Journal of Spices & Aromatic Crops 2 (1 &2) 1-15, 1993 1

Large cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb.)-a review

Y S RA01, ANAND KUMAR, SUJATHA CHATTERJEE, R NAIDU2 & C K GEORGE3
Regional Research Station, Cardamom Research Institute
Spices Board, Dzongu House, Bhalvakhani
Gangtok - 737101, Sikhim, India.
ABSTRACT
Large cardamom (Amomum subulatum ) is the most impor-
tant cash crop of Sikkim and also in parts of North Eastern
States and West Bengal in India. The information available on
various aspects of the crop viz., improvement, management,
pests and diseases and end products are discussed in the re-
view.

Key words : Amontum subulaturn, crop improvement,crop

management, diseases, end products, large cardamom, pests.

Inh'oductioll Sikkim has the largest area under cul-

tivation (91%) with the highest produc-
Large cardamom commonly known as tion( 87.5%) in India (John 1984). Large
'bada elachi' in Hindi(Amomltm cardamom is a shade loving crop and is
subulatum Roxburg) (Scitaminae : better established under humid and cold
Zingiberaceae) is indigenous to moist conditions at an altitude of 900 to 2000
deciduous and evergreen forests of sub- m above MSL and within a temperature
Himalayan tracts. The presence of wild
range of 10 to 30'C under uniformly
species locally known as 'churumpa' viz.,
distributed annual rainfall of 2000 to
A. delbatum, A. aromaticll1n, A. hingir,
3500 mm (Biswas, Bhutia & Gupta 1988).
A. lingriformi, A. corynostachll1n etc. and
The information available on various
the tremendous variability within the
aspects of the crop is discussed in this
cultivated species support the view of
review.
its origin in Sikkim (Subba 1984). It is
the most important cash crop of Sikkim Crop improvement
from where it spread to North Eastern
States and parts of West Bengal and The distribution ·of the genus Amonwm
neighbouring countries; Nepal and along with its individual species was
Bhutan (Singh 1978; Gupta 1983). described elsewhere (Anonymous 1950;

IPl'esent address: Tissue Culture Laboratory. Indian Cardamom Research Institute,

Myladumpal'a, Kailasanadu - 685 553, Kel'ala, India.
2In~an Cardamom Research Institute, Myladumpura, Kailasanadu _ ~ 685 553, Kerala. India.
'Spices Board, Kochi - 682 018, Kerala, India.
Rao et a1. 2

Upadhyaya & Ghosh 1983). The follow- are green or dark green, glabrous on
ing 18 species of Amomu17l were de- both surfaces with accuminate apex.
scribed and a key was also developed for Inflorescence is a dense spike on a short
their identification (Anonymous 1950). peduncle bearing 40 to 50 flower buds in
an acropetal sequence. The fruit is a
1. A. spiceum trilocular many seeded capsule. The
2. A. xanthophlebium capsule wall is echinated and is reddish
brown to dark pink. The capsule mor-
3. A. macranthunt phology was studied in detail by Gupta
(1986a). The structure of the seed was
4. A. lIlacrodells described by Berger (1958). A method
for non destructive determination of leaf
5. A. hastilabiulll
area was reported by Karibasappa &
6. A. eylindraceum Dhiman (1987).

7. A. vivale Varieties

8. A. testaCellln There are three popular varieties (culti-

val's) in Sikkim viz., Ramsey, Golsey
9. A. sqllarrosllnt and Sawney. The varietal differences
were described by Gyatso, Tshering &
10. A. biflorum
Basnet (1980) and Subba (1984) (Table
11. A. maeroglossa 1). In addition to these popular variet-
ies, there are several other varieties such
12. A. citrinll17l as Ramla, Chivey Ramsey, Gm·day Seto
Ramsey , Ramnag, Madhusay, Seto
13. A. uticolosum Golsey, Slant Golsey, Red Sawney, Green
14. A. ochrellm Sawney and Mingney (Gupta 1986). Rao
et al . (1990) reported a promising vari-
15. A. uphalotes ety Barlanga from higher altitudes with
desirable high yielding characters like
16. A. leppaceum maximum ratio of mature tillers to pro-
17. A. aeilleatum ductive spikes (1:3.6) and bold size
capsules (with 50 to 80 seeds). Surveys
18. A. uligillosllm carried out by Biswa·s, Gupta & Bhutia
(1986b) revealed that Ramsey and Ramla
Morphology are well suited to higher altitudes, Golsey
The plant morphology was described by for lower altitudes and Sawney widely
several authors (Mukherjee 1968, 1972; adaptable to different elevations.
John & Mathew 1979; Gyatso, Tshering Cytology
& Basnet 1980; Gupta 1987; Roy 1988).
The plant is a perennial herb having Studies on cytology of Amomllln made
subterranean rhizomes which gives rise by Venkatasubbu (1946) and Sharma &
to leafy shoots and spikes. Mature plant Bhattacharya (1959) indicated that the
height ranges from 1.5 to 3.0 m. Leafy diploid chromosome number of A.
shoots are formed by long sheath like snbulatwn was 48. However, variabil-
stalks encircling one another. The leaves ity was also reported with 2n = 26, 34,
Large ca rdarnom 3

