12 Jul Long pepper: A successful inter crop in grown up oil palm gardens
पिपली: तेल खजूर के बडे बागानों के लिए आर्दश अंत:फसल Java long pepper (Piper chaba Hunter syn. Piper retrofractum Vahl.) is one among Panchakola group of spices. Its fruits and roots are used in preparation of ayurvedic medicines for treating indigestion, abdominal colic, poisoning, haemorrhoids, anorexia etc. It is native of South and South East Asia and commonly seen in Assam, Tripura and West Bengal in India. Because of medicinal and aromatic properties, its commercial production is picking up as an inter crop in coconut, areca nut and oil palm gardens in South India. It is perennial with climbing growth habit and performing satisfactorily even under dense shade (75%) of oil palm. Cultivation of long pepper in grown up oil palm gardens is slowly picking up and its area is about 3000 acres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states. पिपली के फल Botany Java long pepper Java long pepper belongs to family Piperaceae. It is short knarled perennial in nature, glabbrous, fleshy climber with adhesive roots. Leaves are stalked, alternate, lanceolate on the vine and chordate on runners. Inflorescence is pedunculate flower spike that comes from main stem node opposite to leaf. It flowers and bears fruits round the year. The fruit is drupe which is light green in colour when it is matured, red when ripened...