Aspects of Plant Sciences: Plantation and Agri-Horticultural Resources of Kerala

The present treatise on the Plantation and agri-horticultural crops of Kerala, has been prepared on the invitation of the chairman, State Committee on the Science and Technology, Kerala (SCST) extended to the Director (Prof. A Abraham). Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Trivandrum. (TBG & RI) as a part of the overall programme of the SCST to take stock of the Natural Resources of Kerala. The Director.TBG & RI, assigned the responsibility to me, with the suggestion that the account should serve to lay a foundation for economic plant research in Kerala, towards which the TBG & RI is envisaged to play a key role. In fact, the present subject, forms a part of the study of Economic Botany of Kerala, in which I have been engaged at the TBG & RI. The present treatise is envisaged to provide the fundamental knowledge on the various aspects of plant husbandry, industry and commerce of the plantation and agri-horticultural crops of Kerala, and to provide a visual spectrum of the agricultural scene in the region. While the information on individual plants can not be claimed original, the present account is the first comprehensive treatment on the subject, and should serve as an encyclopaedic reference report on the Plantation and agri-horticultural crops of the region.