M.K. Dhanya

KERALA AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY, THRISSUR

Water stress is one of the most apparent abiotic factors limiting black pepper plants' establishment, growth, and production. Many crop plants benefit from arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and pink pigmented facultative methylotrophs (PPFM) that help them withstand water stress. In this study, the beneficial interactions of these microbes are exp...

In October 2021, green capsules of small cardamom [Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton] exhibited a characteristic rotting with an incidence of 50–65% at cardamom hill reserves, Western Ghats, Nedumkandam (9.833ºN, 77.159ºE). Symptoms appeared as light brown discolouration on capsule rind. Four isolates of the same fungus were obtained from different l...

Phylogram generated using the ITS sequences from five Fusarium species including three formae species of Fusarium oxysporum

The rainfall pattern seen in the Indian Cardamom Hills (ICH) has been extremely variable and complicated, with El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) playing a crucial role in shaping this pattern. In light of this, more investigation is required through improved statistical analysis. During the study period, there was greater variability in rainfall...

In this study, we investigated climatic parameters and predicted future changes in precipitation and atmospheric temperature levels based on RCP4. 5/8.5 scenarios in all cardamom-coffee hot spots of southern India. Our results showed more precipitation levels and patterns occurred in Cardamom hills (Kerala), followed by lower Puleny hills in Tamil...

The chemical composition of essential oils from the fresh leaf of Pimenta dioica (L.) Merill. growing in the Western Ghats, India was investigated for the first time. Hydro-distillation method was used to extract the essential oil, which was then evaluated using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The yields of essential oil for fresh...

A study was conducted to elucidate the beneficial effects of the fungal root endophytes Piriformospora indica and Glomus fasciculatum on the vegetative growth of small cardamom at College of Agriculture, Vellayani and Cardamom Research Station, Pampadumpara. Individual and combinatorial effects of the endophytes on the vegetative characters like pl...

In October 2021, jackfruits ((Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam., var. Varikka) cultivated at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, exhibited a characteristic rot with an incidence of 25 to 30%. Pure white, flufy, fan shaped mycelia were observed with brown to black sclerotia on rind and fruit peduncle. Standard protocols were followed for isolation (Ranga...

Myristica fragrans (Houtt.) is an evergreen tree native to the Maluku Islands, Indonesia. M. fragrans kernel is extensively used in Indian traditional medicines to treat various diseases. Several studies attempt to compile and interpret the pharmacological potential of Myristica fragrans (Houtt.) aqueous and various chemical extracts. Thus, the pha...

Intensive cardamom cultivation in Indian Cardamom hills (ICH) has been related to severe ecological and environmental implications that can challenge the long-term sustainability of cardamom. This research study and analysis proposes a novel system approach for sustainable agroecological production of cardamom in southern India. The effects of inte...

Increasing the productivity of Indian cardamom is revolving around both soil and forest canopy management. Maintaining tropical acid soil fertility and its productivity is the prime concern for successful cardamom cultivation under ongoing deforestation of fragmented rainforest. A field experiment with two doses each (1 and 2 kg plant-1) of burnt l...

In November 2019, cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton) plants (var. Njallani Green Gold) exhibited water soaked lesions on tillers, enlarging later into rotten areas with dark brown margin, leading to shriveling and ultimately drying of the plants in fields of Idukki (09°50′60" N, 76°58′12" E) Kerala, India. The disease incidence ranged fro...

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) has been traditionally employed in south East Asia as well as India and China for treatment of nausea, asthma, fever, vomiting, cough, constipation, pain, arthritis, inflammation, etc. This chapter discusses the phytochemical composition and pharmacological studies of ginger extracts, ginger essential oil (GEO), and act...

As part of AICRP on Spices, a total of 200 germplasm accessions of small cardamom are being maintained at Cardamom Research Station Pampadumpara as field gene bank repository. Sixty seven cardamom accessions were studied for genetic diversity by evaluating fourteen characters for three years (2006-2009) continuously. Almost all accessions showed si...

