Cardamom: Advances in Breeding, Production and Quality

Author Biography

Rajagopal Sivaranjani (Author) R. Sivaranjani is working as Scientist (Plant Biochemistry) in ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research. She got her B.Sc (Agriculture) degree from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and obtained M.Sc (Biochemistry) degree from ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research, New Delhi. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry from Mangalore University. Her research interests include quality evaluation of spices, identification of novel metabolites from spices and evaluation its pharmacological properties. Her lab is NABL accredited for the quality analysis of different spices and she is now setting up a lab for honey testing from the funding obtained from National Bee Board, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India. She has around 22 research publications, 5 book chapters and more than 30 popular articles and other publications to her credit. She has guided several M.Sc students in the subject area of Biochemistry and Food Science and Technology. H J Akshitha (Author) H.J. Akshitha is a Senior Scientist (Spices, Plantation, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants) at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research, Regional Station, Appangala, Kodagu District. She holds a B.Sc. in Horticulture from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, and completed her M.Sc. in Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops (PSMAC) and Ph.D. in Horticulture from the University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot. Dr Akshitha has been actively engaged in crop improvement research on cardamom, black pepper, ginger, and turmeric. She has significantly contributed to the development of nine high-yielding, high-quality, and climate-resilient spice varieties, including moisture stress-tolerant cardamom varieties 'IISR Manushree' and 'IISR Kaveri'. Her work also includes the development of inter-varietal cardamom hybrids for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, identification of moisture stress-tolerant genotypes through artificial screening, and documentation of phenological growth stages in cardamom based on the BBCH scale. Additionally, she has improved drying techniques in black pepper to enhance visual quality and overall product standard. Dr. Akshitha has published over 25 research papers in reputed national and international journals, 13 book chapters, and more than 60 other scientific and extension publications.