Table of Contents
Introduction
A lesser known spice, mango ginger is botanically called Curcuma amda. It belongs to the family Zingiberaceae.
Taxonomical hierarchy of mango ginger
Kingdom: Plantae
Super division: Spermatophyta
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Monocotyledonae
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Zingiberaceae
Genus: Curcuma
Species: C. amada Roxb.
In sanskrit it is called “Amrardraka” or “Karpooraharidra“. (Other synonyms : Darvibheda, Amragandha, Surabhidaru, Karpura padmapatra, Surimat and Surataraka)
In Hindi it is called “Amba-haldi”.
In Kannada it is called “Maavu shunti“.
Geographically, this genus can be found from India to Thailand, Indo-China, Malaysia, Indonesia and northern Australia.
They originated in the Indo-Malayan region and distributed widely in the tropics from Asia to Africa and Australia
In India, limited cultivation of mango ginger takes place in West Bengal, Assam, the Western Ghats, the Konkan coast, and Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, and Kerala.
2 species of Curcuma (out of 10) are found in India as both wild forms and cultivated forms, C. amada and C. zedoaria.
C. aeruginosa, C. brog, C. caesia and C. sylvatica can be found in wild conditions in the northeastern part of India.
In south India, C. malabarica and C. aromatica grow, while C. raktakanta and C. harita grow throughout Kerala
Mango ginger plant description
Contrary to what the name suggests, mango ginger is botanically related to turmeric and not ginger.
Even though it is a perennial crop, its underground rhizomes are cultivated as an annual crop.
The mango ginger plant resembles turmeric in terms of its morphology, but it only grows for a short time of six months.
At first glance, the mango ginger looks like ginger. However, it does not have the pungent taste similar to ginger. It has a somewhat sweet aroma like an unripe mango.
Outside, the rhizome is pale yellow or green in colour, while inside, it is lighter in color.
Chemical Composition of mango ginger
Mango ginger is rich in fiber and starch. Mango ginger contains 2 – 3.5 percent fiber.
Proximate and nutrient analysis of edible rhizome plays a crucial role in assessing their nutritional significance and nutraceutical quality. The mango ginger rhizome was found to be a rich source of fibres and starch
When mango ginger is processed through steam distillation, it produces a pale yellow coloured volatile oil.
The oil has a camphoraceous ginger fragrance.
The oil contains α and β-curcumene, α-pinene, Camphor, Mystic acid and Turmerion. Curcumin is the colouring agent.
Among the 68 volatile aroma components present in the essential oil of mango ginger rhizome, car-3-ene and cis-ocimene are primarily responsible for its mango flavor.
The cis- and trans-hydroocimene, ocimene and myrcene were found to be the major compounds present in the volatile oils of C. amada, which indicates that the aroma of mango ginger is a mixture of characteristic compounds found in both raw mango and turmeric
Properties and uses of mango ginger
Following are some of the uses of mango ginger :
1 . Mango ginger and its medicinal properties are well documented in Ayurveda.
The above Sanskrit verse means :
Raw mango flavoured ginger has a cooling effect on
the body. It aggravates Vata.
It also pacifies deranged Pitta, cures all types of
itching and skin diseases.
This genus contains many species that are valuable for production of medicines, dyes, and spices.
Ginger mango is claimed to have multiple medicinal properties, including appetizers, alexterics, antipyretics, aphrodisiacs and laxatives.
Additional health benefits of C. amada rhizome reported were biliousness, itching, skin diseases, Asthma and inflammation due to injuries and turmeric
2. It is regarded as a diuretic, maturant, emollient, expectorant, antipyretic, and appetizer in Unani systems of medicine.
Moreover, several reports have demonstrated the C. amada rhizome’s ability against inflammation in the mouth and ear, gleet, ulcers on the male sex organs, scabies, lumbago and stomatitis
3. Mango ginger has the typical exotic flavor of unripe raw mangos. Consequently, it is used in food industry as an ingredient in pickles, preserves, candies, sauces, curries, and salad dressings.
4. Mango ginger is antibacterial due to its difurocumenonol, amadannulen, and flavonoids.
An extract of mango ginger rhizomes dissolved in chloroform was tested for antibacterial activity against the following bacteria: P.aeruginosa M. luteus, S.aureus,, E. coli, S. typhi, E. fecalis, B. subtilis, B. cereus K. pneumoniae, Y. enterocolitica, E. aerogenes, P. mirabilis, and L. monocytogenes.
