1. Introduction
Ginger (
2. Botanical character
The leafy stems of ginger grow about a metre high. The leaves are 6–12 inches (15–30 cm) long, elongate, alternate in two vertical rows and arise from sheaths enwrapping the stem. The flowers are in dense cone-like spikes about 1-inch thick and 2–3 inches long that are composed of overlapping green bracts, which may be edged with yellow. Each bract encloses a single, small, yellow-green and purple flower. The consumed portion of the ginger plant is the rhizome, often called “ginger root”, although it is not an actual root. The rhizome is the horizontal stem of the plant that sends out the roots [2].
3. The history of ginger cultivation
Ginger, an herbaceous perennial plant of the family Zingiberaceae, probably native to southeastern Asia [3], or its aromatic, pungent rhizome, is used as a spice, flavouring, food and medicine. Its generic name
4. Ginger is mainly used as spice and flavouring agent for food
Ginger is well-known as spice and flavouring agent for food [5]. Ginger is used in cooking, in various forms such as immature ginger, mature fresh ginger, dry ginger, ginger oil, ginger oleoresin, dry-soluble ginger, ginger paste and ginger emulsion. It is rich in secondary metabolites, namely, the oleoresins, contributing widely the pungency and flavours. Ginger (
5. Ginger consumption is known for its health benefits
Ginger is an excellent source of several bioactive phenolics, including nonvolatile pungent compounds such as gingerols, paradols, shogaols and zingerones. Ginger is also used in traditional oriental medicine (Ayurvedic, Chinese and Unani systems of medicine) since antiquity (>2500 years) to treat different diseases that include rheumatoid arthritis, sprains and muscular aches, sore throats, nausea, constipation and indigestion, fever, infectious diseases and helminthiasis [8, 9]. It is particularly valued in medicine as a carminative and stimulant to the gastrointestinal tract. Ginger consumption is known for its health benefits and widely known to be used in Ayurvedic formulations and Chinese medicine. It is stimulative in nature and helps in relieving indigestion, stomach ache, diarrhoea and nausea. It is widely used to cure common cold, cough and congestion. Clinical studies have demonstrated it to be antiemetic, antiulcer, anti-platelet, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant in nature [10, 11]. Ginger has many uses as home remedies and can be used to help arthritis, diarrhoea, flu, headache, heart and menstrual problems, diabetes, stomach upset and motion sickness. Wide studies have been taken up involving ginger to cure complex diseases such as cancers to the chronic conditions of migraines.
6. Germplasm and varieties
There are many genetic resources which were collected and preserved in the word. Zingiberis family includes about 50 genera and 1300 species of ginger which are known to exist worldwide [12, 13, 14, 15]. They occur in different parts of the world, namely, Japan, Australia, Haiti, Bangladesh, Jamaica, Sri Lanka and Nigeria. However, most of the varieties used in commercial production were reported from India and China [16, 17]. Several cultivars of ginger are grown in different ginger-growing areas in India, and they are generally named after the localities where they are grown [3]. Some of the prominent indigenous cultivars of ginger grown in India are Himachal, Maran, Kuruppampady, Wayanad, Varadha, etc. Exotic cultivars such as Rio de Janeiro have also become very popular among cultivars [3]. Maran, Nadia, Karakkal and Rigodi are suited for high dry ginger. Varieties like Ernadn Chrnad, China and Rio de Janeiro provide high oleoresin content. Sleve local, Narasapattam and Himachal are suited for high volatile oil. Rio de Janeiro, China, Wayanad, Maran and Varadha are suited for green ginger. The production of many very popular varieties used in China is exporting to other countries [18, 19]. The most famous varieties includes Laiwu ginger, Tongling ginger, Pinghu ginger, Laifeng ginger, etc. Due to vegetatively propagated characteristic, in vitro techniques, namely, micropropagation techniques [20], somatic embryogenesis [21], somatic hybridization[21], germplasm conservation, transgenics and mutation breeding, are mostly used [21, 22].
7. Production and disease arrangement during the cultivation
Ginger crop is affected by insect pests, pathogenic and non-pathogenic diseases [23] and severely by various pathogenic diseases of viral, bacterial, fungal and nematode origin, which reduces its potential yields drastically [24]. Among the various diseases, soft rot, yellows,
8. Biological management is a prosperous way to control ginger diseases
Application of a mixture of biological bacteria could be very promising to increase rhizome production [25, 26, 27, 28]. By using resistant or less susceptible cultivars of ginger, the disease can be managed to a great extent [17].
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