Green Cardamom

Description :
Cardamom is widely known as the ‘queen of spices’ & has major health benefits. It’s aroma has an undeniably soothing effect. Cardamom helps ease the indigestion and maintains an optimal gastrointestinal balance. It promotes clear breathing and better respiratory health, it ultimately eases the symptoms of asthma and also consists of anti depressant qualities.

Cardamom is a spice native to Asia, particularly India, Nepal & Bhutan.

Not to forget about the delicious ‘cardamom tea’ which most Indians can not go by a day without having.

Varieties :

• Malabar : Mudigree 1
• Mudigree 2
• PV 1
• ICRI 1
• ICRI 3
• TKD 4
• IISR Suvarna
• IISR Vijetha
• IISR Avinash
• Mysore : ICRI 2
• Vazhukka : PV2
• Njallani (Green gold).

Management
Diseases
Mosaic or Katte disease

• This is a serious disease affecting the productivity of Cardamom.
• This is transmitted by banana aphid which can be controlled by regular spraying with Methyl demeton 25 EC or Dimethoate 30 EC or Phosphomidon 86 WSC at 750 ml/ha.

Damping off or clump rot or rhizome rot
Drench nursery with 1 lit of Formaldehyde in 50 lit water for 3 sq.m. before sowing. Prophylactic drench with 0.25% Mancozeb or 1% Bordeaux mixture immediately after germination to control Pythium and 0.05% Carbendazim after 15 days to control Rhizoctonia.

Capsule rot or panicle rot or Azhukal
Three sprays with 1% Bordeaux mixture or 0.25% Copper oxychloride or 0.2% Mancozeb just before onset of South West monsoon in early August and in September. Drench the soil with 1% Bordeaux mixture.

Harvest
Harvesting commences from the third year onwards. But good yields are expected from 5th year. Harvesting is generally done once in a month. Pick only those fruits which are just ripe but not fully ripe. Fully ripe fruits tend to split on drying and do not develop the desirable dark green colour.

Irrigation/Cultivation
Irrigation
Generally Cardamom is grown as a rainfed crop, but provide sprinkler irrigation during summer for increased yields.

It is cultivated in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. India is the second largest producer of small cardamom.In organic cultivation of cardamom, the methods to be followed should conform to the standards laid down for the purpose. An isolation belt of at least 25 m wide is to be left from all around the conventional plantation. The produce from this area shall not be treated as organic. A conversion period of three years is required for an existing plantation for organic cultivation.