The mango ginger rhizome was found to possess significant antibacterial activity against several types of bacteria, including S. aureus, S. typhi, S. dysenteriae, P. aeruginosa, P. mirabilis, C. albicans and C. trophicali.
5. Cholesterol lowering : Mango ginger powder was administered to wistar rats. It significantly reduced the blood cholesterol level. This study suggested that curcumin content might be responsible for lowering of cholesterol.
6. Antifungal : Mango ginger extract exhibited strong antifungal actiovity against F. moniliforme, Curvularia palliscens, A. terreus, Aspergillus niger, and F. falcatum fungal strains.
Mango ginger essential oil might be antifungal because of myrcene and pinene volatile compounds.
7. Anti hyperglycemic : Hyperglycemia means high blood glucose. Studies have shown mango ginger extract to reduce blood sugar level.
The extract was administered to alloxan-induced diabetic and normal mice. The blood glucose levels of mice were reduced by 25%, 48%, 63%, 67%, 68% and 68% at various doses of 150, 250, 350, 450, 550, and 650 mg/kg, respectively.
Source : D. Syiem, W. Monsang Sh, R. Sharma. (2010). Hypoglycemic and antihyperglycemic activity of Curcuma amada Roxb. in normal and alloxan-induced diabetic mice. Pharmacologyonline. 3: 364-372.
8. Anthelmintic property : Mango ginger also has characteristics of eliminating the infections and diseases related to parasitic worms (such as tapeworm, roundworms and trematodes) in animals.
Source : G. Randeep, K. Vandna, S. Amandeep. (2011). Phytochemical investigation and evaluation of anthelmintic activity of Curcuma amada and Curcuma caesia-A comparative study. J Ethnopharmacol. 2: 1-4.
9. Antitubercular property : The chloroform extract of mango ginger exhibited strong antitubercular properties.
Source : S. Singh, J.K. Kumar, D. Saikia, K. Shanker, J.P. Thakur, A.S. Negi, S. Banerjee. (2010). A bioactive labdane diterpenoid from Curcuma amada and its semisynthetic analogues as antitubercular agents. European journal of medicinal chemistry. 45(9): 4379-4382.
10. Antispermatogenic property : Some of the studies conducted on mice and humans have also suggested that mango ginger extract significantly enhanced sperm count, testosterone levels, and motility.
Source : D.R. Siddappa, R. Babu, S. Jilani, S.R. Basha, V. Veena, G. Kumar. (2015). Preclinical evaluation of antispermatogenic activity of Curcuma amada on cell phone radiation induced infertility in rats. Indian Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Biotechnology. 3(6): 434.
11. Anticancer properties : In one study, mango ginger leaves and rhizomes were extracted in methanol and tested for anti-cancer activity against breast cancer.
Source : S. Gupta, Baby Care Skin Protectant Compositions for Diaper Rash. In Google Patents: 2003.
Source : J. Sivaprabha, B. Dharani, P. Padma, S. Sumathi. (2015). Induction of DNA damage by the leaves and rhizomes of Curcuma amada Roxb in breast cancer cell lines. Journal of Acute Disease. 4(1): 12-17.
12. Antioxidant properties : Phytochemicals such as phenols and flavonoids are responsible for plants’ antioxidative properties
Different solvent extracts and essential oils of mango ginger rhizomes showed strong antioxidant properties.
Antioxidant activity may be attributed to curcumis and curcuminoide.
Source : A. Tamta, O. Prakash, H. Punetha, A. Pant. (2016). Chemical composition and in vitro antioxidant potential of essential oil and rhizome extracts of Curcuma amada Roxb. Cogent Chemistry. 2(1): 1168067
13. Anti-Pyretic properties : The extract of mango ginger has also shown antipyretic properties (reducing or eliminating fever).
Mango ginger may be antipyretic due to its tannins, alkaloids, steroids, and glycosides compounds.
Source : P. Kumar, T. Mangilal, J.K. PriyaAS, R. Banu. (2015). Evaluation of antipyretic activity of aqueous extract of curcuma amada. Human Journals. 3(3): 291-301.
Mango ginger farming guide
This crop has a wide variety of uses as a vegetable, spice, condiment, and medicine, making it a promising crop for agribusiness.
Its ability to tolerate shade is an additional advantage which should be leveraged.
