Agronomic research on medicinal and aromatic plants in India - Status and future research needs

Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) are increasingly perceived as diversification crops in Indian agriculture. Development of suitable agronomic practices for MAPs is crucial to convert these plants into economically viable components in existing cropping systems. The agronomic research conducted on various MAPs in different regions in India has been reviewed. The review covers different areas of agronomic research such as nutrient management, cropping systems, water management, weed control, crop husbandry, environmental factors and secondary metabolite production, post harvest methods, utilization of marginal/problem soils and organic farming. Establishing value chains to develop MAPs based enterprises in rural areas has been emphasized. An attempt has been made to highlight important research carried out on these crops along with suggestions for future research in the above areas. New directions for conducting agronomic research in MAPs have been given.