Sajeena, A., Deepu Mathew, John, J., Dhanya, M. K., Nair, D. S., Sri, T. P., Sudha, B., Meera, A. V., and Shanas, S., 2021, Molecular diagnostics of emerging diseases of vegetables in Kerala, In: Abstracts of National Symposium on Sustainable Plant Health Management amidst Covid Pandemic: Challenges and Strategies, Eds. Rajesh, M. K. et al., Indian...

Investigations were made to study the effects of three nemato-pathogenic fungi viz. Purpureocillium lilacinum, P. lilacinum + neem cake, Pochonia chlamydosporia and Trichoderma sp. as well as two synthetic insecticides (cartap hydrochloride and carbosulfan) against the Root-knot Nematodes (RKN) of cardamom at the farmers' fields in three locations...

The chemical composition of essential oil (EO) isolated from dried fruits or seeds of four spices were evaluated by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. EO extraction was performed by hydrodistillation method. The results revealed that yields of EO were 0.6%, 4.5%, 1.5%, and 0.8% in coriander, cumin, fennel and Indian mustard, res...

The chemical composition of essential oils isolated from dried berries of eighteen accessions of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) from southern India was evaluated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyser. The volatile oil content extracted by hydrodistillation method was ranged from 2.30% to 5.00% (w/w) among the accessions. In total, 41 con...

Studies were carried out on the prevalence of sucking pests in black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) during 2013-2015 in ten fixed plots, at five different localities in Idukki District, Kerala, located within a radius of 25 km from the meteorological observatory of the Cardamom Research Station, Pampadumpara. The incidence of Liothrips karnyi was noticed...

This reference book is based on the history, cultivation, processing, breeding, protection, phytochemistry, and pharmacological importance of cardamom. Cardamom is scientifically known as Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton and is a member of the Zingiberaceae family. It's a shade-loving plant that grows well at an altitude between 600 and 1400 metres...

The cardamom ecosystem consumes enormous pesticides and other production chemicals that throw a negative impact on many key fronts like soil, water, air, and forest compartments. In the last fifteen years, the forests of cardamom hill reserves (CHR) have undergone tremendous changes concerning tree density, species composition and epiphytes diversi...

Small cardamom or green cardamom is one of the world's utmost luxurious spices. Indian cardamom is truly unique in terms of aroma, flavour, and parrot green colour due to its mild, humid climate, loamy soil rich in organic matter, distributed rainfall, and special cultivation and processing methods. Cardamom plants are classified into three classes...

Cardamom is an herbaceous rhizomatous monocot, belonging to the family of Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial herb with underground rhizomes, with aerial pseudostems made of leaf sheaths. It is highly cross-pollinated crop and depends on honeybees for pollination. Like other crops cardamom possesses very high moisture content (>80%) in the fresh harve...

Symptoms of suspected phytoplasma infection were observed in cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) (cultivar NS60N) at Integrated Farming System Research Station, Trivandrum, Kerala, India (08o28’28”N, 76o57’47”E) in April-2021. The disease incidence was recorded up to 10% in different fields. The disease manifested as stunting, phyllody, f...

In this study, we investigated climatic parameters as well as predicted future change in precipitation and atmospheric temperature levels based on RCP4.5/8.5 scenarios in all cardamom-coffee hot spots of southern India. Our results showed that larger precipitation levels and pattern occurred in Cardamom hills (Kerala) followed by lower Puleny hills...

Three new fungal diseases caused by Phoma sp., Sarocladium kiliense and Marasmiellus sp. affecting cardamom have been reported from various parts of cardamom hill reserves of Idukki district in Kerala. An attempt was made to study the effectiveness of two contact, five systemic and four combination fungicides and biocontrol agents against these pat...

A new disease has recently been observed in small cardamom grown in various parts of Cardamom Hill Reserves in Idukki district, Kerala, India. The disease is characterized by the development of longitudinal sunken lesions of varying length and colour on tillers as well as subsequent splitting and separation of sheaths. Lesions may occasionally appe...

