theplant fertilizer was appliedtwice in a year. When the newlyplanted plants put forth two-three tillers or two monthsafter planting 150 grams each ofDi Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and powdered neemcake were mixed well andapplied as a circular bandaround the basin of the plantsand then irrigated. The second round of application was givensix months after planting withthe above ingredients @ 200grams each per plant.

For the matured plants after weeding , 25 kg each of Di Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and powdered neemcake were mixed with waterand made upto 200 liters andfermented for a day. 2-3 litreThis supernatant solution wassprayed to the plants twice ayear @ two to three liters. Thefirst application may be in Juneand second one in October/November.

In addition to the above , for

the high yielding plants. DiAmmonium Phosphate 0.5 percent ( 1 kg of DAP in 200 litersof water ) was soaked and keptovernight. Supernatant solution was diluted withwater in 1:1 ratio. This solutionwas sprinkled to the plant @two litres per clump. This wasdone twice a year usuallyduring rainy season to avoid scorching of the leaves.

Pest and disease

During the visit to the fieldno major pest or disease wasnoticed. Stray incidence ofthrips damage was noticed. Incidence of stem borer was notat all noticed. In order to savethe crop from ravage of pestssix-eight rounds of insecticideswere sprayed at 30-40 daysinterval with any one of the insecticides Quinalphos andMonocrotophos alternatively.During summer period ( Jan/Feb) Monocrtophos spray wasfound to be effective againstthrips. Proper care was takennot to repeat the sameinsecticide for the subsequentsprays. In Bommarajapuramarea incidence of azhukal is notcommon . In this field,fungicidal sprays had not beengiven so far from planting.During the visit only one clumpwas seen affected by azhukal.

(Advised them to give tworounds of spray with Copperoxy chloride @0.3 percent during pre monsoonseason and after a month.

Yield

Maiden crop was noticed 18months after planting. Fullbearing was noticed on the thirdyear of planting. In the fouryear old field 8-10 rounds wereharvested in a year. Peakharvest was obtained from 3rdto 6th harvest( 4 rounds ), fromeach harvest 500 grams of driedcapsules were obtained in aplant . Harvest made duringthe early and late phase (4 rounds) yielded only 200gramsof dried capsules per plant. Inall 2.8 kg of dried cardamomwas obtained. In a hectare of1000 plants, about 2000 kg ofdried cardamom is expected. Inthe fifth year after planting ,economic yield is expected forthree - five more yearsdepending on the managementof the field. As cardamom yieldis consistent for the past three inthe above field , neighboringfarmers have shown keeninterest and introduced thiscardamom in their field.

It is quite evident from theexperience of Shri. Muruganthat his selection Bommisuperior is yielding higher withless inputs and minimalmanagement over thetraditional cultivars. Thisvariety may be introduced inareas where the North Eastmonsoon is pronounced especially in Tamil Nadu andother areas with similarclimatic and edaphicconditions. �

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Chilli (Bird’s Eye) Large Cardamom1.20 % Capsaicin Chota Dana

Chilli (King or Raja) Lichens3.50% Capsaicin (Wood & Store)

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NUTMEG

SEX-NUTS!

B.SasikumarITEC Expert (Spices Technology)

National Agricultural Research InstituteMon Repos,Guyana

Email:sasikumarsooranadu@gmail.com

‘Nutmeg sex,nuts Doc.!’quipped the 70 yr.old, tall, blackMr.Borchel Clarke, Hosroro,Region#1,Guyana when toldabout the sexual dimorphism innutmeg. Initially the leanfarmer could not believe thatthere is male and female sexesin nutmeg. And later on whenexplained to him that some of

Fig 1. An elite nutmeg tree

his non bearing treesare simply males hecame round andrealized that what theIndian guy is tellingis not nuts but a ‘loose

in Papaya!(Male trees are ‘mantrees’ in the local parlance!)

(The old man was moredelighted when told that thesexually dimorphic spice is alsogood for SEX as some allegedviagra like properties are nowattributed to nutmeg!)

Yes, ignorance galore inGuyana about nutmeg.

Nutmeg,though an idealcrop for the country,lack ofawareness about the value ofthe spice and its cultivationpractices are major limitingfactors at present in the countryfor this tree spice. Farmers andgeneral public think that themace is not of value! Theexistence of sexual dimorphismin the tree and the method ofgrafting to circumvent the sexproblem are not heard of by thefarmers!

Currently efforts are underway to lay a foundation forscientific nutmeg production inthe country besides creatingawareness among the peopleabout the spice. Germplasm

connection’ to be tightened withnuts and bolts! .Finally he gotconvinced that ‘man tree’ is areality in nutmeg as he has seen

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survey, exploitation of seedlingvariability and epicotyl graftingare initiated now in the country.

