Multivariate analysis of cardamom in Karnataka

Cardamom is an important spice crop of India. Extensive cardamom germplasm collections have been made from wild and cultivated growing areas of four districts of Karnataka. The principal component analysis and the non-hierarchical cluster analysis segregated the accessions collected from Hassan district. The environmental factors like temperature, rainfall, altitude and soil studied with DIVA GIS software indicated that rainfall pattern, soil and the slope of the landscape of Hassan district is different from other three districts. The study also provides information about soil structure and rainfall pattern which decides the suitability of a region for cardamom cultivation.