Therefore, it can be safely included as a component of an inter-cropping situation or when many species of crops are grown on a homestead.
Soil and climate for mango ginger farming
A fertile soil with good drainage is ideal for farming mango ginger. Sandy loams are also suitable for mango ginger farming.
Considering that it is a shade-tolerant crop, it can be grown in partially shaded conditions or as one of the crops on homesteads where a variety of crops are being farmed.
Ideally, mango ginger should be cultivated in a humid tropical climate with high rainfall of at least 1500 mm per year.
Varieties of mango ginger for farming
Mango ginger cultivation is mostly limited to local varieties.
There is, however, a new variety called “Amba” which has been released for cultivation by High Altitude Research Station, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Pottangi.
Land preparation for mango ginger farming
Plowing and thoroughly breaking up clods should be done to prepare the field for planting.
After this, leveling should be done between February and March.
By the month of April, pre-monsoon showers should have begun. After the pre-monsoon shower, the beds for planting mango ginger should be prepared.
The beds should measure 1.2 meters wide, 25 cm high, and have a 40 cm spacing between them.
30-40 tonnes / ha of cattle manure or compost should be mixed well with soil and spread over the beds.
Propagation of mango ginger
Mango ginger rhizomes are the means of propagating the crop.
Propagation can be done with whole or split rhizomes, or with well-developed, healthy and disease-free rhizomes.
A standard has been established for mango ginger micropropagation.
When cultured on B5 medium containing NAA (0.5 mg/l) and BA (4 mg/l), the rhizome explant produces both the shoot and root simultaneously.
A 60-70% field establishment rate may be expected from the invitro-grown plants.
Planting of mango ginger
The whole or split mother rhizomes or finger rhizomes, weighing between 15-20 grams, are suitable for planting in April and May-June.
Small pits of depth 4-5 cm are dug in the beds at a spacing of 25 x 30 cm for planting local and Amba varieties.
A one-hectare area requires approximately 1500 kg of seed rhizomes. (Seed rate for mango ginger = 1.5 tonnes / ha).
Manures and Fertilizers for mango ginger farming
The maximum yield can be achieved by supplying 30 kg of nitrogen, 30 kg of phosphorus, and 60 kg of potassium per hectare of land. This can be done with the help of inorganic fertilizers.
For a basal dose, the full dose of P plus half of the dose of K can be applied.
After planting, two thirds of N can be applied after 30 days.
60 days after planting, a third of the nitrogen and the rest of the potash may be applied.
*A must read : Biofertilizers
Irrigation for mango ginger farming
Mango ginger is a rain-fed crop.
However, during dry periods and at harvest time, supplementary irrigation may be necessary for mango ginger.
*A must read : Drip irrigation
*A must read : Furrow irrigation
Weed control in mango ginger farming
In 3-4 weeks after planting, the rhizomes will sprout.
Weeding is done after 45 days of planting, and it is repeated if necessary.
Immediately after planting, the crop should be mulched with green leaves at a rate of 15 tons per hectare.
Using 7.5 tons of green leaves per hectare, repeat mulching after 50 days.
60 days after planting, the mango ginger crop can be earthed up.
*A must read : Weed herbicide resistance
Pest and Diseases control in mango ginger farming
This crop is relatively pest-free and disease-free compared to ginger and turmeric, which are related crops.
However, shoot borer (Dichocrosis punctiferalis) disease can cause considerable damage to the mango ginger crop when big scale farming is performed.
The infected plants should with an appearance of dead-heart should be immediately uprooted and removed from the field.
Dimethoate can be sprayed over the crops if the infestation seems to be severe.
Harvesting and Yield in mango ginger farming
When the leaves begin to dry up, harvesting time is approaching.
With a spade, you can lift the entire plant and cut away the top portion after six months.
Roots and soil particles are removed from the rhizomes by washing with water, and it is advisable to dry them for a few days (1-2 days) in the shade before storing or transporting.
Growing a few mango ginger plants in a homestead or kitchen garden may serve as a remedy for some of the common stomach disorders, in addition to being used in food.
Partial harvesting, which consists of removing a portion of the rhizome from the plant according to the family’s needs, is also practiced in Kerala and Karnataka.
30-40 tonnes of fresh rhizomes are expected to be harvested per hectare.
1 to 1.5 kg of mango ginger rhizomes can be harvested from a plant.