Table 1. Characteristics of different varieties of large cardamom

Characte r Variety
Ramsey Golsey Sawney
Altitud e Hi gh Low to middle Middle
Extent of
cultivation 60% 30% 7%
Status Tall, vigorous Less vigorous Tall, vigorous
wide clump with erect leafy bent downward s
growth stems bearing
stout upright
leaves. Clumps
medium
Stem colour Marooni sh with Greenish to Pinkish with
dense folia ge marooni sh dark green
foliage
Flowers Yell owish and Yellowish Yellowish with
small ; corolla tip orange pink tinge at
with pink tinge at base of coroll a
base
Capsules Smaller (16 to 30 Bo ld to round Medium bold
seeds) (40 to 50 seeds) (30 to 40 seeds)
Essenti al oil 1 to 1.8% 2.3 to 5% 1.8 to 2.5%
Sh ade Deep shade Less shade Moderate to
requirement deep shade
Susceptibility to Susceptible to Tol erant to Susceptible to
di seases Chirkey and Chirkey and viral di seases
Foorkey at lower Foorkey but
a ltitudes susceptible to
leaf spots

42 and 44 in A. sltbltlatltm (Sharma & are self fertile. Flowering is 'completed

Bhattacharya 1959). In A. magnificltln in 75 to 125 days from April to Jun e at
Benth . et Hook. 2n was reported to be 48 lower altitudes and May to July athigher
or 52. The diploid number (2n) of 48 altitudes depending on weather condi-
was also reported in A. hypoleltcltlllThw tion s and type of cultivar. Though each
., A. involltcratltm Benth. and A. spike bears 40 to 50 flow ers, which open
microstemphanltm Baker by in an acropetal sequence, on Iy 10 to 15
Ram achandran (1969). capsul es ar e form ed per spike. Th e
flower s remain viable for about 14 h
Flow ering and pollination
after opening. Gupta & John (1987)
Large cardamom is essenti ally a cross studied the floral biology and reported
pollinated crop due to its heterostylic that anthesi s starts at 8.00 am and ends
(pin type) nature of flowers, though they at 8.30 am on sunny days and from 9.15
Rao et a1. 4
to 9.30 am on cloudy and rainy days. John & Mathew (1979), Gyatso, Tshering
The stigma is receptive for 24 h on & Basnet (1980), Subba (1984) and Singh
rainy and cloudy days and is limited to (1985).
2 h on sunny days i.e. from 1.00 to 3.00
pm only. Preplanting practices

