Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum Maton.) Zingiberaceae

1. 1
Production Technology of Cardamom
Vasanthkumar SS
I - M.Sc PSMA
HC&RI,pkm

2. one of the most highly prized and exotic spices

3.  Cardamom (small) : Elletaria cardamomum ,
 Family : zingiberaceae
 Tetraploid in nature.
 India is the second largest consumer of small cardamom.
 Cardamom - dried capsule indigenous to the evergreen forests of western ghats
of south india.
 It is grown extensively in hilly regions of south india at elevations of 800-1300m
as an under storey crop in forest lands.
 Srilanka, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania and Guatemala
Plant profile

4. • Habit: Tall perennial herbaceous plant.
• Stem : Thick, fleshy rhizomes and leafy stems,
attaining a height of between 1.2 and 5 meters
• It is a shallow rooted plant.
• Leaf: The leaves are sub sessile, 30-60 cm long
and 7.5 cm wide, oblong-lanceolate, and
pubescent below.
• Pseudostem has light green or reddish purple or
purple colour.
Morphology

5. • Flowers : The flowers are borne in panicles that arise
from the base of the vegetative shoots, upright at first
but eventually becoming prostrate. The flower bracts
are persistent, linear-oblong, up to 5 cm in length.
• Calyx: The calyx is 1-3 cm long, the whitish convex lip
streaked with violet.
• Seed: The oblong seed capsule is about 2.5 cm long
and marked with fine vertical ribs.
• Flowers are open & bisexual.
• Stigma "is positioned above the anther.
• It is a cross pollinated crop.
BOTANY

6.  Honey bees are the “chief pollinators”.
 Labellum is prominent, and attract honey bees who
insert their proboscis into the two nectar glands situated
at the base of the flower.
 The foraging activities leads to pollination in flower.
 Peak period of panicle emergence : November - March.
 Peak flowering period: May-August.
 The capsules are trilocular, containing 15-20 seeds.
 Capsules are pale green to dark green in colour.

8. Large cardamom
 Botanical Name- Amomum subulatum
 Origin – Eastern Himalayan Region
 World – Nepal, Bhutan, India
 India- Sikkim, Darjeeling
Uses- Tonic for Cough, appetizer, diuretic, Stimulant, etc
 Pregnant women should not use cardamom because there is a fear of abortion.

9. Varieties
 Ramshai/ Ramsey : Tall plants (2.5m) ,
 Fruits are small and of inferior quality, suitable for growing at higher altitude.
 Sawaney: Tall plants with wider and shorter leaves.
 Fruits are bold and brown. Popular variety of lower altitudes.
 Golshai / Golsey :Short plants with 5-6 shoots and short and broad leaves.
 Fruits bold, big , round in shape and yellow coloured. Good market value-
attractive appearance
 Other derived varieties – Ramla, Chiba, Ramnag, Madhurai and Mongney

11. Importance and uses
 It is also used for medicinal purpose, both in allopathy and ayurveda systems.
 Cardamom is therapeutic in nature, used to treat infections in teeth and gums,
digestive disorders, throat troubles, skin conditions etc.
 In south asia, green cardamom is largely included in traditional Indian sweets
and in the making of tea.
 It contain volatile oil-5.5 to 10.5%.
 Cardamom essential oil mainly contains terpinyl acetate, linalyl acetate, and 1,8-
cineole

12. Cont.
 Mostly chewing
 Special seasoning and curry powder and flavouring sweetmeats, cakes,
sausages, bakery products and culinary preparations
 Medicinal uses: stomachic, mixed with ginger, cloves for digestive ailments
 Chemical components of cardamom: cardamom comprises 67 compounds
representing 96.9% of the cardamom oil.

13. • India has the largest area (90% of the world area).
• Cardamom is orginated western ghats of southern India,
• Production in Kerala (60%),
• Karnataka (30%),
• Tamil Nadu (10%).
• The largest cardamom producing country currently is Guatemala followed
by India and Tanzania.
ORGIN AND DISTRIBUTION

14. Cardamom growing regions of South India
 Kerala : Idukki and Waynad
 Karnataka : Coorg, Chikmagalore and Hassan districts
 Tamil Nadu : Pulney and Kodai hills

15. • The major consuming countries of cardamom are Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan,
United Arab Emirates, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland
• The countries in the western Asian region like Saudi Arabia, United Arab
Emirates, India etc have maximum consumption and these countries share around
60% of the world’s consumption.
Contd..

16. Production tech of cardamom

17. Varieties of cardamom
 Elettaria cardamomum Maton var. major
Wild cardamom of Sri Lanka. Robust plant of 3m length with broadleaves and
erect panicles. Fruit is larger e.g. 2.5 to 5 cm larger and less aromatic seeds known as
Long wild native cardamom in trade.
 Elettaria cardamomum Maton var. minor
This includes most of cultivated races like, Mysore, Malabar and Vazhukka.
Fruits are 1-2cm long (smaller) and more aromatic seeds.