Germplasm survey

A germplasm surveyconducted recently revealedthat nutmeg is grown in onlyRegion#1 ,out of the 10 regionsin the country. This hinterlandregion bordering Venezuela inthe west is inhabited mainly byAmerindians, the ethnic people.A total of 33 trees between twofarmers could be seen. Thoughthe trees are left uncared, onetree of approximately 30 yrs oldowned by Mr.B.Clarke,Hosroro, Region#1 appears tobe an elite tree. Characterised bymedium canopy (Fig1), itproduces on an average 7000

Fig 3. Seedlings (10 month old) variabilityin nutmeg

Fig2. Close up of a matured fruit showing the mace

fruits per year. Thefruits are mediumsized with creamcoloured pericarp.The mace is scarletcoloured, whole andthick (Fig2)). Nut ismedium bold.

It is told the treeis derived fromseedlings suppliedby the Ministry ofAgriculture,Guyanalong ago,probablyfrom the seedsobtained fromGrenada.

Open pollinatedprogeny selection

In order toexploit the seedling

variability in nutmeg,seedlingsare raised from seeds procuredfrom Grenada.Variabilty isnoticed in the population for thenursery performance (Fig3).

Epicotyl grafting

Using the elite mother treein Region #1 as source of scion,epicotyl grafting to producefemale trees is now underway.Young seedlings raised fromseeds procured from Grenadaare used as root stocks. Theseeds take 3-6 months forgermination .Grafting successof about 40 per cent could beachieved.

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LANGKAWIHugh & Colleen Gantzer

Langkawi’s emblem : The brown brahminy kite in eagle square

©

It has everything going for it.It’s an island: not to little,not too big. It’s in Malaysia: acountry that continues to offergreat travel deals to Indians.And the whole island is a duty-free haven. The name of this

happy destination is Langkawi.

We caught a ferry fromKuala Perlis.. For 45 minutes wesat in comfortable aircraft-styleseats and, when we were racingacross the bay, saw a Bollywoodfilm in which Salman Khan

removed his shirt. Applause! Wedisembarked at the ferryterminal with the ambiance ofan international airport and anenormous sculpted eagledominating Eagle Square.

The roads were good, asmost Malaysian roads are, andit all feels a bit like Kerala orGoa. There’s a wide range ofhotels and most people you arelikely to interact with will speakEnglish. Malyasian food hasbeen described as a sort offusion of Indian and Chinesecuisine but that’s not doing itjustice. As in our own land,various regions have their ownspecialities from curry puffsthrough biryani to fried chickenwings. They use spices withdiscretion and, happily, most ofthem are imported from ourland and sold in shopsdominated by expats fromTamil Nadu and Kerala.

Searching for things to dowe headed for the OrientalVillage on Batau Bay. It’s abeautifully landscaped leisurecomplex with restaurants,shops and activities centres butits major attraction is its two-stage cable-car ride. The carsswing out over densely forestedvalleys and mountain slopes tothe high peak of Mount MatCincang, in two stages. Theeagle-eye views from the carsare spectacular; there are even

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A beautiful dwelling in the memorial to Mahsuri

A wealth of electronics in the Samudra duty free shopping mall

more breath-taking ones fromthe mid-station and the topstation. We stopped off at themid-station and went walk-about along a stepped paththrough a tropical forest andthen ventured out onto adramatic sky-bridge thatspanned a gorge between twopeaks. Unlike most bridges itcurves like the wing of a giantbird, the wind whips up andaround, and you keep getting atingling buzz of adrenalin withever step you take. It’s a headyfeeling.

And then we returned tothe mid-station and caught thenext leg of our cable-car ride tothe high peak. Langkawi spreadat our feet, cupped between thesurfing sea and the mountains,a couple had a foot massage,and a guide told an American

group tales of the history andlegends of the island. The mostpowerful of these stories is theone about Mahsuri. Jealousrivals accused her of adulteryand had her condemned to

death. But before she died sheput a curse on the island andsaid that it would not prosperfor seven generations. In actualfact, it was only after theseventh generation had passedthat prosperity returned toLangkawi. Naturally, Mahsuriis held in great reverence andthe Makam Mahsuri has arisenaround her tomb. We walkedthrough a wooden housereconstructed on the lines of heroriginal home and we visited anauditorium for folk music andtheatre. Two women fried fresh,traditional, snacks thatresembled rose cookies and lacypapads with a pleasantly sweet-salt flavour. And a galleryhoused a mini-zoo. MakamMahsuri was alive with familiesand honeymooners when werelaxed in its grounds.