Background: Black pepper [Piper nigrum (L.), Family: Piperaceae] is used traditionally for the treatment of various diseases including; cough, cold, dyspnea throat diseases, intermittent fever, dysentery, stomachache, worms and piles. The pharmacological potential of black pepper is due to the presence of metabolites like phenolic compounds, alkalo...

The essential oil of cardamom capsules is a high-value ingredient in foods, beverages, perfumery, and traditional medicines. It is responsible for the characteristic aroma of cardamom. The present study aimed to evaluate essential oil yield and chemical constituents of 22 diverse accessions of cardamom. A total of 20 g of the cured capsules were hy...

The plant Ocimum gratissimum is well-known from the ancient Indian medicine system. O. gratissimum has wide variety of therapeutic applications. Folk medicine says that it can help with headaches, fevers, diarrhoea, pneumonia, and other ailments. O. gratissimum contains several bioactive constituents widely used as food additives, food colorants, p...

The volatile oil of cardamom capsules is an expensive ingredient in food preparation, beverages, perfumery and traditional medicines. The capsules of 65 promising cardamom accessions were used to evaluate the volatile oil content estimation. The volatile of cured capsules were extracted by hydro-distillation method and it was ranged from 2.2 %-9.6%...

Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is a major spice crop and exported worldwide. The extraction of DNA from leaves of black pepper is challenging due to the presence of a significant amount of polysaccharides, polyphenolic compounds and other chemical constituents. Hence, the present study was aimed to standardize and optimize the DNA isolation protoco...

The essential oil from aerial parts of Ocimum gratissimum (Rama tulsi) growing in the South Western Ghats, India was examined for the first time. The essential oil was extracted by hydro-distillation and resulted in 1.31% oil (w/v) on a dry weight basis. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of O. gratissimum resulted in 18 chemical...

Small cardamom [Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton] is one of the most economically valuable spice crops since ancient period. The spice has been used in culinary, traditional as well as modern pharmaceutical applications. A remarkable variation is existing within the species which increases the chance for misidentification and inadvertent duplication...

The essential oil (EO) from leaf, mace, kernel, and seed of Myristica fragrans Houtt. growing in the Western Ghats, India was investigated for the first time. The EO was extracted by hydrodistillation and analysed by GC-MS. The results revealed that yields of EO were 3.16%, 8.10%, 6.24%, and 5.21% for leaf, mace, kernel, and seed, respectively. The...

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) has been traditionally employed in south East Asia as well as India and China for treatment of nausea, asthma, fever, vomiting, cough, constipation, pain, arthritis, inflammation, etc. This chapter discusses the phytochemical composition and pharmacological studies of ginger extracts, ginger essential oil (GEO), and act...

Thrips (Sciothrips cardamomi Ramk.) is a major pest of cardamom causing a considerable yield loss besides variation in colour and texture of the capsules. Present study was carried out to find out the phytochemical constituents changes occurring in thrips infested cardamom capsules. The results of this study revealed that there was a substantial va...

The present investigation was carried out to study the seasonal abundance of whiteflies and lacewing bugs on cardamom during 2014 and 2015, in ten fixed plots selected at five different places of Idukki districts located within 25 km aerial distance from the meteorological observatory of Cardamom Research Station, Pampadumpara. The seasonal inciden...

Synthetic fungicides and biocontrol agents were used for the management of Fusarium rot in small cardamom

The objective of this study was to examine the bioactive flavo-noids and carotenoids concentration in fifteen south Indian spice and two tree nut species using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Among four flavonoids, catechin concentration was the highest in all spices and nuts and ranged between 97.1 and 1745.4 mg g À1. Quercetin conc...

Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton prestigiously called as Indian cardamom and is mostly cultivated in south India at higher altitudes ranging from 900 to 1400 msl. The chemical composition of dry capsules essential oil of the four distinct varieties was chemo-profiled by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results revealed a higher concentr...

Black pepper and cardamom are the two important high value spice crops that flavor most foods all over the world. Pest and diseases are the major production constraints for the successful cultivation of these crops. To manage these menaces, farmers are over using synthetic chemical pesticides indiscriminately and this result in environmental degrad...