Bumble bees (Bumbos sp.) are effective Shade development: Shade acts as a vital
pollinators due to their compatible size. factor in determining productivity of
Foraging activity of bumble bees was large cardamom. Robust varieties viz
maximum during 5.00 to 6.00 am dur- Ramsey, Sawney and Ramla requir~
ingclear days and their activity becomes thick shade while non robust variety
less or even nil during rains. However, like Golsey grows in sparse shade condi-
studies of Gupta & John (1987) reveal tions. The characteristics of ideal shade
that the time of bee visit was from 9.00 trees required for large cardamom culti-
am in the morning and between 12.30 to vation were reported by Gupta (1986)
4.00 pm in the evening. Preliminary and 'Utis' (Alnus nepalensis) was rec-
studies on the role of honey bees (Apis ommended as an ideal shade tree.
dorsata) on productivity of large carda-
Planting systems(Propagation): The
mom showed that increase in produc-
common methods of planting in practice
tion was directly related to increase in
honey bee colonies (Verma 1987). were discussed by Gyatso, Tshering &
Basnet (1980).
Breeding
a) Rhizome (sucker) planting - The rhi-
A high genotypic coefficient of variation zome transplantation method of propa-
for mature tillers per clump, panicles gation is easy and common in practice
per clump and capsule: panicle ratio in since transportation of seedlings and
five year old plants of five varieties i.e. their maintenance are difficult in hilly
Sawney, Pink Golsey, Ramsey, Ramnag areas. This method is advantageous for
and Madhusey were recorded having uniformity and true to parent
(Karibasappa et al .1987). All the vari- characters in the plant population.
eties showed high heritability coupled However, a drawback is the possibility
with high genetic advance characters of transmission of viral diseases.
for mature tillers, panicles per clump,
panicle weight and capsule yield. Cap- b) Seedling planting - In this method
sule· yield was directly correlated with three steps are involved:
clump girth, panicle weight, panicles per Primary seed beds (sowing during No-
clump, mature tillers and capsule: panicle
vember to December)
ratio. Correlation studies by
Karibasappa, Dhiman & Rai (1989) Germination (March to April)
indicated that mature seed index, TSS
(Total Soluble Sugars) of seed mucilage
and 1000 seed weight were associated
positively with oleoresin and negatively
with cineole contents.
1 Transplantation (August to
September)
Secondary seed beds
Transplantation (Next year

1
Crop management
June to July)
The agronomic and cultural practices
were discussed in detail by Singh (1978), Main field
Large cardamom 5