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Independent cottages ‘in a forest by the sea’

We drove on, stopped, andthen strolled through thefriendly zoo of the BirdParadise. Here bright macawssquawked at us, white peacocksstrutted, and in the walk-through aviary, flamingos,pelicans, storks, jacanas and ahost of curious featheredcreatures lived their lives withintouching distance. Waterflowed, fish shimmered in thepools, a breeze stirred the leavesof trees and bushes and a perkylittle tit even settled on ourhands, peered at us, and thenflew back to its nest. It requiredonly a little imagination to

believe that wewere in aforgotten Gardenof Eden.

On a clearmorning, weopted for TheThree IslandC r u i s e .Langkawi iswashed by thec r y s t a l - c l e a rwaters of theStraits of Malaccawith its 99islands. Many ofthem are pillar-like rocks, erodedby the sea intocurious shapesand covered inv e g e t a t i o n .Some, like theone oftenreferred to as theEagle Island, are

low-lying and tangled withmangroves. This was one of theislands we visited in our cruiseand were thrilled by thespectacle of scores of sea eaglesswooping down and snatchingthe meat thrown into the waterby our boatman. They divedand swerved and soared soclose to us that we could hearthe wind rasping through theirwings; and yet, none of thewinged predators even grazedanother’s feathers. It was anamazing display of high speedavian aerodynamics.

We sped on, leaving a whitewake behind us till we reached

the oddly named Lake of thePregnant Maiden. This largelake is in the heart of amountainous island, heavilyforested. We were told threedifferent myths about abeautiful fairy who had a still-born child by her old husbandand consigned the dead baby tothe waters of this lake. Manywomen seeking the boon of achild, make a pilgrimage hereand drink the waters of thislegendary lake. Most others hirepaddle boats for a foot-poweredcruise. We immersed bare feetin the water and let fearless fishnibble at our toes. A local guideassured us that it’s moretherapeutic than a pressure-point massage. It certainlytickled as pleasantly as mildelectric shocks. “It stimulatesthe glands” the guide told avivacious multi-racial couplewho didn’t seem to need thetherapy!

We saw them again in theunwinding island of BerasBasah. Its white coral-sandbeach, water like moltensapphires and shade-spreadingtrees, create a lazy, friendly,sensuous atmosphere. The Sino-Italian couple sat next to usmunching on spicy rosecookies. “Do you missanything?” we asked,wondering if homesickness hadstruck them. They grinnedhappily: “What’s there tomiss?” they chorused.

As we said, Langkawi haseverything going for it.

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FERTIGATION

STUDIES

IN GARLICV. Sankar1, K .E Lawande2 and P. C Tripathi3National Research Centre for Onion and Garlic,

Rajguru nagar, Dist.Pune, Maharashtra - 410505.1 Scientist SS (Horticulture), NRCOG, (skar_hort@yahoo.com),

2 Director, NRC for Onion and Garlic, Rajgurunagar , Pune – 410505.3 Prinicipal Scientist (Horticulture) NRC for Women in Agriculture,

Bhubaneshwar – 751003).

Introduction

Fertigation can be defined as modern technique of thefertilizer application of water soluble and chemicalfertilizers through pressurized irrigation systems thusforming nutrient containing irrigation water. This is mostefficient method of fertilizer application, gainingpopularity all over the world. The method allows applyingthe nutrients exactly and uniformly only to the wetted rootvolume where the active roots are concentrated. It is a

farmers friendly, nutrient andwater saving, most effective andefficient method of applyingfertilizers in which theirrigation system is used as thecarrier and distributor of thecrop nutrients. This techniquenot only reduces the fertilizerapplication costs by eliminatingoperation but also improvesnutrient efficiency as thenutrients are applied very closeto plants. The synergism andcombination of water andnutrient leads to an efficient useof both by the plant. Fertigationcan be applied via simplesystems such as by pass tanksas well as through sophisticatedcomputer controlled systems.

Effective and successfulfertigation requires an understanding of plant growthbehaviour including nutrientrequirement and rootingpatterns, soil chemistry such assolubility and mobility of the

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nutrients, fertilizers chemistry,soil type and water qualityfactors. Though this fertigationapproach is quite new to Indiaand is in limited use due to itscomplicacy and high price itwill be very useful for highvalued crops.

An approach for efficientutilization of water andfertilizers is necessary to protectthe precious natural resourcesfrom degradation. Use ofconventional irrigationmethods not only results inconsiderable loss of water butalso is responsible fordevelopment and wide spreadof salinity, water logging andleaching of nutrients from therhizosphere. Therefore, it is anurgent need to develop easyand economic methods offertigation through irrigation sothat its advantage may beutilized at even lower level byreducing cost of cultivation,increasing nutrient and wateruse of efficiencies and highernet return per unit area per unittime and input for sustainingour crop productivity andenvironment in future.