18. Types of cardamom
Parameters Malabar(2n=48) Mysore (2n= 50) Vazhukka (Malabar × Mysore)
Plant
stature
Medium (2-3m ht) Tall (3-5 m ht) Tall (3-5m ht)
Leaf Dorsal side may be
pubescent or glabrous,
short petiole
Lanceolate or oblong-
lanceolate, glabrous on
both sides, petiole long
Deep green oblong – lanceolate
long petiole
Panicle Prostrate Erect Semi erect
Capsule Globose-oblong shaped Ovoid , bold dark green Bold, globose or ovoid
Bearing
nature
Early, short span of
flowering
Late, long flowering span Late , long flowering span
Adaptability Lower elevation (600 -
1000 m MSL)
Higher elevation (900 –
1200 m MSL)
Higher elevation (900 -1200 m
MSL)
Tolerance
to drought
Thrives under low rainfall Thrives well under well
distributed rainfall
Thrives well under well
distributed rainfall

19. Malabar - prostrate type panicle

20. Vazhukka – semi erect type panicle Mysore – erect type panicle

21. Varietal description
Selection
/varieties
Cultivar Character
Area of
adaptablity
Source
Yield
potenti
al
(Kg/ha)
ICRI - 1 Malabar
An early maturing profusely flowering
variety; medium sized panicle with
globose, bold, dark green capsules;
essential oil content 8.65%; dry
recovery 22.9%.
South Idukki zone
of Kerala, where
the rainfall is well
distributed
ICRI
Spices Board,
Myladumpara
ldukki, Kerala 660
ICRI 2 Mysore
Performs well under irrigated
conditions; suitable for higher altitude;
capsules medium long and parrot
green; essential oil content 6.66%;
dry recovery 22.5%.
Cardamom Growing
tracts of Kerala and
parts of Tamil Nadu
ICRI
Spices Board,
Myladumpara
ldukki, Kerala
750

22. ICRI 3 Malabar
Early maturing type; non-
pubescent
leaves; oblong bold, parrot
green capsules; essential oil
content 6.6%, dry recovery
22.5%.
Cardamom
growing
tracts of
Karnataka
RRS,
ICRI,Spices
Board
Sakleshpur,
Karnataka
1000
ICRI-4 Malabar
An early maturing variety
adaptable to low rainfall area;
medium sized panicle;
globose bold parrot green
capsules; dry recovery 17%.
Adapted to
Lower
Pulney Hills
of
Tamil Nadu
RRS, ICRI
Spice Board
Thadiankudisi,
Tamil Nadu
650

23. ICRI – 3

24. ICRI 5 Malabar
Hybrid variety; early bearing;
high yield; high oil content;
deep green bold capsule;
moderately talent to rot
disease; essential oil content
7.13%; dry recovery 23.15%.
Kerala and
parts of Tamil
Nadu
ICRI Spices Board,
Myladumpara
Idukki,
Kerala
1650
ICRI 6 Malabar
Regular yielder; high oil
content; deep green
long bold capsule;
moderately tolerant to
rot pathogens thrips, borer
and drought; dry
recovery 19
Kerala and
parts of Tamil
Nadu
ICRI
Spices Board,
Myladumpara,
ldukki,
Kerala
1200

25. ICRI - 7 Vazhukka
Hybrid variety; panicles
possess angular
green bold capsules;
essential oil content
8.84%; dry recovery
22.24%.
Suitable for
Wayanad,
Kerala
ICRI
Spices Board,
Myladumpara,
ldukki,
Kerala
700
ICRI 8 Malabar
Capsules are dark green
and bold; high
recovery of bold capsules
with 71% of the capsules
produced is above 7 -5
mm
Karnataka
ICRI
Regional
Station,
Spices
Board,
Sakleshpur
,Karnataka
1200

26. PV-1 Malabar type.
500 kg dry
capsules / ha.
Dry recovery:
20%, Essential
oil: 6.8%
kerala
and parts of
tamilnadu
Released by
Cardamom
Research
Station,
Pampadumpara.
500
Pv 2 Vazhukka
High yield
deep green
long bold
capsule Dry
recovery:
23.8%,
Essential oil:
6.6%
kerala
Released by
Cardamom
Research
Station,
Pampadumpara.
1200

27. Mudigree 1 malabar
Tolerant to hairy
caterpillars and
white grubs;
short panicle;
oval bold, pale
green capsules;
tolerant to thrips
and shoot borer;
essential oil
content 8%; dry
recovery 20%
traditional
cardamom
growing tracts of
Karnataka
ZAHRS, UAHS,
Mudigere,
Karnataka
275
Mudigree 2 malabar
suited for
cultivation in
valleys in
Karnataka:
essential oil
content 8%
Suited for
Karnataka
(valley areas
ZAHRS, UAHS,
Mudigere,
Karnataka
475(rain
fed)

