pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Domestication of cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) in Western Ghats, India: divergence in productive traits and a shift in major pollinators - PubMed

Domestication of cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) in Western Ghats, India: divergence in productive traits and a shift in major pollinators

Giby Kuriakose et al. Ann Bot. 2009 Mar.

Abstract

Background and aims: Elettaria cardamomum, a highly priced spice, is native to the Western Ghats of South India. Wild populations still occur in isolated patches in their natural habitats; however, much of today's commercial product comes from cultivated sources. There is no information on domestication-related traits of this species; the main objective of this study was to compare wild and cultivated populations of cardamom in terms of vegetative and reproductive features in order to identify domestication syndromes and to examine whether the two populations have developed reproductive barriers.

Methods: Two wild populations and five cultivated plantations were used for the present study. Vegetative and floral traits, flowering phenology, pollination biology and breeding systems of wild and cultivated populations were compared. Effective pollinators amongst floral visitors were identified by confirming pollen transfer as well as by fruit set following their visit to virgin flowers. Manual pollinations were carried out in order to study the breeding systems of the two populations and reproductive barriers, if any, between them.

Key results: Several productive traits including the number of branches, number of inflorescences, and total number of flowers per clump, number of flowers that open each day, the duration of flowering, the length of the flower and the amount of nectar per flower are significantly greater in cultivated cardamom. The principal pollinators in wild cardamom are solitary bees, Megachile sp. and two species of Amegilla, whereas those in cultivated cardamom are the social bees Apis dorsata, A. cerana and Trigona iridipennis. Both the wild and cultivated populations are self-compatible and there are no reproductive barriers between the two populations.

Conclusions: Domestication in cardamom has brought about significant changes in vegetative and reproductive traits and a shift in effective pollinators from native solitary bees to social bees. The shift in pollinators seems to be due to the availability of a large number of flowers for prolonged periods in cultivated cardamom that can attract and sustain social bees, rather than due to co-evolution of the flower and the pollinator.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.

Map showing study locations in Western Ghats, India.

Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.

(A) Basal part of a clump in a wild population. (B) Cultivated cardamom ‘Njellani’: the number of leafy shoots and inflorescences is much greater in comparison to (A). (C) One of the major pollinators, Megachila sp., harvesting nectar from a wild cardamom flower. (D) Apis dorsata, one of the major pollinators of cultivated cardamom, harvesting nectar; the pollen load on the forehead is clear.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Anon. Plant cultures: cardamom. 2008 http://www.plantcultures.org/plants/cardamom_history.html. (accessed 10 December, 2008)
    1. Arias-Coyotl E, Stoner KE, Casas A. Effectiveness of bats as pollinators of Stenocereus stellatus (Cactaceae) in wild, managed in situ, and cultivated populations in La Mixteca Baja, Central Mexico. American Journal of Botany. 2006;93:1675–1683. - PubMed
    1. Bai Y, Lindhout P. Domestication and breeding of tomatoes: what have we gained and what can we gain in the future? Annals of Botany. 2007;100:1085–1094. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Belavadi VV, Venkateshalu , Vivek HR. Significance of style in cardamom corolla tubes for honey-bee pollinators. Current Science. 1997;73:287–290.
    1. Casas A, Valiente-Banuet A, Rojas-Martinez A, Davila P. Reproductive biology and the process of domestication of the columnar cactus Stenocereus stellatus in central Mexico. American Journal of Botany. 1999;86:534–542. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms