Cardamom Cultivation

About Cardamom Cultivation

• It is popularly known as Queen of Spices belonging to the Zingiberaceae family.
• It is native to the evergreen rain forests of Western Ghats in South India.
• It is cultivated mainly in the Southern States viz; Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
• Soil and climate
  • Soil: It is grown in forest loamy soils which are usually acidic in nature with a pH range of 5.0 – 6.5
  • This crop can be grown at an elevation from 600 to 1500 m.
  • Temperature: 10 to 35 degree C
  • Rainfall: 1500 to 4000 mm
  • Growth of cardamom is enhanced, when planted in humus rich soils with low to medium available phosphorus and medium to high available potassium.
• It is used as a flavoring agent and drug in traditional medicine.

Q1) What is Potassium?

It is a highly reactive metal that is soft, silvery-white in appearance, and has a low density. It is so reactive that it must be stored under oil to prevent its rapid oxidation upon exposure to air.It is an alkali metal and is part of the alkali metal group on the periodic table, along with elements such as sodium (Na) and lithium (Li).

Source: North-East monsoon revives hopes of cardamom growers