28. Mudigre 3 malabar
Tolerant to thrips and
borers
Cardamom
growing tracts of
Karnataka
ZAHRS, UAHS,
Mudigere,
Karnataka
400
Appangala
1
malabar
Suitable for intensive
cultivation both under
monocrop and mixed
crop conditions; early
maturing variety,
highly adaptive and
produces 89% bold
capsules
All cardamom
growing tracts of
Karnataka &
Wayanad of
Kerala
ICAR-
IISR,Appangala,
Karnataka
745

29. Appangala 2 Malabar
Hig yielding and
resistant to mosaic
virus/katte ,essential
oil -6.2%,dry
recovery -21.10%
Karnataka
and
wayanad
ICAR-
IISR,Appangala
,Karnataka
400
IISR avinash Malabar
Resistant to rhizome
rot disease and leaf
blight diseases; high
quality elongated
capsules; essential
oil content 6.7%, dry
recovery 20.8%
Kodagu,
north
wayanad,
hassan and
chikmagalur
ICAR-
IISR,Appangala
,Karnataka
850

30. IISR suvashini Malabar
An early maturing variety
suitable for high density
planting long panicle;
oblong bold, parrot green
capsules; essential oil
content 8.7%; dry
recovery 22%
Growing tracts
of karnataka
wayanad of
kerala
ICAR-
IISR,Appangal
a ,Karnataka
400
IISR vijeetha Malabar
Tolerant to katte disease;
essential oil content
7.9%; dry recovery
20.8%
Kodagu, north
wayanad,
hassan and
chikmagalu
ICAR-
IISR,Appangal
a ,Karnataka
650

31. • Sebastian Joseph From Idukki.
• Mysore Type
• Yield about 3000 kg/ha of dry cardamom under good
management condition
• Robust nature of tiller
• Main feature high yield and quality and good oil
content bold capsule
• Less incidence of katte disease
Njallani green gold

32. Panikulangara Green Bold No.1 (PBG-1)
 Mr. Joy Peter- farmer from Idukki
 Vazukka variety- bearing thick long leaves, vigorous growth
 Multiplied - Clonal selection
 Short duration – 75 days (flowering to fruiting)
 More productive tillers (110-120)- compared to Mysore & Malabar
 6-8 kg capsules/ plant
 80% of capsules - Bolder capsules (8mm)
 Tolerant to drought – rainfed cultivation
 Resistant – Blight disease
 Moderately tolerance- thrips, stem borer

34. • Warm and humid climate
• Altitude : 600 – 1200 above MSL
• Temperature :10 to 35°C
• Annual rainfall : 1500 – 5000mm (fairly distributed)
• Shade : (50-60%) (moderate)
• In India, cardamom is mostly cultivated under natural forest canopy,
except in certain areas in Karnataka and Wynad in Kerala, where it is grown
in arecanut and coffee plantations.
Climate and soil

35. • Sloppy lands facing eastern and northern directions are ideal for cultivation.
• Cardamom prefers forest soils rich in humus.
• Soils - rich in organic matter and nitrogen and also low to medium
in available phosphorus and potassium.
• Well drained pH 4.5 to 6.5.

36. • Cardamom is propagated both asexually (through suckers) and sexually, (through
seeds).
• Seed propagation is recommended in areas affected by katte disease (a disease
transmitted through suckers)
• Vegetative propagation earlier bearing and true to type plants.
Propagation :

37. Vegetative propagation (sucker)
 Sucker multiplication taken up from the first week of March to
September depending upon the weather conditions.
 Trenches of 45 cm width, 45 cm depth and convenient length
are to be taken across the slope along the contour at 1.8 m apart.
 Trenches are to be filled with equal quantities of humus rich
topsoil, sand and composted cattle manure.
 Uproot a part of the high- yielding, disease free mother clump
identified in the plantation

38.  Identify and collect viral free mother clumps .
 Trim the roots and separate suckers .
 Plant them at a spacing of 100 cm in filled up
trenches making a small pit.
 Apply 50 grams of Mycorrhizae (AM fungi) before
planting of the suckers in the pit.
 Provide sufficient mulch and stake each planting
unit.
 Provide overhead pandal as in the case of seedlings
nursery and remove shading material with the onset
of monsoon.

39.  Apply fertilizers NPK 25: 25: 50 grams per sucker in
two to three splits from two months after planting.
Apply neem cake at 100-150 g per plant along with
fertilizers.
 On an average 15-20 good quality planting units (one
grown up sucker with a growing young shoot) could
be produced from a mother clump within ten months
of planting.
 Before planting, suckers may be dipped in 1%
Pseudomonas for 5-10 minutes for encouraging the
growth and preventing disease incidence.

