Table Of ContentCumin (Cuminum cyminum)
Production and Processing
Editors
M.Kafi
M.H. Rashed Mohassel
A.Koocheki
M.Nassiri
Centre of Exellence for Special Crops
Faculty of Agriculture
Ferdowsi University of Mashhad
Iran
Boca Raton London New York
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Preface
A study of the history of agriculture reveals the success of Asian
farmers in domesticating many plants and animals. These farmers
have long been farming in an environment with scarcity of resources,
particularly water. As a result their practices were based on optimum
water utilization through appropriate cropping patterns and
enhancement of water use efficiency. Utilization of underground
water through a unique system of water extraction called ‘qanat’ or
underground conduits is documented as a technology developed by
Iranians in dry areas. Development of cropping systems based on low
water requirement for plants such as cumin is another example of
agricultural expertise of farmers in these areas. However, with the
advent of new farming technologies in the last century based on
genetic improvement, water availability and high input of chemical
fertilizers and pesticides, indigenous technologies were sidelined and
the focus shifted to new crops such as maize, soybean, potato, etc. and
local crop species were not able to compete economically with such
high yielding species and were consequently neglected. Most of these
neglected crops are in the developing countries and not much
support has been given by the international research organizations in
terms of funding. This was also the case for medicinal plants, such as
cumin, etc.
Against the above backdrop, the Center of Excellence for Special
Crops was established in the Department of Agronomy and Plant
Preface
Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad,
Iran with a mandate to conduct research on such crops. One of the
first attempts of the Center was to collect and document all the local
and international literature on cumin, the main spice crop of Iran,
India and many other countries. This book is based mainly on the
results of research conducted locally. These findings have been ana
lyzed comprehensively and compared with results from global
sources.
This book contains ten chapters. In the first chapter, history,
importance, acreage, production and utilization of cumin have been
reviewed in general. In the second chapter, botany and plant
characteristics are discussed, and in the third chapter ecophysiological
criteria of cumin is analyzed. Production technology is elaborated in
the fourth chapter and water requirement is the topic of chapter five.
Pests and diseases of cumin are reviewed in the sixth chapter, and
genetic and breeding aspects are detailed in chapter seven. Economic
aspects of cumin are the main area of chapter eight, and, in chapter
nine, processing, chemical composition and standards are described.
Finally, research strategies are enumerated in chapter ten.
The editors would like to place on record their appreciation to the
Center of Excellence for Special Crops, Department of Agronomy
and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of
Mashhad, Iran, for providing financial support which enabled
preparation of this book. We also express our gratitude to Ms Maryam
Jahani Kondori for helping us with the drawing figures given to this
book and unifying the chapters.
Mr. Tajamul Showket’s help in typesetting and preliminary editing
is highly acknowledged.
We acknowledge the undying support we received from our
families as that has been the fountainhead of inspiration and
encouragement.
July 2006 M. Kafi and Co-workers
Contents
Preface i ii
List of Contributors vii
1. Historical Background, Regions of Production, 1
and Applications of Cumin
M. Kafi
2. Botany of Cumin Species 21
M.H. RashedMohassel
3. Ecophysiology of Cumin 33
M. Kafi
4. Production Technology for Cumin 59
A. Mollafilabi
5. Irrigation of Cumin 73
A. Alizadeh
6. Diseases, Pests and Weeds 85
M. Hagian Shahri and M.H. Rashed Mohassel
7. Genetics, Breeding and in vitro Production 107
of Cumin
A. Bagheri and A. Mahmodi
vi Contents
8. Economic Aspects 115
A. Karbasi
9. Processing, Chemical Composition and 127
Standards of Cumin
A. Hemmati Kakhki and M. Sanuie Mohassel
10. Research Strategies 147
M. Kafi and A. Mollafilabi
Index 157
About the Editors 167
List of Contributors
Alizadeh A.
Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran
Bagheri A.
Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran
Hagian Shahri M.
Agriculture and Natural Research center of Khorasan, Iran
Hemmati Kakhki A.
Iranian Research Organization for Science &. Technology,
Khorasan Center, Mashhad, Iran
KafiM.
Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran
Karbasi A.
Faculty of Agriculture, Zabol University, Iran
Mahmodi A.
Dryland Research Center of North Khorasan, Iran
Mollafilabi A.
Iranian Research Organization for Science & Technology,
Khorasan Center, Mashhad, Iran
VII List of Contributors
Rashed Mohassel M.H.
Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran
Sanuie Mohassel M.
Nader Production and Processing Company, Mashhad, Iran
1
CH A P T E R
Historical Background, Regions of
Production, and Applications of
Cumin
M. Kafi
m.kafi ©ferdowsi. um.ac.ir
Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran
1-1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) is one of the most valuable medicinal
herbs and spice in the world. This plant belongs to the Apiaceae
family and is geographically distributed in south Mediterranean
and West Asia (latitudes 20-38° N and longitudes 30°- 80° E) (6,39,
42).
There are different theories about the origin of cumin. However,
based on documented evidences, it either originated in northern
Egypt, in the south Mediterranean climate or in the Middle East (10,
11, 28, 30). The presence of wild cumin plants in vast areas of south
Mediterranean, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Central Asia, Sahara and south
Pakistan indicate that these areas could be the origin of
domestication of cumin (6, 28, 39). Based on the background of
cultivation, variation of wild types, particularly other species of cumin
(Cuminum setifolium) and wide distribution of semi-wild races of
