Vol. 11, Issue 10 (2022)

Author(s):
Reshma P, Neethu RS and Sreekala GS

Abstract:
Known as the “King of spices”, black pepper is one of the most important cash crops in the world. It is a widely marketed spice as well as a plant with many medicinal properties. Black pepper is a perennial crop native to the Western Ghats of India. In its native form, it is found extensively in the evergreen forests which is a rich repository of wild relatives of black pepper. The most important and interesting aspect of black pepper diversity is its cultivar diversity. More than a hundred black pepper cultivars are known to exist in India and the main centres of variability are the southern states of India such as Kerala and Karnataka. Many molecular studies have been conducted focusing on the genetic diversity of black pepper. Diversification in plant genetic resources is very important to develop new and improved varieties with desirable traits. Most of the improved varieties released for cultivation are clonal selections from the existing landraces. Numerous surveys have found black pepper cultivars with bold berries, high pungency, oleoresin content and other desirable traits. Germplasm collection of a wide variety of landraces, natural mutants and improved varieties of black pepper will be useful for future studies and will allow genetic variation to survive without extinction.