40. STAKING
MANURING
New planatation

41. Primary nursery
• Nursery site - moderately sloppy land, in open and well drained location near source
of water.
• Raised seed beds (20 cm) of one meter width and of convenient length are prepared.
• Spread a layer of jungle top soil over the bed.
• Fully ripened bold capsules from high yielding and disease free mother clumps
collected from second and third harvest for seed extraction
• Soil solarisation of seed beds enhances germination by 25%, reduces weed growth by
82% and suppress pests and diseases.
• Seeds can be broadcasted or line sown 1-2 cm apart in rows 8-10 cm apart. Seed rate is
175-200 g /ha

42.  Seeds are to be sown as early as possible, preferably
within 15 days after extraction since seeds lose their
viability on storage.
 Sowing in September gives maximum germination under
field conditions; winter and peak southwest monsoon
period should be avoided.
 Even under ideal conditions, the germination is often less
than 50 per cent only.
 Acid scarification with 25 per cent Nitric acid for 10
minutes to break the seed coat will enhance germination.

43. Line sowing - distance of 10 cm.
• The seed is ready for sowing the next day. Sowing can be done in lines in rows at a
distance of 10 cm.
• Seed rate is 30 to 50 grams per 6 X 1 meter size bed.
• After sowing, cover the bed with a thin layer of fine soil and then with mulch
material, such as potha grass or paddy straw.

44.  Avoid the contact of mulch material with the soil .Water the beds to sufficient
moisture conditions.
 Once sprouting is observed, remove the mulch and cover the bed with thinly sliced
mulch material in between rows.
 To protect the seedling from direct sunlight, provide an overhead pandal.
 Germination commences 20 to 25 days after sowing and continues for further 30 to
40 days.
 Seedlings when reach four to six leaf stage (five-six months after sowing) is
transplanted to secondary nursery.

45. Seed bed under shadenet

46. Secondary nursery(Bed Nursery and Polybag
Nursery)
Bed Nursery
 Prepare beds as in primary nursery. A layer of cattle manure and wood ash may be
spread on the bed and mixed with soil.
 Seedling of three to four leaf stages from the primary nursery beds can be
transplanted in the secondary nursery at a distance of 20 to 25cms.
 Mulching and watering of beds should be done immediately after transplanting.
 Overhead pandal can be erected to protect seedlings from direct sunlight.

47. Bed Nursery

49. Polybag Nursery
 Black HM/HDP bags of size 20 X 20 cm having minimum 100 GSM thickness
with three to four holes at the bottom can be used for this purpose.
 Fill the bags with potting mixture in the ratio of 3:1:1 of jungle topsoil, cow
dung and sand.
 The bags may be arranged in rows of convenient length and breadth for easy
management.
 One healthy and disease free seedling at three to four-leaf stage can be
transplanted into each bag.
 Cardamom plants from secondary nursery/polybags can be transplanted to the
main field during the last week of May after receipt of southwest monsoon.

50. Polybag Nursery

51. • Suckers are collected from high yielding plants and planted at a spacing of 1.8m x
0.6m, thus accommodating approximately 6800 plants/ha of clonal nursery area.
• Overhead shade is provided and nursery is irrigated.
• After 12 months of planting, each planting unit produces on average 32-42 suckers.
• In an area of 1ha clonal nursery 1 to 1.4 lakhs planting units can be produced after
one year.
• A crop of 190g/plant of dry cardamom (1759kg/ha) also could be harvested within
just 19 months of planting.
Rapid clonal multiplication technique

52. Rapid clonal multiplicaton

53. Pit Opening
 Field operations are to be undertaken with the objective of preventing soil
erosion and to conserve soil moisture.
 In sloppy areas, soil should be protected from soil erosion for which planting
should be taken up in terraces.
 Terraces should be made at required distances on contours depending on the
spacing adopted.
 Pits of 90 X 90 X 45 cm can be prepared before commencement of monsoon,
about 1/3 of the pit should be filled with top soil and 1/3 should be filled with
1:3 mixture of organic manure and topsoil

54. Preventing soil erosion

55. Planting
 Planting material of high yielding variety suitable for the areas may be selected for
planting.
 For Mysore and Vazhukka cultivars plant to plant distance can be 3x3 m (1111
plts/ha) or 2.4x 2.4 m when planted in high rainfall or irrigated areas.
 A spacing of 1.8 x 1.8 m or 1.2 x 1.8 m is suitable in Karnataka.
 Immediately after planting, the plant base should be mulched well with available
dried leaves to protect solid from erosion and conservation of moisture.
 Planting should be done diagonally to the slope to reduce runoff.