The method was discussed in detail by spread some soil around such suckers to
Anonymous (1984). Karibasappa (1987a; stimulate growth of vegetative buds. The
1988) and Gupta (1988; 1989) reported earthingup operation should be followed
that seed germination starts only after by usual mulching (Gyatso, Tshering &
30 days if the seeds are sown during Basnet 1980; Subba 1984).
August to September and the germina-
tion percentage was better if the seeds Soil analysis: Analysis of 400 soil
are selected from middle and bottom samples collected from 27 VLW (Village
capsules of healthy mother clumps. Level Worker) centres from different
Seeds remain dormant for 7 to 8 months districts of Sikkim and 5 blocks of
till May and germination reaches a peak Darjeeling District of West Bengal
in mid June (Bhowmick & showed that fertility status of large car-
Chattopadhyay 1960). Singh (1985) damom growing soils was high in nitro-
pointed out that old age of the planta- gen and medium in phosphorous and
tion is one of the important factors in potassium (Bhutia, Gupta & Biswas
determining the yield and suggested re- 1985; Biswas,Gupta & Bhutia 1986a;
planting of old plantations with seed- Biswas, Bhutia & Gupta 1988). In a
lings to increase productivity. majority of samples, pH values ranged
from 5.0 to 5.5 and the percentage of
Post planting practices organic carbon was higher than 1.0.
Weed control: Large cardamom planta- Insect pests
tions require regular weeding during the
first and second years of planting and Large cardamom is attacked by several
thereafter the problem gets lessened as insect pests which adversely affects pro-
foliage covm:s the entire field (Subba duction. Although 21 insect species are
1984). The intensity and frequency of associated with the crop, only a few of
weeding depends upon the weed species them cause severe damage (Bhowmick
population and diversity which depend 1962; Azad Thakur 1982; Pangtey & Azad
upon climatic factors, ground prepara- Thakur 1986). Variations in intensity
tion methods and vigour or growth of of pest incidence are also noticed in dif-
young seedlings. Both manual weeding ferent regions. Some insect pests also
and use of herbicides can be resorted to. cause indirect loss by infesting shade
Manual weeding by scraping the soil trees grown in large cardamom fields.
surface is a common practice which
should be discouraged because it ad- Leaf eating caterpillars
versely affects the soil physical condi-
Clelea plumbiola Hampson (Lepidopt-
tions and exposes bare soil to destruc-
tive forces of the climate (Gyatso, era: Zygonidae): The moth was described
by Hampson (1892) from Burma. The
Tshering & Basnet 1980; Subba 1984).
caterpillars feed gregariously on the
Mulching and earthing up: Though sev- chlorophyll of leaves leaving only the
eral advantages of mulching are evident, veins and midribs (Pangtey & Azad
many planters have not recognised its Thakur 1986). An epidemic of the pest
importance (Subba 1984). Another prac- was reported in Assam Linzey,
tice akin to mulching is earthing up. As Dugalakha, Sotak, Sorung, Dzongu and
the plants become old, the underground Rayong in which· about 2000 acres of
rhiz.omes rise above the soil surface and plantations were defoliated in 1978
give out roots. It becomes necessary to (Subba 1980a).
Rao et a 1. 6
Ellpterote fabia Cr ammer (Lepidoptera : effect by coloni sing th e base of clumps.
Eupterodid ae) : It i s a s por a di c Amon g t h e a phi ds, b a n a n a a phid
polyphagous pest causin g sever e dam- (Pentalonia nigroneruosa Cock. ), carda _
age to th e crop. The la rvae feed vora- mom a phid (P. caladi Goot) pink aphid
ciously on leaves causin g complete defo - (Micromyzus kalimpongensis) a nd Corn
li ation a nd affectin g th e yield (Azad aphids (Ropholosiphum maidis Fitch and
Thak ur 1982). Feni tr othi on 50 E C R. padi Linn .) are important (Pa ngtey &
(0.05%), Aldrin 30 EC (0.02%), Dich lor- Azad Th akur 1986).
vos 40 EC (0.0.3%) a nd Carbaryl (Sevin
50 WP 0.2%) were effecti ve in contr ol- Storage pests
lin g th e pest ( Subba 1979; 1980). Storages pests lik e ca rda mom moth
Borers (Lepidoptera) a nd psocids (Psocoptera)
damage stored cardamom (Azad Thakur
Gly phept er ix s p . (Lepid op tera : 1982).
Glyphiperidae) : Thi s pest is specific to
la rge carda mom. Th e young larvae bore Root grubs
in to th e sh oot a nd feed on th e central Polyph agous whi te grubs whi ch a re'C'
leaf cor e causing dead h eart symptom s sh a pe d infes t ro ots a nd rhi zo m es
resulting even tually in th e death of th e (Pa ngtey & Azad Th akur 1986).
sh oot (Bhowmi ck 1962; Azad Thakkur
1982). Minor pests
Scolytid beetle (Col eoptera) : Scolytid Th e leaf h oppers Kolla m imica a nd K.
beetl es a re seri ous pests of imm ature opp onen s; t h rip s R h ip iphorothrip s
capsul es. Th ey fee d on the soft seed eruentatus Hood a nd mealy bugs are
mass and make th e capsule hollow (Azad considered as min or pest s of th e crop
Th akur 1982). (Pa ngtey & Azad Th akur 1986).
Leaf eating beetles and weeuils Nematodes
Severa l species of beetl es a re reported Ro ot knot n em atod es s uch a s
of whi ch Chrysomela chlorine a nd Meloidogyne sp. infest large cardamom
Basiolepta femoratwn (Chrysomelidae) affectin g its productivity. Th e affected
are major pests. Th ese pests scrape th e seedlings are stunted with num erous
green ma tter of leaves r esulting in th e thin grassy sh oots. Drenchin g nursery
form a tion of nu merous perforations on beds with 2% form aldehyde a nd cover-
th e leaf surface (Azad Thakur 1980; in g th em with polyth ene sh eets for 72 h
Pa ngtey & Aza d Th a kur 1986). These a nd treatin g the beds with granul ar
pests a lso se verely a ttack 'Ut is' which is nematicides like Ca rbofuran or Aldi carb
the mo st common sh ade tree in la rge was effective in con trolling n ema tode
cardamom pl a ntation s. infestation s (Subba 1984; Pa ngtey &
Azad Thakur 1986).
Aphids
Mammals
Most of the aphids are associa ted with
tra nsmi ssion of virus di seases; h ence the Rodents, monkeys and wild ca ts a re also
loss due to th e m are mo stly indirect. serious pests at tacking plantation s dur-
However som e of th em cause direct ing the period of ha rvest and it was
Large ca rdamom 7