The results of in-vitro study to investigate interaction of twenty two insecticides, at field recommended and double doses, on the growth of four different entomo-pathogenic fungi viz. Paecilomyces lilacinus, Lecanicillium lecanii, Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana are reported. With the recommended and double doses of insecticides, B....

Relative efficacy of some newer molecules against thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on rose Sathyan T, Dhanya MK, Preethy TT, Aswathy TS and Murugan M Abstract A field experiment was conducted at the experimental farm of Cardamom Research Station, Pampadumpara, Idukki District, Kerala during 2016-17 to evaluate the bio-ef...

An experiment was conducted at the Cardamom Research Station, Kerala Agricultural University, Pampadumpara (Kerala) with an objective to study the effect of different biofertilizers (Phosphorus solubilizing bacteria, Azospirillum and Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria Mix I) and organic supplements (fish extract and humic acid) on the growth of b...

Fruits and vegetables are rich source of carotenoids. The aim of this study was to find out the rapid and simple extraction method for carotenoids in grapes, blueberries, sweet potato and green chilli using HPLC analysis. Four different extraction methods; MeOH:DCM simple [methanol:dichloromethane], MeOH:DCM exhausted, MeOH simple and hexane exhaus...

An experiment was conducted at the Cardamom Research Station, Kerala Agricultural University, Pampadumpara, Idukki, Kerala during 2017 summer (February-May) to evaluate the response of small cardamom crop to the foliar application of PPFM and synthetic materials under drought situation. Potassium di-hydrogen phosphate applied plants had higher chlo...

Indian cardamom farming in the Cardamom Hill Reserves of Kerala has been considered one of the costliest production systems. Questionnaire survey and interviews with cardamom planters between 2008 and 2013 showed that the pesticides used in cardamom production is paradoxical. The reasons are closely associated with the unscrupulous use of pesticide...

The obligate myrmecophilous root mealybug Xenococcus annandalei Silvestri belonging to the family Rhizoecidae and order Hemiptera was recorded on tender roots of a wide range of economically important crop plants and weeds at Idukki, Kerala, India. This is a new distributional report of the pest from South India. Both nymphs and adults are seen con...

Cardamom crop was found infested with number of pests viz., thrips, shoot borer, shoot fly and red spider mite during 2013, 2014 and 2015. The seasonal incidence of cardamom thrips peaked during Thrips population showed negative correlation with rainfall and morning relative humidity whereas, positive correlation with sunshine hours. Similar associ...

The experiment was conducted at Cardamom Research Station, Pampadumpara (Kerala) during 2017 to study the influence of bio-fertilizers and organic supplements on general and beneficial microbial population in the rhizosphere of black pepper. Promising biofertilizers (Phosphorous solubilizing bacteria, Azospirillum and PGPR Mix I) and organic supple...

An in vitro experiment was conducted with the objective to find out the suitability of combination of plant protection chemicals (insecticides and fungicides) and fertilizers (urea, urea granules, single super phosphate, muriate of potash, diammonium phosphate, bone meal and micronutrient mixture) with antagonists like Trichoderma viride and Pseudo...

A simple, reproducible and efficient micropropagation protocol was developed for three different varieties of greater yam (Dioscorea alata L.) viz., Sree Roopa, Sree Keerthi and Sree Shilpa using nodal segments for axillary shoot proliferation at Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, India. The effect of different explants, su...

Bagonia, belonging to the family Begoniaceae, a pot plant prized for its foliage. Between July and October 2006, begonia grown in Cherukunnam, Pathanamthitta districtlof Kerala state suffered heavy losses due to a disease. Initially, symptoms on stems are confirmed to water-soaked areas near the soil line. White mycelia grown in a fan like pattern...

An experiment was conducted at the Cardamom Research Station, Kerala Agricultural University, Pampadumpara (Kerala) with an objective to study the effect of different biofertilizers (Phosphorus solubilizing bacteria, Azospirillum and Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria Mix I) and organic supplements (fish extract and humic acid) on the growth of b...