56. Transplanting

58.  Two or three rounds of hand weeding at the plant base during May,
September and December/January and slash weeding in other areas are
advisable.
 Use of spade for weeding is to be avoided as it will loosen the soil and
cause soil erosion.
 Mechanical weeding using weed cutter is economical .
Weed control

59. WEEDING

60.  Irrigation is required generally from February to April but at times from
January to May depending upon availability of rainfall.
 This is the period in which development of young tillers and panicles takes
place.
 Irrigation can be done through different methods such as hose irrigation,
sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation methods or micro/mist/fog
irrigation.
Irrigation

61. SPRINGLER IRRIGATION
POND IRRIGATION DRIP IRRIGATION

63. Soil and Water Conservation
 Opening of a rectangular silt pit (1.0 X 0.5 X 0.6
meter) in between four plants will help in soil and
water conservation on gentle slopes.
 If the slope is steep, construction of stone pitching
walls at 10-20 meter intervals across the slope
and also making water collecting trenches along
drainage channels at selected intervals will be
helpful in non- landslide prone areas.

64. Forking the plant base to a distance up to 90 cm and to a depth of 9-12 cm is
found to enhance(aeration) root proliferation and better growth of plants.
The entire plantation and particularly the plant base are to be kept under
mulch.
It is very essential to keep the plant base mulched (5-10 cm thick) except
during June to September to reduce the ill effects of drought, for reducing
evaporation loss and to maintain optimum temperature.
Forking and Mulching

65. Mulching

66.  Trashing consists of removing old tillers and dry leaves and leaf sheaths.
 This operation may be carried out once in a year at any time after the receipt of
the pre-monsoon showers in May.
 Pruning is the operation undertaken with sharp sickles for removing the dead and
hanging leaves from the pseudo-stem.
 Care should be taken not to peel off the leaf sheath from the pseudostem.
 This operation may be done during January and during September, which
coincides with the peak thrips population.
Trashing and pruning

67. Trashing

68. Pruning

69. Earthling up
 Earthling up of the plant base with top soil is recommended during Dec- Jan.
While carrying out this operation, care should be exercised to ensure that only top
soil is used, and it is evenly spread at the base covering only half the bulb portion
of the rhizome.
 This operation helps to keep the top 10 to 15 cm soil loose and friable enabling
easy root penetration and water percolation.

70. Earthling Up

71.  Cardamom does not tolerate direct sun light, also too much shade affects metabolic
activities of plants.
 Removal of excess shade so as to allow sufficient penetration 50% filtered sunlight
for proper growth and flowering
 Shade regulation done during March-April in new plantations during May-June
after the receipt of summer shower in the existing plantations
 Normally all kinds of trees used as shade trees.
Shade regulation

72.  Balangi (Atrocarpus fraxinifolius)
 Nili (Bisochofia javanica)
 Jack (Atrocarpus heterophyllus)
 Red cedar (Cedrella toona)
 Karimaram (Diospyros ebenum)
 Karna (Vernonia monocis)
 Nandi (Lagesroemia lanceolata)
 Spanish cherry (Mimusops elangi) used as shade trees
Common shade trees

73. Cardamom under shade trees

74. Application of Organic Manures
 Organic manures are considered essential in improving the physical characteristics
of the soil, in addition to their nutrient value.
 Application of organic manures such as Neem cake @ 1 Kg/ plant or Poultry
manure/Farmyard manure/Cowdung Compost (@ 5 Kg/plant) once in an year
 The manures should be thoroughly mixed with surface soil after application.
FERTILIZER RECOMMENDATION

75. Application of lime
 1 Kg / plant / year for soils with below 5.0 (or 2 kg dolomite)
 Half a kg of lime (or 1 kg dolomite) when pH is between 5-5.5.
 Lime is to be applied in one or two splits during May and September.
Fertilizer shall be applied only after 15-20 days of lime application

76. Use of Growth Regulators
 NAA(400 ppm)- Increase plant height, enhance production of panicles, reduce capsule
drop, increase yield.
 2,4-D(6ppm) & NAA(40ppm)- Enhance total content of essential oil of the capsules.
 NAA 50 ppm recorded highest yield per vine
 2,4 D(4ppm) ; 2,4,5-T(6ppm) and NAA(40 ppm) is effective to enhance total
essential oil content of capsule
 NAA(25ppm) twice(june and july) reduced fruit drop and increased fruit set.
 Ethrel (250 ppm)under high light intensity (15k lux)doubled the sucker production

77. Schedule for the use of NPK fertilizers
Age of Plant Rainfed areas (Kg/ha) Irrigated areas(Kg/ha)
1st year of planting
NPK - 25:25:50
(2 split application)
NPK - 25:25:50
(2 Split application)
2nd year of planting NPK -40:40:80
(2 split application)
NPK -60:60:80
(3 split applications)
3rd year of planting
NPK – 75:75:150
(2 split application)
NPK - 125:125:250
(3 split application)
Soil application in
May/June
September/October
December /January

