Advances in Spices Research : History and Achievements of Spices Research in India Since Independence

Contents: Preface. 1. Spices: definition, classification, history, properties, uses and role in Indian life/P.N. Ravindran. 2. Spices production and export from India - scenario through five decades/K.V. Peter, E.V. Nybe and M.R. Shylaja. 3. Genetic resources of spices and their conservation/P.N. Ravindran, K. Nirmal Babu and K.N. Shiva. 4. High yielding spices varieties developed in India/Johny A. Kallupurackal and P.N. Ravindran. 5. Indian spices: an overview of therapeutic applications/E. Porchezhian, R.M. Dobriyal and D.B. Anantha Narayana. 6. Progress of spices biotechnology in India/K. Nirmal Babu, D. Minoo, Geetha S. Pillai and V.N. Jayakumar. 7. Three decades of research and development under AICRP on spices - an overview/K.V. Ramana, Johny A. Kallupurackal and K.N. Shiva. 8. Black pepper/P.N. Ravindran, K. Nirmal Babu and K.N. Shiva. 9. Diseases of black pepper/K.P. Mammootty and V.P. Neema. 10. Cardamom/V.S. Korikanthimath, M.N. Venugopal, M.R. Sudharshan and D. Prasath. 11. Ginger/P.N. Ravindran, K.N. Shiva, K. Nirmal Babu and B.N. Korla. 12. Turmeric/A. Manohar Rao, R. Jagadeeshwar and K. Sivaraman. 13. Diseases of ginger and turmeric/N.P. Dohroo. 14. Chilli - improvement through five decades/T.R. Gopalakrishnan and P. Indira. 15. Vanilla/M.R. Sudharshan, S.S. Bhatt, Y.S. Rao, K. Mary Mathew, C.R. Sivadasan, N. Ramesh Babu, K.V. Prakash and N.S. Radhika. 16. Large cardamom/Y.S. Rao and K.J. Madhusoodanan. 17. Tree spices/E.V. Nybe, N. Mini Raj, T. Thangaraj and R. Richard Kennedy. 18. Insect pests of major spices and their management/S. Devasahayam. 19. Coriander/D.L. Singhania, Dhirendra Singh and R.S Raje. 20. Coriander as an essential oil crop/A. Kalra, K.K. Agarwal, A.K. Gupta and S.P.S. Khanuja. 21. Cumin/I.D. Patel, S.L. Dashora and S. Agarwal. 22. Fennel/D.L. Singhania and Dhirendra Singh. 23. Fenugreek/D.L. Singhania, R.S. Raje, Dhirendra Singh and S.S. Rajput. 24. Minor seed spices: ajowan, dill, celery, aniseed/Suresh K. Malhotra. 25. Minor seed spices: parsley, caraway, black caraway and nigella/Suresh K. Malhotra. 26. Saffron/M. Ayoob Mantoo and Farooq Ahmad Zaki. 27. Minor and underutilized spices and herbs/P.N. Ravindran, Geetha S. Pillai and M. Shylaja. 28. Quality aspects of seed spices/Sanjeev Agrawal. 29. Spices: processing technology and product development in India/J.S. Pruthi. 30. Economics, marketing and export of spices/M.S. Madan and S. Kannan. 31. Development of spices in India: a retrospect and prospect/M. Tamil Selvan, K. Sivaraman, K.G. Thomas and K. Manojkumar. Subject index.

"During the past fifty years, much research work has been carried out in various spices. However no comprehensive exercise has been made to collect and collate the achievements of the past. Documentation is as important as research itself. Without proper documentation there is always the peril of some one trying to "reinvent the wheel".

This volume contains 31 chapters, out of which the first seven are of general nature, covering the general topics pertaining to spices and spices research. The first one is an introductory chapter that gives a detailed treatment on definitions, classification of spices, condiments and herbs and then briefly traces the history of spices in India from ancient to the present. This chapter also gives a general treatment on the use of spices in cooking, medicine, and their use as bioceuticals, and also the role of spices in the socio-cultural history of India. The subsequent chapters deal with production and export, genetic resources, varieties developed, biotechnological approaches and medicinal applications." (jacket)