Cardamom: The genus Elettaria

400pp  ISBN 0415284937      £68.00

Cardamom otherwise known as Malabar cardamom, true cardamom or small cardamom second only to pepper in its importance during the Renaissance period, is often qualified as the Queen of Spices because of its very pleasant aroma and taste. The Western Ghat forest of the Malabar coast, India, is the center of origin and diversity for cardamom and it might have been nature's design that the King and Queen of spices (black pepper and cardamom) originated in the same forest.

This volume contains sixteen chapters, fourteen on cardamom and one each on large cardamom and false cardamoms. All aspects of the cardamom crop have been covered in this volume, and each chapter is written by experts in their respective fields. This volume is visualized as both a textbook and reference work for scientists and students of horticulture, plantation crops, botany and related fields, and will go on to serve as the main reference volume on cardamom for many years to come.

Contents

Introduction.
Botany, Crop Improvement and Biotechnology of Cardamom.
Chemistry of Cardamom.
Agronomy and Management of Cardamom.
Nutrition of Cardamom.
Viral Diseases of Cardamom.
Diseases of Cardamom (fungal, bacterial and nematode disease).
Insect Pests of Cardamom.
Harvesting and Processing of Cardamom.
Industrial Processing and Products of Cardamom.
Cardamom Economy. Properties and End-Uses of Cardamom.
Cardamom - Future Vision.
Yield Gaps and Production Constraints in Cardamom.
Large Cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb.).
False Cardamoms.
Appendix 1. Specification for Cardamom
Appendix 2. Selected Recipes