78. Age of plants Both rainfed & irrigated areas
1st year of planting
DAP 2% (2 kg/100 liters water)
(2 applications)
2nd year of planting DAP 2%+ MOP 1%
(2 applications)
3rd year of planting DAP 2% + MOP 2%
(3 applications)
Foliar spray in
Aug/Sep
Oct/Nov
Dec/Jan
Zinc shall be applied as
foliar spray at 250g/100
liters twice a year
Foliar Spray Schedule

79. Shoot, panicle and capsule borer
Dichocrocis (Conogethes) punctiferalis
Management:
• Rouging and destruction of infested tillers during September- October.
• Conserving of predators and parasitoids viz., Agrypon sp. and Apanteles sp
• Spray Diafenthiuron 50% WP at 80 g/100 liters of water or Lambda- Cyhalothrin
04.90% CS @ 40 ml / 100 liters of water within 20 days of adult moth
emergence.
• Spraying fenthion 0.075% is effective in controlling this pest.
Pests

80. Cardamom Thrips: Sciothrips cardamomi
Management:
• Removal of dry leaves as well as leaf sheath (trashing/pruning) during
January, May and September.
• Spray Quinalphos 25% EC at 120 ml/100 liters of water or Diafenthiuron
50% WP at 80 g/100 liters of water or Lambda-Cyhalothrin 04.90% CS at 40
ml/100 liters of water
• Thrips infestation results in nearly 45-48 % of crop loss

81. Root grubs:
Basilepta fulvicorne
 Nutrient uptake is reduced due to root damage leading to yellowing of leaves. The
pest problem is severe in less shaded areas.
Management
 Avoid planting of jackfruit, mango, fig etc. as shade trees as these trees are alternate
hosts of the pest.
 Mulching of plant base with leaves of wild Helianthus sp. to prevent egg laying of
adult beetles.
 Earthing up and de-trashing.Application of local strain of EPN (Heterorhabditis
indica) infected Galleria cadaver @ 4 cadavers /plant.

82. Nematode
 Fumigate the primary and secondary nursery beds using Methyl Bromide (@
500 g/10 sq.m) or
 Ethylenedibromide (@ 20 lit/ha)
 Durofume (@ 30 lit/ha) under polythene cover for 23 days
 Drench the nursery beds with 2 % Formalin.
 Apply Carbofuran 3 G @ 5 kg a.i/ha

83. Minor pests
1. Root borer: Onthophgus spp
2. Hairy caterpillars: Eupterote cardamomi
3. Shoot fly: Formosina flavipes
4. White flies: Dialeurodes cardamom
5. Cardamom aphid: Pentalonia nigronervosa f.Caladii
Root borer
Skipper Butterfly
Looper
Red spider mite

84. Management
1. Destruction of diseased clumps.
2. Providing proper drainage
3. Changing the nursery site
4. Drenching the nursery beds with Copper oxychloride 0.25% or Bordeaux
mixture 0.5%, before 15 days of sowing.
5. Soil drenching with B.M 1% (or) Pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB)1.0%
Diseases
Damping off / rhizome rot / clump rot – Pythium
vexans, Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani,
Phytophthora sp.

85. Rhizome Rot Disease
Rotten Rhizomes and tillers

86. Azhukal disease / capsule rot / fruit rot:–Phytophthora parasitica car.
nicotianae/ Phytophthora palmivora
Management:
1. Removal and burning of infected plants.
2. Avoid moving of rhizomes from diseased areas to healthy area for planting
3. Provide proper drainage
4. Three sprays with BM 1% in May, June, July
5. Soil drench with BM 1 % (or) Copper oxychloride 0.25%

87. Infected Panicle
Infected leaves
SYMPTOMS OF AZHUKAL

88. Mosaic – Cadamom mosaic virus (CDMV)
Management
1. Collection and removal of infected clumps
along with rhizomes and burning.
2. Raising of nursery in diseases free areas.
3. Spray with dimethoate (or) Methyl
dematan (or) Phosphomidon to kill the
vector.

89. Chenthal disease / leaf blight: Colletotrichum
gloeosporioides
Management
1. Removal and destruction of affected
leaves
2. Three sprays with carbendazim 0.1%
(or) Mancozab 0.2% (or) copper
oxychloride 0.25% at 30 days interval.

90.  Cardamom plants take about two years to bear capsules.
 Bearing span – 15 to 20 years
 It takes about three months for fruit maturity.
 Harvesting of cardamom is the most important
operation that requires special attention of growers.
 Proper harvesting will improve the quality and
quantity of the produce.
Harvesting

91. Stage of Harvest
The capsules should be harvested when they attain physiological maturity
(Karinkai) to fully ripened stage so as to allow the capsules for proper seed set and to
obtain higher recovery.

