MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC CROPS (2+1)

Types and varieties

• C. cinerariaefolium, grown on the Eastern Coast of the Adriatic sea, is called Dalmatian pyrethrum. While, the Japanese pyrethrum also derived from C. cinerariaefium, is similar to the Dalmatian pyrethrum in appearance. The concentration of active principles (pyrethrin) in the Dalmatian and Japanese type of pyrethrum flowers range from 0.38 to 0.58 and 0.58 to 1.21%, respectively. The pyrethrum grown in Kenya and other African countries, known as the Kenya pyrethrum, has a higher pyrethrin content of 1.43 to 1.89%.


• There are three varieties of pyrethrum viz., KKL-1 released from TNAU, ‘Hansa’ and ‘Jhelum’ released from CIMAP, Lucknow for cultivation. Recently, ‘Sel-2’ with 86% more flowers than ‘Hansa’ has been developed at the Kodaikanal Centre of CIMAP.