Advantages of fertigation

� More healthier & Earlymaturity of crops

� Higher yield coupled withgood quality produce

� Most effective and leastexpensive way of providingnutrients to growing crops.

� Efficient use of fertilizers bycrop leads to increase yieldthereby increase inprofitability

� Uniform distribution offertilizers

� Minimize the loss offertilizers due to leaching

� Uniform, accurate andtimely application ofnutrients to the crop rootzone

� High fertilizer efficiencymay be achieved

� Saving of energy andlabour

� Flexibility in the fertilizerapplication

� Supply of nutrients can beregulated and monitoredcarefully

� Convenient use ofcompound and ready mixnutrients solutions

� Improve availability ofnutrients and their uptakeby roots.

� Reduce the ground water

pollution and soilcompaction.

Importance of Garlic

Garlic (Allium sativum L) isone of the important spice cumvegetable crop commerciallygrown in India. It is alsoimportant foreign exchangeearner for India.It is used invarious processed forms like,powder, paste and pickles. Ithas very good medicinalproperty also.India, in spite ofbeing a major garlic producingcountry, has very lowproductivity of 4.07 t/ha. Thereason for low productivity ofgarlic are unawareness of thefarmers about improvedvarieties, climate, soil,agronomic practices, pest anddisease management andimproper post harvestmanagement practices. One ofthe way is to increase theproduction and productivity ofgarlic through drip fertigation.Hence an attempt was made tostudy the effect of dripfertigation on growth, yield andquality of garlic var.G.41 atNational Research Centre forOnion and Garlic ,Rajgurunagar, Pune,Maharashtra State.

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Experimental Results

The study was conducted ingarlic during the year 2003-2006to find out optimum nutrientrequirement of garlic throughdrip fertigation. The resultsrevealed that water-solublefertilizers through dripirrigation improved the yieldand yield contributingcharacters of garlic. Thepercentage of A grade bulbswere more in 100 per cent ofrecommended dose offertilizers as water solublethrough drip irrigation thanconventional fertilizer �

application method. Thereduction in fertilizer dosesignificantly reduced themarketable bulb yield of garlic.The higher marketable bulbyield of 8.77t/ha was noticed in100% NPK as WSF through dripfertigation in garlic. More over,data from the experimentalresults indicated that anincrease in fertilizer dose from60-100 per cent, the value ofadditional yield was less thanthe additional cost of fertilizerincurred. While calculating thebenefit - cost ratio, the treatmentcomprising of NPK 50:50:80 kg

/ha as basal +50 kg N in sevensplits through drip irrigationgiving higher net income perunit area (1: 2.95). Based on thelast three years results, it isconcluded that NPK 50:50:80 kg/ha as basal + 50kg N in sevensplits through drip irrigationadjusted the best treatment interms of yield and benefit - costratio. As far as water saving isconcerned there was 30-40 percent saving of water in dripfertigation over surfaceirrigation.

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HECTIC ACTIVITY AT SPICES BOARD

STAND IN GULFOOD DUBAI

Mr. C.R. Purushothama, Assistant Director [thirdfrom left] and Mr G. Gopalakrishnan, AssistantDirector, Spices Board with a buyer at the Board'sstand in Gulfood, Dubai

Ineraction in progress at the stand in Gulfood Dubai

Spices Board's participation in this year'sGulfood in Dubai during March 23 to 26 wastinted by intense and hectic interactions with visi-tors. In fact the very heavy presence of twelveIndian exporters made the participation moremeaningful and realistic. Hundreds of trade visi-tors hailing from Middle East region made theirstop over at the Spices Board stand. There wereenormous enquiries.

The exporters who were present reportedtheir satisfaction on being part of the Board inthis year's Gulfood for they are optimistic on thepositive outcome from their many interactionswith visitors.Some of the exporters could final-ise on the spot export orders. The companies rep-resented in the fair are:Suresh Exports, Nagpur,

Agri Gold Foods & Farm Products Ltd,Hyderabad, Ramdev Food Products Pvt Ltd,Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Dharamvir Exports PvtLtd., New Delhi, Green Bowl Foods, Mumbai,Pardes Dehyudration Co., Rajkot, RK Industries,Jodhpur,Rosewood Marketing Pvt Ltd., NewDelhi,Selmax Exports Pvt Ltd., Mumbai,Vishnukumar Traders Pvt Ltd., Chennai,Nova

Impex, Mumbai and SA Rawther Spices Pvt Ltd.,Bangalore.

Shri G. Gopalakrishnan and Shri C.R.Purushothama, Assistant Directors of the Boardrepresented the Board in the fair.

The Ministry of Commerce, Govt of India hasdecided to extend the FOCUS LAC Programmeup to March 2011. This programme waslaunched by the Ministry in 1997 to enhancetrade with countries of Latin American andCarribean region. The basic objective of theprogramme is to sensitize and encourage ex-port promotion councils, chambers of com-merce and industry, EXIM Bank etc to organ-ize trade delegations, buyer seller meets, fairsand exhibitions in the LAC region. Exportersare requested to avail the benefit of the exten-sion of the programme.

FOCUS LAC PROGRAMME TOGO UP TO MARCH 2011

Events

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Discussions in progress at the standDr K J Madhusoodanan (Left) and Dr M P Suresh(Middle), Deputy Directors of Spices Board seenconversing with a leading importer in Board’s Stall.

There seems to a be a Japanese liking for garlicand garlic products, herbs and small cardamom, if onegoes by the enquires that were recorded at the SpicesBoard stand in Foodex 2009 in Tokyo held duringMarch 3 to 6, 2009. Of course other spices were alsoasked for. Spices and spice products of leading Indianexporters were exhibited in the Board’s stall at theMakhuhari Messe in Chiba, Tokyo. The tasting ses-sions for the visitors for Indian Curry organized bythe Board as part of generating popularity for Indianfood delicacies received good attention. Indian MasalaTea was served in the Stall with the aid of speciallydesigned brewing equipment “Espresso”.

JAPANESE LIKING FOR GARLIC,HERBS AND CARDAMOM

Foodex being one of the leading international fairshad representation from a wide variety of food seg-ments drawn from over 65 countries. Dr K JMadhusoodanan, Deputy Director (Research) and Dr.M P Suresh, Deputy Director (Marketing] representedthe Board at the fair. Indian spice exporters – MrDhansukh Sejpal of M/s JFK International, Cochin andMr Abhey Bansal of M/s.Amarson India, New Delhiwho were present had the chance to meet and interactwith various importers. Mr R Ramanujam, Minister(Economic & Commercial) and Mr Mohan Chutani,First Secretary (Commercial), Embassy of India weresome of the dignitaries who visited the stand.

OOTY

Shri L R Rajagopu, Asst Director of Horticulture,Ooty, Tamil Nadu addressing the Garlic growers inQuality Improvement Training Progamme held atOoty in Tamil Nadu on 13.3.2009.

A View of Garlic growers attending the qualitytraining programme held at Ooty, Tamil Nadu

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Mr Siddaramappa, Deputy Director [left] andMr Charles J Kithu, Director [Second from left] atthe Spices Board stand in Cairo fair.

Mr Charles J Kithu, Director [left] seen in discussionwith visitors at the stand

MUTHUKAPATTY

A View of the audience at Regional seminar onturmeric held at Muthukapatty in Tamil Nadu on14.3.2009

Shri Asokan, Assistant Director of Horticulture,Namakkal addressing the growers at RegionalSeminar on Turmeric held at Muthukapatty, TamilNadu on 14.3.2009 in association with RathnasamyEnvironment Rural Developement Organization,Namakkal, Tamil Nadu.

EGYPT- POTENTIAL MARKET FOR SPICES

Egypt is an emerging market for Indian spicesand there is lot of potential for further interven-tion in this market. The major spices that are indemand are cardamom, black pepper, tamarind,cumin and cinnamon.

Spices Board has participated in the CairoInternational fair, held at Cairo, Egypt from 18

to 27 March 2009. This was attended by peoplenot only from Egypt but also from countries likeSaudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Palestine.M/s Nova Impex from Bombay was representedin the fair in the Board’s stall and he could bagorders for over six containers of spices. Enquiresfrom prospective buyers were obtained.

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VALPARAI

Dr Mohankumar Director, TRF, UPASI, Valparai,Tamil Nadu delivering the Inaugural address at thePlanters -Scientists Interface held at Valaprai, TamilNadu on 6.3.2009

A View of audience attending the Interface atValparai, Tamil Nadu

DHARWAD

Dr.B.C.Kamanna , Pathologist, UAS, Dharwad,Karnataka explaining the pest managementtechniques in chilli crop in the Master TrainingProgramme held on 24th February 2009 in Dharwad.Also seen in the picture are Shri.P.Rameshkumar,Joint Director of Agriculture, Dharwad., Shri.P.K.Suresh, Deputy Director, Spices Board, Dharwadand Dr.S.N.Jadav, Entomologist, UAS, Dharwad.

A view of Agriculture Officers attending the trainingprogramme.

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HULKOTI

A view of Agriculture Officers from Gadag districtin Karnataka attending the Master TrainingProgramme held in Hulkoti on 25th February 2009.

A view of State Horticulture / Agriculture /KrishiVigyan Kendra Officers from North Sikim attendinga Master Training Programme held in Mangan inSikkim on 24th February 2009.

MANGAN

PERIYAKULAM

Shri.R.Chandrasekhar, Director (Development)speaking at the Regional seminar on cardamom on12th March 2009 held in Periyakulam in Tamil Nadu.Also seen in the picture are (from left) Dr.Natarajan,Scientist, ICRI, Spices Board, Myladumparai,Shri.Zia-Ud-Din Ahamed, Member, SpicesBoard,Cumbum and Shri.K.S.R.J.Rajkumar, MemberSpices Board, Cumbum.

A view of cardamom planters attending the seminar.

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KOOTHY

Dr.K.Dhanapal, Scientist – in charge, ICRI, RRS,Spices Board, Sakleshpur , Karntaka addressing thegrowers in the training programme on Organiccultivation of spices held at Koothy near Somwarpetin Karnataka.

A view of cardamom planters attending the organictraining programme.

CHERUTHONI

Dr.Johncy Manithottam, Senior Field Officer, SpicesBoard, Santhanpara, explaining the techniques oforganinc farming in a seminar held at Cheruthonion 19th March 2009.

A view of spice growers attending the organicseminar.

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BAMANI

Shri. S.S. Sarkunde IAS, District Collector, BhandaraDistrict, Maharashtra requesting the farmers to adoptorganic cultivation of chilli and turmeric during aWorkshop organised for the development of organicspices in Vidarbha region in Maharashtra.

A view of chilli and turmeric farmers listening theworkshop.

The Government of India un-der stimulus package has sanc-tioned utilization up to Rs.350crores out of the corpus availableunder National Export InsuranceAcount for the benefit of exportersand banks. This will result in addi-tional benefits to the exporters andbanks

The percentage of cover is en-hanced by five per cent under Ex-port Credit Insurance Policies is-sued to exporters and by 10 per centunder Export Credit InsuranceCovers for banks. The maximumpercentage of cover for the export-ers is enhanced to 95 percent and

GLOBAL ECONOMIC MELTDOWN:ECGC OPERATIONALIZES STIMULUS

PACKAGE FOR EXPORTERS, BANKERS

for the banks to 85 per cent.

FOR EXPORTERS

The additional benefits are madeavailable to the exporters for ship-ment made between January 2009and 30.06.2009. The benefits to export-ers under Export Credit InsuranvcePolicy (ECIP) covers issued by ECGCand will be made available to all theexporters classified falling underMSME categories. For non MSMEcategory exporters, the benefit will beextended to those exporters dealingin Textile(including handicrafts andhandloom), Gems and Jewellery,Leather, Engineering products, Car-

pets, Project goods, Auto componentsand Chemicals.

FOR BANKS

For the advances granted to allthe exporters classified as MSMEsector an additional cover percent-age to the extent of 10 per cent willbe granted taking the the maximumcover percentage under the ECIBsto 85 per cent. The additional ben-efits are made available to thebanks for advances granted be-tween January 2009 and 30.06.2009.

For any further clarificationECGE offices could be contacted.

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NURSERY

� Regular watering may be given to bed/polybag/ sucker nursery basedon necessity.

� To control damping off/seedling rot diseases in nursery, soildrenching with 0.2 per cent copper oxychloride or 0.2 per centmancozeb may be taken up.

� As bio-control measure, trichoderma or Pseudomonas or Bacillusspecies may be applied in the soil.

� For controlling leaf rot disease, spray 0.3 per cent mancozeb and forcontrolling leaf spots, spray 0.25 per cent difoltalan or 0.2 per centbavistin after noticing early symptoms.

MAIN FIELD

� In densely shaded areas, regulate the shade selectively to providemore sunlight during monsoon period. It may be about 60 per centof filtered sunlight for better performance.

� Likewise in open patches planting of shade tree saplings like Cedrellatoona (Chandana viambu), Vernonia oxbergia (Karuna), Jack can bedone to reduce the problems of root grub proliferation and betterperformance of cardamom.

� During the end of May or early June, after the receipt of sufficientsummer showers, planting of seedlings can be started in the mainfield. Planting in a cloudy day with intermittent drizzling is veryideal for cardamom for its better establishment.

� After planting, stake the plants with stick and mulch the plant basewith dried leaves or weeded materials.

� Always ensure that no water logging is there at the base of the plants,by providing better drainage.

� Just prior to monsoon showers, trashing operation may be completedand make all the panicles be above the mulch materials.

CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS FOR

IMPORTANT SPICES - MAY 2009Timely planning and execution of farm operations based on agroclimatic conditions of the area

is important for successful farming for higher productivity and sustainability. To facilitate this acalendar of operations in respect of important spice crops for May is given below:

Name of the crop/Type of operation Details of the operations

SMALLCARDAMOMI Agronomic measures

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LARGECARDAMOM

I Agronomicmeasurers

� Application of first round manure for irrigated areas can be done,after getting one or two good showers at the end of May or early June.This may be done with 90 kg. urea, 207 kg. rock phosphate and 137kg. muriate of potash/ha.(1/3rd dose of 125:125:250 NPK/ha/year).

� For rainfed areas, apply @ 81 kg. urea, 187 kg. mussoriphos and 125kg. muriate of potash as first round(1/2 of 75:75:150 kg NPK/ha/year).

� The above two recommendations are made only if no soil testrecommendations are available. If available, apply based on soil testresults only.

� The said inorganic fertilizers may be applied along with any one ofthe organic manures like FYM or compost 5 kg or neem cake 1-2 kgper plant in 20 cm wide circular band about 30-40 cm away from theplant base.

� In the case of young plants, 1/3rd and 2/3rd of the recommended doseof the fertilizer may be applied for 1st and 2nd year respectively.

� For Integrated Pest Management prune dry leaves without removinggreen leaf sheath.

� Apply quinalphos @ 200 ml per 100 liters of water (spray may coincideshoot borer moth emergence).

MAIN FIELD

� Provide adequate drainage if water stagnation is noticed.

� Towards Integrated Disease Management against azhukal andrhizome rot in severely affected areas, phytosanitary measures andapplication of fungicides/bio-control agents may be taken up.

� COC (0.2 per cent), drenching + one per cent Bordeaux mixture spray.15 days later apply trichoderma alone or with pseudomonasfluorescens at plant base. Repeat bio agent application and foliar spraywith Akomin 0.4 per cent.

� If bio-control measure is followed, basal application of trichodermaharzianum alone or with pseudomonas fluorescens is recommended.

� Katte infected plants if found must be rouged and destroyed.

Nursery

� Disease/pest infected suckers may be removed

� Each and every large cardamom farmer is necessary to raise his ownlarge cardamom nursery for planting in his field at least 500 meteraway from large cardamom field.

II Pestmanagement

III Diseasemanagement

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� Regular watering and weeding may be continued in the existingsucker nursery.

� Nursery site meant for sucker multiplication may be cleaned byremoving all the weeds; debris and soil may be brought to fine tilth.

� Trenches of 45 cm width and 30 cm depth may be opened at convenientlength with an interspace of 30 cm well decomposed cattle manure orcompost may be mixed with the soil and the trenches are filled.Disease free, high yielding, one grown up shoot with an emergingbud may be planted at 45 cms apart in the trenches during May-June,and then the base may be mulched with forest leaves. To support thesuckers, bamboo/wooden stakes may be provided.

Plantations

� One round weeding may be attended for easy movement of wild beesfor better pollination and fruit setting.

� The large cardamom fields may be visited regularly and chirkey/foorkey etc. diseased plants may be uprooted and destroyed byburning/burial in the soil.

� For replanting/gap filling, the site may be cleared by removing allold & diseased plants and by clearing all weeds and debris.

� Pits of 30 x 30 x 30 cms may be opened at a spacing of 1.5 x 1.5 meteron the receipt of rains and then the pits are to be filled with top soil/compost/cow dung etc.

� The planting materials may be selected from high yielding suckernurseries, free from pest & diseases for replanting/gap filling.

� Suitable shade tree saplings may be selected and used for planting inthe areas where the shade is less and to protect from hail stormdamage.

� Application of cattle manures/organic manures/fertilizers tocardamom fields will help in getting sustained production, improvingproductivity and better quality of the crop.

� Application of one per cent Bordeaux Mixture to the cardamom plantswill help to control the fungal diseases before the one set of rains.

Nursery

� Watering may be continued in the nursery based on necessity.

� Shade may be reduced in the nursery on receipt of one or two goodsummer showers.

PEPPERI Agronomicmeasurers

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VANILLA

Main field:

� Shade regulation may be done to reduce the shade intensity just atthe onset of monsoon showers.

� On receipt of good showers, the shade protection given to young vinesmay also be removed.

� Planting of standards for new planting may also be done now.

� Apply FYM or compost @ 10 kg/vine.

� In areas where liming is not done last season, lime @ 600 grams pervine may also applied around the plant basin separately.

� For controlling phytophthora foot rot, phytosanitary measures,biological control measures and chemical control measures may betaken up.

� Application of trichoderma harzianum and pseudomonas fluroscenswould help in reducing intensity of the disease.

� Addition of organic mulches and oil cakes in the basins improves thetexture of the soil and enhances the growth of antagonistic microorganisms.

� If chemical control is resorted to, any one of the following can beadopted:

1) After the receipt of few monsoon showers all the vines are to bedrenched with COC 0.2 per cent @ 5 to 10 liters per vine. Foliarspray with one per cent Bordeaux mixture.

2) Drenching with Potassium Phosphonate 0.3 per cent @ 5 to 10liters per vine. Foliar spray with 0.03 per cent PotassiumPhosphonate.

3) Drenching with Metalaxyl Mancozeb 0.125 per cent @ 5 to 10 litersper vine and foliar spray with same concentration.

� In case bio-control agents are applied only aerial sprays with chemicalsis to be resorted and soil drenching should be avoided.

Main field:

� Continue irrigation based on necessity, if monsoon rain delays.

� Apply vermicompost @ one kg/vine or FYM or compost @ two kg/vine in the base of the vine and then cover with mulch materials likeweed wastes or shade tree loppings and other plant residues.

� If still flowering observed, continue pollination between 6.00 am to12 noon with skilled labours.

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CHILLI

TURMERIC

� Prophylactic spray with one per cent Bordeaux mixture may be givenor two per cent spray with Pseudomonas sp. (in Talc base) (2 kg/100liters of water) or one per cent spray with Pseudomonas sp. (in liquidculture) available at ICRI, Myladumpara, may be given.

� Weeding may be done based on necessity.

� After 40 days from the date of basal dressing top dressing with 80 kgof urea has to be done per ha.

� Earth up the beds after top dressing of fertilizer.

� Repeat the mulching of beds with green leaves/weeded materials @tonnes/ha.

� Weeding may be done based on necessity.

� After 40 days from the date of basal dressing, top dressing with 65kg of urea has to be done per hectare.

� Earth up the beds after top dressing of fertilizer.

� Repeat the mulching of beds with green leaves/weeded materials @five tonnes/hectare.

� On completion of harvesting green manuring can be practiced bysowing pulse crops(pillipesara, cowpea or sunhemp) in the landproposed for next season cultivation.

� Wherever chilli is intercropped with cotton, dried chilli and cottonplants(after harvest are to be uprooted and cut into small pieces andincorporated into the soil for enhancing the fertility and waterholding capacity of the soil).

� If needed soil testing can be taken up during the month.

TRIPURA

Shri.Dwijendra MohanBarman, Field Officer, SpicesBoard, Agartala, Tripura is seendemonstrating the blackpepper nursery managementtechniques to the StateAgriculture Officers in aMaster Training Programme onorganic black pepperproduction.

GINGER

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MONTHLY AVERAGE PRICES OF SPICES FOR MARCH 2009SPICE CENTRE GRADE PRICERS/KG

SPICES SOURCESAverage FOB export price - February 2009Prices are collected from secondary sources like Agricultural Produce Market committees, KiranaMerchants Association, India Pepper and Spice Trade Association, Licensed Cardamom Auctioneers etc.

Black Pepper Kochi Ungarbled 104.24Garbled 109.20

Cardamom small Vandanmettu bulk 499.12E-AuctionBodinayakanur bulk 493.21E-AuctionSaklaspur 419.80Sirsi 407.77Maharashtra 518.75

Cardamom (L) Siliguri Badadana 144.60Chotadana 128.00

Chillies Virudhnagar 50.38Ginger (Dry) Kochi Best 100.00

Medium 95.00Turmeric Kochi Alleppey Finger 48.67

Bombay Rajpuri Finger 74.33Bombay Duggirala 49.17

Coriander Indori 43.50Kanpuri 48.17

Cumin Bombay 4% 97.92Fennel Bombay - 84.58Fennugreek Bombay - 27.58Mustard Chennai - 31.35Garlic Bombay - 11.00Celery Bombay - 11.00Clove Cochin - NANutmeg(with shell) Cochin - 126.25Nutmeg(without shell) 222.08Mace Cochin - 425.00Cassia Chennai - 81.00Vanilla* 675.00

PERIOD MARCH 2009 MARCH 2008Quantity sold Average price Quantity sold Average price

(Kg) (Rs./Kg) (Kg) (Rs/Kg)First week 1,76,219 497.24 98,290 573.87Second week 2,35,141 492.73 89,911 534.53Third week 2,07,502 474.61 1,08,362 473.68Fourth week 2,08,067 502.37 44,637 452.16Fifth week 2,02,679 514.98 66,593 502.42Total 10,29,608 496.18 4,07,793 513.58

Source: Auction reports received from Licensed Cardamom Auctioneers

ALL INDIA CARDAMOM AUCTION SALES AND PRICESFOR MARCH 2009 COMPARED WITH MARCH 2008

REGISTERED No.KL/EKM/105/2009-2011RNI No. 44664/88Date of publication : 19th of every month

SPICE INDIAEnglish Monthly, April 2009Price per copy Rs. 5/-