92. 1. Only the green and mature capsules.
2. This process will naturally give a
lower green crop per pick.
3. The gap between picking rounds can
be maintained at 20 to 30 days.
1. Semi-mature capsules are also
picked.
2. This process reduces curing
percentage and gives green coloured
capsules upon curing.
3. Can be maintained between 30 to 45
days.
1) Light picking
2) Hard picking
Light picking Hard picking

93. Cont.
 Over ripening should be avoided as it results in loss of capsules due to rodents and
squirrels in the field and also splitting at the time of drying which in turn leads to low
premium price in the market.
 Recovery is highest (24%) in the fully ripened capsules followed by the one
harvested at physiological maturity (20 per cent) and at immature stage (14 per
cent).
 The oil content varies with the maturity of capsules.

94.  Seed inside the capsule has
become brownish-black or
black and pericarp is still
green.
 For pickle making-
cardamom fruits are
harvested.

95. To identify the maturity stage
 Distinctly developed shoulders of the capsule.
 Clear cut line in between two segment of the shell.
 Triangular deep cut at the point of attachment
 Dark green colour of rind
 Loose attachment of capsule to the panicle.
 Change of seed colour to brownish black or black

96. • After harvest, washing the capsules with clean water
and draining the water is essential to get good quality
dried cardamom.
• Storing of harvested capsules is to be avoided.

97.  In the first year - 25 to 50 kg/ha under
favourable conditions.
 In the second year, the average yield would be
around 50 to 70 kg
 In the third year it may go up to an average of
100 kg.
 The average yield of dry capsules from a well
maintained cardamom field from the fourth year
onwards will be 110 to 170 kg/ha.
Yield

98. Post harvest process
Harvesting
Hand picking of matured capsules
Cleaning
winnowing
Pre treatment
The capsules can be soaked in a solution of 2 %
sodium bicarbonate for 10 minutes.
Drying
The drying temperature should not exceed 50% .
The moisture content reduced from 85% to 10%.

99. Grading
The deeper the green colour and the larger capsule
size & higher grade. All grading done by hand.
Grinding
Method of adding value to the product.
Packaging
In polythene bags according to sizes based on
market demand.
Storage
Maintain in storage containers/room at 10% of
moisture content.
Marketing

100.  Cardamom curing is a process in which the
moisture of freshly harvested capsule is
reduced from 80% to 10 to 12% at an
optimum temperature of 50o C so as to
retain green colour to the maximum
extent.
 There are mainly two types of drying,
1. Natural (sun drying)
2. Artificial drying by
using fire wood
(traditional flue pipe
system)
Curing

101. •Cured cardamom capsules are rubbed with hand or with rough coir
mat or wire mesh
• Remove stalk with other floral parts and winnowed to remove
plant residues , foreign matter , splits, diseases and pests attached
to light coloured capsules.
Bleaching
•Distinct trade quality
•Capsules bleached with bleaching powder, Sulphur dioxide or
hydrogen peroxide to give a uniform colour and appearance
•KMS (25% containing 1%HCL for 30 min) and H₂O₂ (4-6% @
pH 4.0)

102. DRYING
• Cardamom capsules carry moisture levels of 70-80% at harvest.
• For proper storage, the initial moisture level has to be brought down to 8-10%.
• Cardamom capsules need to be dried within 24 h, any further delay would result in
deterioration of green colour and appearance.

103. Grading
 The grades in the trade are ‘Long’ , ‘Medium’ and ‘Short’
 Four major forms or types supplied in market are:
1. Whole green cardamom : Mature fruits are picked while green
and constitute the prime quality
2. Whole bleached cardamom: Mature fruits are picked when
green colour has faded & bleached for uniform white colour
3. Whole straw-coloured cardamom: Mature fruits which have
been dried in sun
4. Decorticated seeds: Capsules have been blemished

104. Grading

105. Grading by
Different
size Sieves
Grading by
Different
size Sieves

106. Different Types of Grades

107. GRADES OF CARDAMOM
Bold:
Popular Export Grade. greenish colour. Yellow/Black/open cardamom removed.
Super Bold:
A very special variety. greenish colour. Cannot see any yellow/Black/open cardamom.
Extra Bold:
Best in the Export market. greenish colour. Yellow/Black/open cardamom will be removed.
Bulk:
This grade will contain all size, matured and immatured capsules, black, yellow and
splited cardamom.
Small: black capsules
Open /
Splits
The colour may be partly greenish/pale yellow.

