| Abstrakt: |
India is considered as the land of Spices, leading the world in production, consumption and export of spices. According to the Spice Board of India, 75 spices out of a total of 109 are grown in the country. More than 90% of the spices produced in India are consumed in India, with the remainder being exported in raw and value-added forms. A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant material that is used to flavour, colour, or preserve food. Herbs, on the other hand, are the leaves, buds, or stems of plants that are used for flavoring or garnishing. Spices are often ground into a powder for ease of use. Antimicrobial properties are found in many spices, this may explain why spices are used more often in warmer climates, where infectious diseases are more prevalent. India grows spices on 3.8 million hectares, producing 9.4 million tonnes per year. India is the largest spice exporter, exporting approximately 3908 metric tons of spices each year. Low farm productivity, high production costs, non-coverage of high yielding varieties in farmers' fields, quality planting materials, crop loss due to severe diseases and pest incidences, poor postharvest handlings, insufficient extension networks and price volatility are all major constraints in spice production. Furthermore, in black pepper propagation and propagation of turmeric and ginger using single bud rhizomes, advanced techniques for rapid multiplication such as the split bamboo process, serpentine method, soil mound method, and rapid cloning are used in place of the conventional method of propagation in spice crops. A time-bound and well-defined programme for collecting indigenous germplasm of all seed spices must be implemented right away. Traditional varieties developed from indigenous germplasm exist, which are supposed to contain useful genes for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. If valuable genes are not immediately collected and conserved, adoption of improved varieties may result in irreversible loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