Suggested that poison baits and traps disease are production of bushy growth
were the best methods to control these of stunted shoots which are ster il e
pests (Subba 1980a). (Capoor 1967; Basu & Ganguly 1968).
Diseased plants survive for a few years
Diseases but remain sterile and unproductive.
Large cardamom is affected by several As sanita ry measures, infected plants
fun gal disease and by the two well known should be uprooted an d the surroundi ng
viral di seases viz., FOOl·key and Chirkey. area drenched with systemic in secticides
to control movement of aphids on the
Viral diseases main host as well as collateral hosts
Chirkey : This is a major disease of such as corn, banana, peach and squash.
large cardamom. 'rhe corn aphid The plantation s should be regularly
Ropholosiphummaidis is the vector for sprayed once in three weeks with a suit-
the di sease (Raychowdhury & Chatte.jee able aphidicide such as Metasystotox to
1958; 1961; 1965a). Besides this spe- check the movement of aphids (Anony-
cies, aphids collected on peach and an mous 1964; Verma & Capoor 1964;
unidentifi ed species collected on squash Chattopadhyay & Bhowmick 1965;
also transmit the virus (Raychowdhury Raychowdhury & Chatterjee 1965b;
& Chatterjee 1964; Raychowdhury & Capoor 1967; Gyatso, Tshering & Basnet
Ganguly 1965; Sharma, Raychowdhury 1980).
& Capoor 1972). Fungal diseases
This disease spreads rapidly and the Seedling rot and Collar rot: Collar rot
symptoms cannot be identified unless caused by Fusarium oxyspol"ltm is very
closely observed (Ganguly 1966). The much destructive to productivity of large
symptoms of the di sease are very much cardamom (Srivastva 1989). At nursery
similar to that of small cardamom 'katte' stage, it is called as seedling rot and at
di sease. In young leaves, discrete pale maturity stage, it is called as collar rot,
green to yellow lon gitudinal stripes run- clump rot or spike rot. The primary
ning parallel to each other can be seen, symptom s include paleness of leave s
but in mature leaves th e above symp- followed by yellowing and decaying of
toms are ma sked. In advanced stages, collar which gradually extends towards
fleck s measuring about 2.51010 and the the base. Normally, the flowers also
characteristic mosaic symptom s are also remain unopened; if some open, they do
seen. The affected plants produce flow- not bear fruit and ultimately the spike
ers and spik es but without capsules rots or wilts. Thi s di sease is locally
(Raychowdhury & Chatterjee 1964; called as 'agulta'. Continuous rainfall
Ganguly 1966). durin g flow erin g period, water stagna-
tion and old plantation s with degener-
Foorkey : The foorkey disease which was ated clumps are favourable for the spread
first reported by Vasudeva (1956) causes of the disease.
severe damage in Dmjeeling District of
West Bengal. It is transmitted through Leaf spot : This is also widespread in
banana aphid Pentalonia nigronervosa occurence a nd is cause by two species of
Coquillet (Anonymous 1964; Verma & Pestalotiop sis. P. versicolor (Speg.)
Capoor 1964). Th e sy mptoms of the Steyaert produces angular irregular
Rao et a1. 8
spots with reddish brown margins sur- era I control measures sugge sted by
rounded by chlorotic holes and the cen- Srivastava and Verma (1987 ; 1989).
tral portion becomes necrotic. P.l'Oyenae
causes leaf streak disease and is End products
characterised by numerous elongated Curing of large cardamom is tradition_
trasluscent streaks appearing on young
ally done in 'bhattis' (direct heating type
leaves along the veins ( Srivastava &
smoke kilns). The 'bhatti' consists of a
Verma 1989). The streaks turn reddish
platform made of bamboo mats erected
brown within 3 to 4 days with a central
on stone 01' mud walls. Three sides of
straw coloured nercotic area sUl'Tounded
the kilns are covered by these walls.
by prominent dark brown margins.
From the open end, wood is burnt below
Leaf rust : Rust disease caused by the platfrom. Fresh cardamom is spread
Phaiwspora eteUaria (Racib.) was re- on the platform to a thickness of 20-25
ported by Srivastava & Varma (1987). cm. The hot air with smoke passes
It was mainly observed in May and June through the capsules and removes the
on the ventral surface of Iower leaves in moisture.
the form of numerous minute brown
Recently, Spices Board has introduced a
uredosori. In early stages of develop-
scientific method of curing known as
ment, the uredosori were surrounded by
'flue pipe system' of curing. In this
chlorotic holes. In the advanced stage,
method flue pipes are laid inside a room
the whole leaf was covered by uredosori
. and is connected to a furnace installed
causing premature drying of leaves.
outside. Fresh cardamom is spread over
Leaf blight: Prasad et at .(1984) re- wire mesh fixed above the flue pipes.
ported that blight was caused by This is an indirect system of drying and
Colletotrichum sp. in large cardamom. smoke does not come in contact with the
produce at any stage.
Capsule rot: Capsule rot is caused by
Pestatotiopsis sp. The affected capsules Under the auspices of Spices Board, a
become slimy, water soaked and have low cost dryer developed by Central
discoloured appearance. The seeds pro- Plantation Crops Research Institute,
duce a foul smell (Subba 1984). Kasargod was in troduced in a limited
scale. An improved 'bhatti' system
Cultural practices such as roguing of wherein it is made' of mud and stone
plants, field sanitation by providing walls provided with enclosed furnace
drainage in nurseries and plantations, with chimney is also adopted.
removal of diseased debris and weeds
are effective in controlling the diseases. The advantages and disadvantages of
Drenching/spraying once or twice before diITrent systems explained above were
onset of monsoon and just after flower- discussed in detail by Anonymous (1987),
ing with Bavistin (0.3%), Rovral (0.5%), Karibasappa (l987b) and Annamalai,
Captafol (0.2%), Bordeaux Mixture (1 %) Patil & John (1988) (Table 2). It is
or Dithane M 45 (0.25%); drenching the necessary to adopt appropriate curing
soil with Thiram (0.2%) or Dithane M 45 techniques which involve indirect heat
(0.25%) during February - March in and i.e. flue pipe system, optimum tempera-
around the clumps are some of the gen- ture (50-55 ' C), rapid air circulation
Rao et a1. 9
Table 2. Comparison of curing systems in large cardamom