108. Grade Description Size(mm) Weight(g/L) Colour
General
characters
AGB Extra bold 7 435
Green
Kiln dried, 3
cornered & white
ribbed appearance
AGS Superior 5 385
AGS 1 Shipment 4 320-350
Light Green
Round , Ribbed or
smooth skin
AGL Light 3.5 260
CGEB Extra bold 8 450 Golden to Light
Green
CGB Bold 7.5 435
CG-1 Superior 6.5 415 Light Green
CG-2 Mota, Green 6 385 Green
CG-3 Shipment 6.5 350 Cream
CG-4 Light 3.5 280 Brown
BL-1 - 8.5 340 Pale Fully developed
round, 3 cornered
ribbed or smooth
skin
BL-2 7 340 Creamy
BL-3 5 300 Dull white
'Alleppey Green
Extra Bold' (AGEB)
'Alleppey Green
Bold' (AGB
'Alleppey Green
Superior' (AGS
Other grades(International market)
AG – Alleppey Green, CG-Coorg Green, BL - Bleached

109. Packaging
 Cardamom capsules can be packaged in polythene bags of various sizes according
to the market demand.
 The bags should be sealed to prevent moisture entering. Sealing machines can be
used to seal the bags.
 Attractive labels should be applied to the products.
 The label needs to contain all relevant product and legal information – the name
of the product, brand name ,details of the manufacturer etc,.

110. Packaging

111. Storage
 Dried cardamom capsules must be stored in moisture-proof containers away from direct
sunlight.
 The polythene bags help to preserve the green colour of the pods.
 It is essential that the capsules are fully dry before they are placed in the gunny bags for
storage. Any moisture within the bags will cause the capsules to rot.
 If they have absorbed moisture, they should be re-dried to a moisture content of 10%.
 Mosquito netting should be fitted on the windows to prevent pests and insects from
entering the room.

112. Storage

113. Cardamom Products
 Green cardamom .
 Cardamom Oil.
 Oleoresin.
 Decorticated seed.
 Cardamom Seed Powder.

114. Green cardamom
 After harvesting, capsules are dried either in fuel Kiln or electrical drier or in the sun.
Soaking freshly harvested green cardamom capsules in 2 % washing soda solution for
10 minutes prior to drying helps to retain original green colour during-drying.
 Under flue pipe drier, it should be dried
at 45-50 °C for 14-18 hours, while over
night drying at 50-60°C is required under
an electric drier.
 The capsules are spread-thinly and stirred
frequently to ensure uniform drying.

115. Bleaching
 Distinct trade quality
 Capsules bleached with bleaching powder, Sulphur dioxide or hydrogen peroxide to give
a uniform colour and appearance
 The bleaching of fresh capsules is undertaken by soaking for one hour in 20% potassium
metabisulphite solution containing 1% hydrogen peroxide solution to degrade the
chlorophyll.
 On drying these capsules yield a golden yellow colour.
 The bleaching of dry capsules can be undertaken by a number of methods viz sulphur
bleaching, potassium metabisulphite with hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide,
hydrogen peroxide, or the traditional method by steeping in soap-nut water.

116. • Cardamom capsules are usually sold whole.
• Grinding can be a method of adding value to a product.
• After grinding, spices are more vulnerable to spoilage.
• The flavour and aroma compounds are not stable and will quickly disappear from
ground products.
• The storage life of ground spices is much less than for the whole spices.
• It is also very easy for unscrupulous processors to contaminate the ground spice by
adding other material.
• Therefore most consumers, from wholesalers to individual customers, prefer to buy
whole spices.
Grinding

117. Cardamom Oil
 The basic cardamom aroma is produced by a combination of the major
components, 1,8 - cineole and α- terpinyl acetate in essential oil. otained by
steam distilation, for 4 hours.
Oleoresin
• 1 kg of oleoresin can replace 20 kg of ground spice.
• Volatile oil contains – 52-58%

118.  Oil – Steam distillation-4 hours.
 Volatile oil predominantly in seeds- 60-70% of the whole fruit
 Temperature in storage – influence the rate of oil loss
 Oleoresin produced in small scale
 Commercial cardamom oleoresin contains 52-58 % .
 It is used for flavouring.
Essential oil and oleoresin

119. Decorticated seed &
Cardamom Seed Powder.

120. MARKETING PRODUCTS OF
CARDAMOM(VALUE ADDITION
PRODUCTS)

124. 1. Vijayan, A.. (2018). Small Cardamom Production Technology and Future Prospects.
2. N. Kumar, Introduction to Spices, Plantation Crops, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
(2018)
3. https://indiaagronet.com/indiaagronet/crop%20info/Cardamom.htm
4. https://agritech.tnau.ac.in/horticulture/horti_spice%20crops_cardamom.html
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXOaWevi6f8
6. https://vikaspedia.in/agriculture/crop-production/package-of-practices/spices/cardamom
7. https://www.jains.com/PDF/Crop%20Knowledge/Cardamom.pdf
8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7039980/
9. https://www.agrifarming.in/cardamom-farming
10.https://www.asiafarming.com/cardamom-cultivation
References: