Introduction Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton) is considered to be the `Queen of Spices’. India is the largest producer and exporter of this spice, accounting for more than 60% of the total world production and total world trade. In India, large cardamom is mainly used in the manufacture of curry powder (garam masla), in ayurvedic medicines and confectionery products including some sweetmeats. Its annual consumption in the country is about 3,000 tonnes.

Cardamom is cultivated in the hilly forest regions of the entire Western Ghats in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is grown either as a pure plantation crop or as a crop subsidiary to coffee and aeronaut at higher elevations. Under favourable conditions, it is found as a natural undergrowth in forest tracts and is supplemented in varying degrees with actual cultivation. After a few years of productive life, the area is abandoned in favour of a new one for a similar shifting cultivation.

In India, cardamom grows under natural conditions of the evergreen forests in the Western Ghats. In thrives best in tropical forests at altitudes ranging from 600-1500 metres, receiving a well-distributed rainfall of over 1520 cm and a temperature range of 10°-35°C. Its optimum growth and development is observed in warm and humid places under the canopy of lofty, evergreen forest trees. It is highly sensitive to wind and drought and, therefore, areas liable to be affected by these conditions are unsuitable. Water-logging or excessive moisture is also very injurious. In most areas, the peak harvesting season is October-November. In Kerala and Tamil Nadu harvesting starts from August-September and continues till February-March, whereas in Karnataka, it starts in July-August and continues up to December-January.

The ideal site for cardamom is a sloping land with good drainage. The crop is raised chiefly on well-drained, rich forest loam, and red, deep, good-textured lateritic soils having plenty of humus or leaf-mould.

Cardamom is propagated though suckers or seedlings. However, the latter method is preferable in order to cheek the spread of the virus disease `katte’. In the case of vegetative propagation 3-5 bulbs of ˝, to 2-year-old clumps obtained from healthy and regularly high-yielding stock are planted in each pit. For raising a nursery, the present practice is to collect the seeds from disease-free, high-yielding plants with compact mature and preferably from the second or third round of picking. They should be immersed in water and gently pressed for rejecting the seeds, which should then be washed well in cold water. After draining the water, the seeds should be mixed with ash and dried in shade for 2 or 3 days. To ensure uniform and early germination, seeds should b sown soon after extraction. They are to be broadcast on nursery-beds of 1 m x 6 m and raised to a height of about 30 cm. The selection of the site for the nursery-beds is very important. The site should have a gentle slope and there should be adequate facilities for irrigation. The soil should be fertile and rich in humus. The seed-rate commonly used is 10 g per square metre of the germination bed. After sowing, the seeds should be covered with a thin layer of fine sand or soil and then mulched to a thickness of about 2 cm with paddy straw or any other suitable material. The bed should be watered twice a day. Germination will commence in about 30 days and may continue for a month or two. The mulch should be removed after the commencement of germination. Shade should be provided for the young seedlings by erecting a pandal. In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, seedlings are transplanted in a secondary nursery when they are about 6 months old, allowing a spacing of 25 to 30 cm in the case of 3-4 rows per bed. In Karnataka, generally, the seedlings are not transplanted in a secondary nursery. They are allowed to remain in the germination-beds for about 10 months, after which they are planted in the main filed. Spraying with 1% Bordeaux mixture keeps the seedlings disease-free. About 1 kg of seeds would produce enough seedlings for planting one hectare.