Production Technology Of Spices

With reference to India.

1. Introduction 2. Cultivation of Spices 3. Cultivation of Aromatic Grass 4. Cultivation of Plantation Crops 5. Cultivation of Medicinal Crops

Spices Constitute An Important Group Of Agricultural Commodities Which, Since Antiquity, Have Been Used For Flavouring Foods. Some Species Are Used In The Pharmaceutical, Perfumery, Cosmetics And Related Industries, And Others Possess Colourant, Preservative, Antioxidant, Antiseptic And Antibiotic Properties.India Is One Of The Leading Spice Producing And Exporting Countries In The World. In Addition, Large Quantities Of Spices Are Consumed Within The Country For Seasoning Of Food And For Several Other Purposes. No Other Country In The World Has Such A Diverse Variety Of Spice Crops As India.This Book Reflects The Intensive Research Carried Out On This Group Of 42 Spice Crops Since 1971, The Improvement In Agro-Techniques And The Release Of Many High-Yielding Varieties. It Provides Exhaustive Information On All Aspects Of Cultivation, Harvesting And Processing Of Each Crop And Will Be An Invaluable Aid To Students, Teachers And Growers Of Spice Crops, Both Individual And Corporate.

Spices are very important as food and as medicine, and they bring out the unique natural taste of cuisines and could be used to change the look of the food to make it more attractive in colour. The book is written in simple and lucid language to provide basic information about cultivation of spice crops.

The term spices and condiments applies to such natural plant or vegetable products and mixtures thereof, used in whole or ground form, mainly for imparting flavor, aroma and piquancy to foods and also for seasoning of foods beverages like soups. The great mystery and beauty of spices is their use, blending and ability to change and enhance the character of food. Spices and condiments have a special significance in various ways in human life because of its specific flavours, taste, and aroma. Spices and condiments play an important role in the national economies of several spice producing, importing and exporting countries. India is one of the major spice producing and exporting countries. Most of the spices and herbs have active principles in them and development of these through pharmacological and preclinical and clinical screening would mean expansion of considerable opportunities for successful commercialization of the product. Spices can be used to create these health promoting products. The active components in the spices phthalides, polyacetylenes, phenolic acids, flavanoids, coumarines, triterpenoids, serols and monoterpenes are powerful tools for promoting physical and emotional wellness. India has been playing a major role in producing and exporting various perennial spices like cardamoms, pepper, vanilla, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon over a wide range of suitable climatic situations. To produce good quality spice products, attention is required not only during cultivation but also at the time of harvesting, processing and storing. Not as large as in the days when, next to gold, spices were considered most worth the risk of life and money. The trade is still extensive and the oriental demand is as large as ever. Some of the fundamentals of the book are definition of spices and condiments nomenclature or classification of spices and condiments, Indian central spices and cashew nut committee, origin, properties and uses of spices, forms, functions and applications of spices, trends in the world of spices, yield and nutrient uptake by some spice crops grown in sodic soil, tissue culture and in vitro conservation of spices, in vitro responses of piper species on activated charcoal supplemented media, soil agro climatic planning for sustainable spices production, potentials of biotechnology in the improvement of spice crops, medicinal applications of spices and herbs, medicinal properties and uses of seed spices, effect of soil solarization on chillies, spice oil and oleoresin from fresh/dry spices etc. The present book contains cultivation, processing and uses of various spices and condiments, which are well known for their multiple uses in every house all over world. The book is an invaluable resource for new entrepreneurs, agriculturists, agriculture universities and technocrats.

Indian spices are famous across the globe and have attracted food lovers for ages. With the increasing awareness of health through foods, people are now more conscious about the health and nutraceutical benefits of spices. The past few years have witnessed pioneering research work in this area with various spices. This volume is a comprehensive volume that collects and collates the wisdom of the past and blends it with the technological progress of today. The book offers comprehensive coverage on the subject of Indian spices and their agrotechniques. It is a rich compilation of agrotechniques coupled with background information, research work, and scientific discussion on the basic and applied aspects on the subject. The first chapter in Spices: Agrotechniques for Quality Produce is introductory and provides an overview of spices that have important flavor compounds. It looks at the present status of world spice scenario on export and import, major markets, etc. The second chapter deals with classification of spices, condiments, and herbs. The third chapter is the major one that precisely describes agrotechniques and production technology of fifty individual spices comprised of the major spices. It covers three rhizomatous spices, six bulbous spices, eight tree spices (six aromatic and two acidulant), eleven seed spices, twelve leafy or herbal spices or aromatic herbs, four lesser-known spices, and three other spices with due consideration to quality and value-added benefits. This chapter also presents a general discussion of the systematic position, composition, uses, export-import scenario, medicinal values, etc., of these spices. The subsequent chapters deal with recent research approaches on spices around the world and explore the promises of organic spices and future research directions. This volume will be useful to all those who are interested in spices, including students, teachers, researchers, amateur readers, policymakers, as well as farming communities.