Green Cardamom
05.02.2025
Green Cardamom
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For Prelims: About Green Cardamom, Required climatic conditions, Newly Identified Cardamom species |
Why in the news?
An international team of researchers have identified six species that are close cousins to Elettaria cardamomum, better known as green cardamom.
About Green Cardamom:
- It belongs to the Zingiberaceae family and is popularly known as Queen of Spices.
- It is native to the evergreen rain forests of Western Ghats.
- It is cultivated mainly in the Southern States viz; Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
- Growth of cardamom is enhanced when planted in humus rich soils with low to medium phosphorus and medium to high potassium.
- It is used as a flavoring agent and drug in traditional medicine.
Required climatic conditions:
- Soil:It is grown in forest loamy soils which are usually acidic in nature with a pH range of 5.0 – 6.5
- Altitude: This crop can be grown at an elevation from 600 to 1500 m.
- Temperature:10 to 35 degree C
- Rainfall:1500 to 4000 mm
Newly Identified Cardamom species:
- The genus Elettaria now has seven species, including cardamomum, E. ensal, E. floribunda, E. involucrata and E. rufescens, which were earlier placed in a separate genus Alpinia.
- The remaining two are new species, faciferaand E. tulipifera, the former described from Kerala’s Periyar Tiger Reserve in Idukki district and the latter from the Agasthyamalai hills in Thiruvananthapuram district and Munnar
- Seed capsules of the cardamomum provide the commercial green cardamom.
Source: The Hindu
With reference to Cardamom, consider the following:
1. It is native to the evergreen rain forests.
2. It requires forest loamy soil for its growth.
3. It is mainly cultivated in the northeastern states of India.
How many of the above statements are correct?
A.Only one
B.Only two
C.All three
D.None
Answer C