ICRI-3
A Malabar-type variety from the Spices Board's ICRI, kept at its Regional Research Station at Sakleshpur, Karnataka. KAU describes an early maturing type with non-pubescent leaves, oblong bold parrot-green capsules and tolerance to rhizome rot. KAU lists a yield potential of 790 kg a hectare.
Quick facts
- Type
- Rhizome/sucker planting material (Malabar type)
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- Early maturing (KAU); first crop about 2 years after planting (TNAU)
- Expected yield
- Yield potential 790 kg dry capsules/ha (KAU variety table); no rainfed or irrigated split given
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- Released by ICRI (Spices Board), Regional Station Sakleshpur, Karnataka · year not given in any source read
About this variety
ICRI-3 is a Malabar-type small cardamom of the Indian Cardamom Research Institute (ICRI), Spices Board. KAU lists its source as the ICRI Regional Station at Sakleshpur, Karnataka, and describes it as an early maturing type with non-pubescent leaves and oblong, bold, parrot-green capsules, tolerant to rhizome rot, for the cardamom-growing tract of Karnataka. KAU's variety table gives a yield potential of 790 kg a hectare. The Spices Board lists ICRI-3 and ICRI-8 as its releases for the Karnataka zone. No source read gives a rainfed or irrigated yield, dry recovery, oil percentage, release year or parentage.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose ICRI-3 if your garden is in a Karnataka cardamom tract and rhizome rot has hit your plants. It is the only ICRI line KAU rates tolerant of rhizome rot, it matures early, and its listed potential, 790 kg a hectare, is the highest of the three ICRI lines in KAU's table. Against that, it has the thinnest data: no rainfed or irrigated yield, oil or dry recovery figure, release year or parentage in any source read, and no Katte or Azhukal rating. If Katte is your main problem, IISR Vijetha or Appangala 2 are the lines with a rating.
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeJune to December is the best planting period (TNAU)
- SpacingNo spacing is given for ICRI-3. TNAU lists 2.5 x 2 m for larger types and 2 x 1.5 m for smaller types, in pits of 60 x 60 x 60 cm. Ask the ICRI station at Sakleshpur which one it advises.
- FertilizerNo separate dose is given for ICRI-3. TNAU gives 25 t/ha compost with 75 kg N, 75 kg P and 150 kg K a hectare, in 2 splits: June-July and October-November.
- HarvestingKAU calls it early maturing but gives no days. TNAU: pick ripe capsules every 15 to 25 days, with the peak in October-November.
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Forest loam under shade; acidic and well drained
- pH
- 5.0 to 6.5 (TNAU)
Climate
- Climate
- KAU recommends it for the Karnataka cardamom tract and gives no rainfall or altitude range. It gives no shade advice, so use TNAU's 50 to 60% shade as the general figure for cardamom.
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
Early maturing (KAU); first crop about 2 years after planting (TNAU)
Expected yield
Yield potential 790 kg dry capsules/ha (KAU variety table); no rainfed or irrigated split given
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
Management notes
- Rhizome rot: tolerance helps but poor drainage is what lets the rot in. Keep the pits and beds well drained.
- Katte: control the banana aphid with an insecticide your KVK or the Spices Board recommends, and remove any clump with pale flecks or stripes along the leaf veins.
- Azhukal: TNAU gives 3 sprays of 1% Bordeaux mixture, 0.25% copper oxychloride or 0.2% mancozeb before the monsoon in early August and again in September.
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Tolerant to rhizome rot (KAU).
- Early maturing type with oblong bold parrot-green capsules (KAU).
- Yield potential of 790 kg a hectare, the highest of the three ICRI lines in KAU's table.
Things to consider
- The thinnest data of the three ICRI lines: one yield figure, no oil, dry recovery, release year or parentage.
- Recommended for Karnataka only; no result from Kerala or Tamil Nadu.
- No Katte or Azhukal rating.
Suitable regions
KAU names the cardamom-growing tract of Karnataka, and the Spices Board lists ICRI-3 with ICRI-8 for the Karnataka zone.
- Karnataka
ICRI-3: what is known, and what to ask before you plant
ICRI-3 is the least documented of the three ICRI lines. What the sources do say is steady: a Malabar type, early maturing, non-pubescent leaves, oblong bold parrot-green capsules, tolerant to rhizome rot, for Karnataka, from the ICRI station at Sakleshpur, with a 790 kg a hectare yield potential in KAU's table.
What they do not say is the useful part for buying planting material: the real yield under rainfed and irrigated conditions, oil and dry recovery, and the release year. Before you commit a plot, ask the Sakleshpur station for the station yield of ICRI-3 and for the clump source it sells from, and ask whether ICRI-8, the other Karnataka-zone release, would suit your tract better.
Treat 790 as a station potential, not a farm result. TNAU gives 200 to 250 kg a hectare as the ordinary farm yield for cardamom, and the ICRI-1 and ICRI-2 irrigated figures, 650 and 760, are already a long way above that.
Can you save seed from this crop?
It is not grown from seed. KAU says rhizomes with at least 3 shoots are used, and that sucker planting can spread Katte. Where Katte is widespread KAU says seedlings are safer, because the virus is not carried in seed. Take suckers only from clumps that have shown no mosaic through a full season.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Cardamom (Elaichi) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appangala 2 | Katte areas; highest station yield | 120 days from flowering to ripe capsule (IISR); first crop about 2 years after planting (TNAU) | 927 kg dry capsules/ha average; 1,393 kg/ha potential (IISR) | Karnataka, Kerala |
| Appangala-1 (Suvasini) | Bold capsules and high oil; intensive planting | 112 days from flowering to ripe capsule (IISR); first crop about 2 years after planting (TNAU) | 745 kg dry capsules/ha average; 1,322 kg/ha potential (IISR) | Karnataka, Kerala |
| CCS-1 | Early crop; close planting | Early maturing (KAU); first crop about 2 years after planting (TNAU) | 1,156 kg/ha potential (KAU table); no average published under the name CCS-1 | Karnataka, Kerala |
| ICRI-1 | South Idukki gardens with even rainfall that want a bold-capsule Malabar type | Early maturing (KAU); first crop about 2 years after planting (TNAU) | 325 kg dry capsules/ha rainfed and 650 kg/ha irrigated (TNAU eAgri); KAU lists a yield potential of 656 kg/ha | Kerala |
| ICRI-2 | Irrigated, higher-altitude gardens in Vandanmedu, Nelliampathy, Annamalai and Meghamalai | First crop about 2 years after planting (TNAU); no days to maturity given | 375 kg dry capsules/ha rainfed and 760 kg/ha irrigated (TNAU eAgri); KAU lists a yield potential of 766 kg/ha | Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| ICRI-3this page | Karnataka cardamom tracts where rhizome rot is the worry | Early maturing (KAU); first crop about 2 years after planting (TNAU) | Yield potential 790 kg dry capsules/ha (KAU variety table); no rainfed or irrigated split given | Karnataka |
| IISR Avinash | Rhizome-rot plots and valleys | 115 days from flowering to ripe capsule (IISR); first crop about 2 years after planting (TNAU) | 847 kg dry capsules/ha average; 1,483 kg/ha potential (IISR) | Karnataka, Kerala |
| IISR Kaveri | Karnataka gardens that want oil-rich capsules and some drought cover | First crop about 2 years after planting (TNAU); IISR gives no days from flowering | 482 kg dry capsules/ha under irrigation; 308 kg/ha under moisture stress; potential 562.5 kg/ha (IISR, AICRPS 2024) | Karnataka |
| IISR Manushree | Gardens with dry spells or limited water | First crop about 2 years after planting (TNAU); IISR gives no days from flowering | 550 kg dry capsules/ha under irrigation; 360 kg/ha under moisture stress; potential 1,325 kg/ha (IISR, AICRPS 2024) | Kerala, Karnataka |
| IISR Vijetha | Katte-hit plots; bold capsules | 105 days from flowering to ripe capsule (IISR); first crop about 2 years after planting (TNAU) | 643 kg dry capsules/ha average; 979 kg/ha potential (IISR) | Karnataka, Kerala |
| MCC-12 | Kerala gardens where the shade trees are thin and you want a Vazhukka line with a named record | No bearing age given for MCC-12; TNAU gives the first crop about 2 years after planting for cardamom in general | Yield potential 620 kg/ha (KAU variety table); no rainfed or irrigated split given | Kerala |
| MCC-16 | Irrigated or wet, swampy cardamom ground in the Kadamkuzhy and Udumbanchola zones of Kerala | No bearing age given for MCC-16; TNAU gives the first crop about 2 years after planting for cardamom in general | Yield potential 650 kg/ha (KAU variety table); no rainfed or irrigated split given | Kerala |
| MCC-40 | Kerala gardens, on rain alone, where you want a Vazhukka line that bears early | Early bearing (KAU), but no age or months given; TNAU gives the first crop about 2 years after planting for cardamom in general | Yield potential 443 kg/ha under rainfed conditions (KAU variety table) | Kerala |
| Mudigere-1 | Compact clump; Malnad hills | First crop about 2 years after planting (TNAU, cardamom in general) | Sources disagree: 1,000 kg/ha potential (KAU table) or 250 to 300 kg/ha (Mudigere college table) | Karnataka |
| Mudigere-2 | Karnataka hills; published average | First crop about 2 years after planting (TNAU, cardamom in general) | 475 kg dry capsules/ha average (KAU, Mudigere station) | Karnataka |
| Njallani (Green Gold) | Idukki hills; very bold capsules | First crop in about 2 years from clonal planting (NIF) | No official figure. NIF claims 1,000 kg/ha; the KAU organic trial gave 324 kg dry capsules/ha | Kerala |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Cardamom (Elaichi) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Cardamom (Elaichi) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Cardamom (Elaichi) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Cardamom (Elaichi) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Cardamom (Elaichi) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Cardamom (Elaichi) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Is ICRI-3 really tolerant of rhizome rot?
KAU's variety table says it is tolerant to rhizome rot and gives no percentage or trial behind it. Take it as a station observation. Drainage still decides whether rot spreads, so do not plant it in a spot where water stands.
What is ICRI-3's yield rainfed or irrigated?
No source read gives the split. KAU lists only the yield potential, 790 kg of dry capsules a hectare. ICRI-1 and ICRI-2 have a rainfed and irrigated figure; ICRI-3 does not. Ask the Sakleshpur station.
ICRI-3 or ICRI-8 for Karnataka?
The Spices Board lists both for the Karnataka zone. KAU gives details only for ICRI-3. If you can, ask the Sakleshpur station for a comparison on your own tract before planting more than a trial block.
Does ICRI-3 resist Katte?
No source read gives ICRI-3 a Katte rating. KAU notes only rhizome rot tolerance. For a Katte-hit area IISR points to Vijetha and Appangala 2. In any case use only suckers from clumps that showed no mosaic.
Sourced from: Varieties of cardamom — Kerala Agricultural University (CELKAU), Research highlights, varieties by zone — Spices Board India, Cardamom — TNAU Agritech Portal. editorial policy.