In order to promote vanilla, the Spices Board undertook several developmental programs, which include vanilla new planting program, vanilla certified nursery scheme, scheme for setting up of processing units, vanilla production award scheme, and scheme for assisting producers for promoting exports of organic spices (including vanilla). These research and developments should continue to sustain vanilla cultivation and production in India.
Conclusions
In general, vanilla is a crop of small and marginal farmers, grown largely as inter-crops and on homesteads, except in a few plantations in the corporate sector. The spurt of price for vanilla during 2001–2002, probably because of crop loss in Madagascar due to cyclone damage during 2000, attracted the small farmers to invest heavily in vanilla cultivation. This led to considerable increase in area expansion, but with extreme substandard planting material. This had its serious repercussion on severe disease outbreaks and consequent crop loss, which was further complicated by violent price fluctuations of vanilla at the global level, offering a poor price structure. Remunerative price ultimately would determine the farmers’ long-term interest for large-scale vanilla cultivation. Considering the present subdued global demand, it is likely that the present status quo of vanilla cultivation would be maintained in India. However, the Indian vanilla farmers have the resilience to scientifically cultivate, process, and supply beans of required quality if the right price is offered at the farm gate.
References
Anonymous. 1992. Report of the National Committee on Vanilla. Spices Board, Kochi, India. Ayyappan, P. 1990. Vanilla a money making venture for ambitious farmers. Kisan World 7:24–26.
Benezet, H., E. Picard, B. Côme, M. Grisoni, F. Leclerq Le Quillec, O. Gambin, and E. Jeuffrault. 2000. Les virus du vanillier à la Réunion. Phytoma, la défense des végé-taux 526:40–42.
Bhadramurthy, V. 2008. Identification, molecular characterization and development of diagnostics for the virus allocated with Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews). PhD thesis, Mangalore University.
Bhai, R.S. and J. Thomas. 2000. Phytophthora rot—A new disease of vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews) in India. J. Spices Aromatic Crops 9 (1):73–75.
Bhai, R.S., J. Thomas, S.N. Potty, L. Geethat, and J.J. Solomon. 2003. Mosaic disease of vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews)—The first report from India. J. Spices Aromatics Crops 12 (1):80–82.
Bhai, R.S., A. Ishwara Bhat, and M. Anandaraj. 2006. Yellowing and premature bean dropping in vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews). J. Plant. Crops 34 (2):115–117.
Bhai, R.S. and J. Dhanesh. 2008. Occcurence of fungal diseases in vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews) in Kerala. Ind. J. Spices Aromatic Crops 17:140–145.
Bhat, A.I., M.N. Venugopal, R.P. Pant, and R. Suseela Bhai. 2004. Occurrence and distribution of viral diseases on vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews) in India. J. Spices Aromatic Crops 13 (2):143–148.
Bhat, S.K. and M.R. Sudharshan. 1998. Floral biology and fruit growth in vanilla (V. planifolia Andrews). In: M. Muraleedharan and R. Rajkumar eds. Recent Advances in Plantation Crops Research. Allied Publishers, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India, 110–112.
Bhat, S.K. and M.R. Sudharshan. 2000. Effect of pollen load on growth and development of vanilla (V. planifolia Andrews) fruits. In: Proceedings of the Centennial Conference on Spices and Aromatic Crops. Indian Society for Spices, Calicut, Kerala, India, 13–16.
Bory, S., M. Grisoni, M.-F. Duval, and P. Besse. 2008a. Biodiversity and preservation of vanilla: Present state of knowledge. Genet. Resour. Crop Evol. 55:551–571.
Bory, S., P. Lubinsky, A.-M. Risterucci, J.-L. Noyer, M. Grisoni, M.-F. Duval, and P. Besse. 2008b. Patterns of introduction and diversification of Vanilla planifolia (Orchidaceae) in Reunion Island (Indian Ocean). Am. J. Bot. 95:805–815.
Chitra, R., R. Arulozhiyan, M. Jawaharlal, and E. Vadivel. 2007. Micropropagation of vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews.). J. Plant. Crops 35 (2):111–113.
Grisoni, M., F. Davidson, C. Hyrondelle, K. Farreyrol, M.L. Caruana, and M. Pearson. 2004. Nature, incidence and symptomatology of viruses infecting Vanilla tahitensis in French Polynesia. Plant Dis. 88:119–124.
Hrideek, T.K., P.P,. Menon, K.M. Kuruvilla, K.J. Madhusoodanan, and J. Thomas, 2003. Yielding behavior of hanging shoot in vanilla. 13th Swadeshi Science Congress, MSSRF-CabC, 44(Ab).
ICRI (Indian Cardamom Research Institute), 1996. Agenda notes on VIII SRC, ICRI, Spices Board, Ministry of Commerce, GoI, Myladumpara, Idukki, Kerala, India, 25pp.
ICRI (Indian Cardamom Research Institute), 1999. Agenda notes on XI SRC, ICRI, Spices Board, Ministry of Commerce, GoI, Myladumpara, Idukki, Kerala, India, 15pp.
ICRI (Indian Cardamom Research Institute), Annual Research Report, 2003. Spices Board, Ministry of Commerce, GoI, Myladumpara, Idukki, Kerala, India, 31pp.
ICRI (Indian Cardamom Research Institute), Annual Research Report, 2005. Spices Board, Ministry of Commerce, GoI, Myladumpara, Idukki, Kerala, India, 46pp.
ICRI (Indian Cardamom Research Institute), Annual Research Report, 2006. Spices Board, Ministry of Commerce, GoI, Myladumpara, Idukki, Kerala, India, 87pp.
Krishnakumar, V. 1995. Production and planting materials in vanilla. Spice India 8:526.
Krishnakumar, V., G.P. Bindumol, S.N. Potty, and C. Govindaraju. 2007. Processing of vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews) beans—Influence of storing fresh beans, killing temperature and duration of killing on quality parameters. J. Spices Aromatic Crops 16(1):31–37.
Krishnakumar, V., G.P. Bindumol, and S.N. Potty. 2008. Processing of vanilla (Vanilla plani-folia Andrews) beans—Effect of method, time and duration of sunning on moisture and vanillin content. J. Plant. Crops 36 (1):19–23.
Kuruvilla, K.M., V.V. Radhakrishnan, K.J. Madhusoodanan, and S.N. Potty. 1996. Floral biology of vanilla (Vanilla planifolia). Spice India 9 (8):20–23.
Kuruvilla, K.M., K. Pradipkumar, and K.J. Madhusoodanan. 2000. A descriptor for vanilla. Ind. Spices 37 (1):10–11.
Kuruvilla, K.M., Y.S. Rao, K. Mary Mathew, and K. Pradipkumar. 2003. Vanilla—Planting materials. In: Vanilla—The Prince of Spices. Spices Board, Government of India. Cochin, India.
Lubinsky, P. 2003. Conservation of wild vanilla. In: First International Congress on the Future of Vanilla Business, Protection, NJ, USA, November 11–12, 2003.
Mary Mathew, K., Y.S. Rao, K. Pradipkumar, K.J. Madhusoodanan, and S.N. Potty. 1999. In vitro culture systems in Vanilla. In: P.B. Ravi Kishor, ed. Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology. Emerging Trends. Universities Press Ltd., Hyderabad, India, 171–179.
Madhubala, R., V. Bhadramurthy, A.I. Bhat, P.S. Hareesh, S.T. Retheesh, and R.S. Bhai. 2005. Occurrence of cucumber mosaic virus on vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews) in India. J. Biosci. 30:339–350.