Cardamom Harvest, Curing, Storage & Soil Testing

Stage of harvest

Harvest capsules from physiological maturity (Karinkai) to the fully ripe stage. This allows proper seed set and better dry recovery. Avoid over-ripening because capsules may be lost to rodents and squirrels or split during drying, reducing market premium.

14%Immature recovery

20%Physiological maturity

24%Fully ripe recovery

Oil content also changes with capsule maturity.

Washing and curing

1. Process harvested capsules without long storage, which reduces final quality.
2. Wash capsules in clean water and remove field debris.
3. Cure by indirect heat, reducing moisture from about 80% in fresh capsules to 10-12%.
4. Use an improved curing system with controlled temperature and airflow. The source reports 12-18 hours in improved devices, depending on system and load.
5. Cool and handle gently before polishing and grading.

Cleaning, grading, packing and storage

• Polish dried capsules manually or mechanically while warm by gentle rubbing against a suitable surface.
• Use motorised machines with the required mesh for polishing and grading.
• Dry to 10-12% moisture before storage.
• The guide recommends 300-gauge black polythene-lined gunny bags for improved storage.
• Store packed produce in wooden boxes at room temperature, preferably in the curing house, protected from moisture, direct heat, pests and odours.

How to collect a representative soil sample

Soil testing supports precise, balanced and economical fertiliser recommendations. Only a few grams are analysed, so representative sampling is essential.

1. Sample each field once every 3-4 years, preferably February-April.
2. Divide the farm by slope class - gentle, medium, steep and swampy - then into blocks of about five acres. Sample visibly poor pockets separately.
3. Collect from the root zone in the row, about 30 cm away from the plant base.
4. Remove weeds, dry leaves and mulch at each sampling point.
5. Cut a V-shaped pit about 15 cm deep with a clean spade and remove the cut soil.
6. Scrape a thin slice along the full depth from both sides of the V, or use a clean auger.
7. From each five-acre block, collect about ten subsamples diagonally. Mix them on a clean sheet, remove plant material, quarter the sample repeatedly and reduce to about 500 g.
8. Shade-dry for 1-2 days, pack in a clean cloth or polythene bag, label with grower and field details, complete the information form and send promptly to the testing laboratory.

Preparation of 1% Bordeaux mixture

1. Dissolve 1 kg copper sulphate in 50 L water in a suitable non-reactive container.
2. Separately slake 1 kg fresh quicklime (the guide allows about 1-1.25 kg) with small quantities of water, preferably warm. Make the lime suspension up to 50 L, stir well and sieve.
3. Slowly add the 50 L copper sulphate solution to the 50 L lime suspension with constant stirring.
4. Test with a bright iron knife. If it remains bright after about one minute, the mixture is suitable. If it turns rusty brown or loses brightness, add more lime suspension.
5. Correctly prepared mixture turns red litmus blue and turmeric powder orange-red.

Precautions

• Use copper, wood, earthenware or plastic vessels - not reactive iron containers.
• Use fresh quicklime.
• Sieve the finished mixture before filling the sprayer.
• Use on the same day; do not store prepared Bordeaux mixture.