Agronomy and Economy of Black Pepper and Cardamom
The “King? and “Queen? of Spices

The only book to review the two spices that are of great economic value to the developing world

K.P. Prabhakaran Nair (Author)

9780323165334, Elsevier Science

Paperback / softback, published 15 July 2011

380 pages
22.9 x 15.1 x 2.4 cm, 0.45 kg

"This is an effective alternative to the chemically propelled industrial agriculture of Green Revolution that has resulted in adverse environmental fallout on Indian soils. Black Pepper has a chequered history. It was in fact the 'spice war' between the Arabs, the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British that led to the colonisation of India, which began with the landing of Vasco da Gama on Kappad beach. In the book, Prbhakaran Nair traces the origin, history, global spread, development, agronomy, nutrition, economy, world trade, pharmacopoeia and end products of the two spice crops of the world, known as the 'king' and 'queen' of spices. The book has been launched by Elsevier International. The electronic book has been launched on the new 'Elsevier Insights' project, a new concept in electronic publishing."-- bnlive.in.com

Known as the "King" of spices, black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) and the "Queen" of spices, cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum M.), both perennial crops of the tropics, are the most important and most widely sought after spice crops of the world. They both have many uses, for example, both are used as flavourings and as a medicine. This book provides a comprehensive review of these two very important spice crops, covering origin, history, geographical distribution, production, economy and their uses.

Part 1: The Agronomy and Economy of Black Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) — The "King of Spices" 1. Introduction 2. The Pepper Plant — Its Botany and Chemistry 3. Pepper Agronomy 4. The Role of "The Nutrient Buffer Power Concept" in Pepper Nutrition 5. Establishing a Pepper Plantation 6. Pepper Pests and Their Control 7. The Processing of Black Pepper on Farm 8. An Account of Indonesian Pepper Processing 9. Industrial Processing of Black Pepper 10. The Future of Global Pepper Economy 11. Pepper Economy in India 12. Pepper Pharmacopoeia 13. Consumer Products of Black Pepper 14. Value Addition in Pepper 15. Conclusions and a Peep Into Pepper’s FuturePart 2: The Agronomy and Economy of Cardamom (Elettaria cardamom M.): The "Queen of Spices" 1. Introduction 2. Cardamom Botany 3. Cardamom Chemistry 4. The Agronomy of Cardamom 5. The Role of "The Nutrient Buffer Power Concept" in Cardamom Nutrition 6. Cardamom Pathology 7. Cardamom Entomology 8. Harvesting and Processing of Cardamom 9. Industrial Processing of Cardamom and Cardamom Products 10. The Economy of Cardamom Production 11. Pharmacological Properties of Cardamom 12. A Peep into the Future of Cardamom 13. Large Cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb.) 14. False Cardamom 15. Specification for Cardamom

Subject Areas: Agronomy & crop production [TVK], Agriculture & farming [TV]