Attribute Local 'bhatti' Flue pip e Portable Improved

curing 'bhatti'

Co st per unit 100 to 200 10,000 to 3,000 to 300 to 500

(Rs) 20,000 4,000
Capacity (kg) 100 to 200 100 50 to 100 100
Adaptability Constructed Suitable for Suitable for Suitable for
without external community medium and poor and
dependence for curing rich farm ers medium
material and centres farmers
easy to operate
Drying time 48 to 56 30 to 40 44 to 48 46 to 50
(h) (200 kg
raw capsules)
Raw capsule: 1 2.0 1 1.0 1 0.8 ·1 : 1.0
firewood
requirement

Quality of
cured capsules Dark smoky Natural colour Same as Same as
appearance and and aroma flue pipe flue pipe
burnt smell retained. Drying system system
with uneven is uniform with
drying. About occasional
25% of stirring. Essen-
essential oil tial oil contents
is lost and remain intact
cineole content
reduced by 10%

within and exhaustion of moi st air from flavour, which determines taste and
from the drying unit; otherwi se fl avour odour and is in fl uenced by composition
constituents which are highly volatile of aromatic compounds. Cineole con-
may easily be lost by direct heat and tributes to pUllgency while terpinyl ac-
high temperature. etate towards pleasant aroma(
Karibasappa 1987b). He has al so re-
The quality oflarge cardamom depends ported that the cultivar Ramnag fol-
mainlyon a) external appearance, which lowed by Golsey has uniform sized cap-
provides visual perception of quality as sules with maximum values for capsule
influenced by colour, uniformity of size, weight, capsule size, seeds per capsules ,
shape, consistency and texture, and b) oleoresin content and volatile oil content.
Rao et al. 10
Table 3. Comparison of chemical analysis of large and small
cardamom seeds
Character Large cardamom Small cardamom
Average % Average %

Moisture 8.49 8.30

Volatil e oil 2.80 8.30
Protein 8.00 10.30
Crude' fibre 22.00 9.20
Total ether extract 43.21 45.40
Alcohol extract 7.02
Total ash 4.01 5.00

The fruit on an average .comprises of 9. Sabinine 6.6%

70% seeds and 30% skin. The seeds
possess simil ar properties of small car- 10.Terpinly acetate 5.1%
damom. An analysis oflarge cardamom l1.Bisabolene 3.6%
seeds in comparison with small carda-
mom was reported by Singh (1978)(Table 12.Polymazid oil 3.6%
3). Essential oil is obtained on steam
distillation of crushed seeds which yield 13.Terpineol 7.1%
2.5% of mobile liquid having a charac-
In the analysis of terpinoids, 15 com-
teristic smell of cineole with the follow-
pounds were reported in A. korarima
ing physical and chemical properties
while 25 compounds in A. cardamom and
(Nigam & Purohit 1960; Singh 1978):
A. glabosum (Lawrence 1970; Lawrence
1. Specific gravity at 29' C 0.9142 et al . 1972). Out of 13 compounds in A.
wbulatum, 11 compounds were simil ar
2. Refractive index at 29' C 1.46 as in A. korarima while 2 were different
(Lawrence 1970).
3. Optical rotation in
chloroform 18.3" Compositi on of large cardamom seeds
indicate that they can be put to a vari-
4. Acid value 2.9% ety of industrial uses (Pruthi 1977; Singh
5. Saponification value 14.53 1978; Gupta et al .1984). Arora (1985)
reported diversified uses of different
6. Saponification value species' of Amomum (Table 4). The
possibility of its use in ayurvedic medi-
after acetylation ' 40.2 cines and in fish and meat processing
7. Cineole 64.9% provide better prospects (Gupta 1983).
Chandrasekhar (1987) suggested that
8. Terpinine 10.7% globus fruit stalks which are usually
Large cardamom 11

