Nutmeg (Myristica Fragrans Houtt)-The Twin Spice-A Review

The nutmeg is unique among tree spices as it is the donor of the two distinct spices, nutmeg and mace. Nutmeg is the seed kernel inside the fruit and mace is the covering (aril) on the kernel. Both mace and nutmeg are used as condiment and medicine. It is native of Indonesia (Moluccas Islands). In India it is cultivated in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, North East India and Andamans. The area, production and productivity in our country is very low and it is mainly due to the non adoption of improved crop management and post harvest handling technologies, decline in area under cultivation and incidence of pest and diseases. Hence, the innovations made in various crop improvement, production, protection and post harvest handling techniques are reviewed here.