Table 4. Distribution and diversified uses of different species of

Amomum

Species Common name Country Use

A. aromaticu1n Bengal cardamom Eastern India Rhizomes are used

Roxb. or Nepal cardamom Pakistan as condiment and
flowering shoots are
used in curries

A. compactum Round cardamom Malaysia Fruits are used as

Soland Java condiment and spice

A. glabosum Round Chinese China Seeds are used as

Cour cardamon'} cardamom

A. kreruanw Cambodia Fruits are used as

PielTe Indochina condiment and to
fl avour curries,
sausages and cordials

A. maximum Java cardamom Malaysia Condiment

Roxb.

A. xanthioides Wild bastard Burma Condiment

Wall. Siamese cardamom India

discarded by farmers have a good scope Thrust areas

after drying and powdering. to use them
The present review highlights the fol-
as a base for agarbattis. He further
lowing thrust areas of research in large
suggested that the silver coated large
cardamom:
cardamom seeds can be used as supari.
The capsules are fl eshy while harvest- 1. Development of high yielding supe-
ing with 72 to 85% of moisture content rior varieties adaptable to different
and the outer layer of the capsules is argo-climatic conditions.
also echinated that can be removed by 2. Sustainable production through
rubb.i ng after curing. The normal con- better resource management such as
version ratio of green to dry capsules is vermiculture and bio-technology.
4:1 to 5:1 which varies according to size
and method of curing (Roy 1988). Reten- 3. Integrated pest and disease man-
tion of maroon colour of capsules is a agement strategies including bio-
technology.
positive index of quality (Karibasappa
1987b). 4. Improving quality of end products.
Rao et a1. 12
Acknowledgements Azad Thakur N S 1982 Seasonal inci_
dence of insect pests of large car_
The authors express their deep sense of damom (Amonwm subulatum
gratitude to Dr. B S Basnett, Secretary, Roxburg) in Sikkim. Research
Department of Agriculture, Govt. of Bulletin, ICAR. 21 : 1-21.
Sikkim and Dr. N P Aswathy, Joint
Director, ICAR Research Complex for * Basu A N & Ganguly B 1968 A note
North Eastern Hill Region, Sikkim on the transmission of Foorkey
Centre, Tadong for extending the li- disease of large cardamom by the
brary facilities for preparing this review. aphid,Micromyzus kalimpongensis
The authors are highly thankful to Mr. Basu. Indian Phytopath. 21:127.
G S Karibasappa, Scientist (Horticul-
ture) and Dr. K S Srivasthava, Scien- *Berger T P 1962 Zur Sammenanatamie
tist (Pathology) ofICAR Sikkim Centre, der Zingiberaceae - Gattungen
Tadong and Mr. A K Biswas, Scientist elettaria, Amomum andA(romum
(Agronomy) and Dr. U Gupta, Junior Sci. Pharmg. 26 : 224-258.
Scientist (Botany), Spices Board, *Bhowmick T P 1962 Insect pests of
Gangtok for their valuable suggestions large cardamom, and their Con-
in this review. trol in West Bengal. Indian J.
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N 1989 Half sib progeny analysis numbers in Zingiberaceae.
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'Nigam S S & Purohit R M 1960 *Raychowdhury S P & Chatterjee S N

Chemical examination of the es- 1964 Aphid transmission of a new
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Large cardamom 15

'Sharma A K & Bhattacharya N K 1959 Subba J R 1980 Control of caterpill ars

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Oxyspol"lun - a new di sease . Curro
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h a iry caterpi ll a r s (Clelea Verma S K 1987 Prelimin ary studi es on
plumbiola Hmp.) on la rge carda- the effect of honey bees on th e
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