Cinnamon variety · Released variety
PPI(C)1 (Pechiparai cinnamon)
Also known as PPI(C)1, Pechiparai selection, true cinnamon from Tamil Nadu
Horticultural Research Station, Pechiparai, TNAU, Tamil Nadu · TNAU
Extreme longevity (trees retained to 50 years); drought and pest-resistant; excellent for repeated coppicing (18-24 month cycles). Herbaceous regrowth favours leaf oil extraction.
Key facts
| Type | Released variety |
|---|---|
| Origin | Horticultural Research Station, Pechiparai, TNAU, Tamil Nadu |
| Breeder / source | TNAU |
| Parentage | Open-pollinated seedling selection maintained at HRS Pechiparai |
| Yield | Reported ~980 kg dry bark/hectare; optimal yield from 5+ harvests over plantation life |
| Tolerance | Drought tolerant; pest and disease resistant; suitable for marginal rainfall zones |
| Distinctive features | Rapid shoot recovery; suited to lower elevations (100-500 m) with high rainfall. Vigorous coppicing ideal for Kerala's humid coastal and mid-altitude tracts. |
| Grown in | Kerala (coastal and lower midlands), Tamil Nadu (Kanyakumari, Thiruvananthapuram districts) |
| Also known as | PPI(C)1, Pechiparai selection, true cinnamon from Tamil Nadu |
Figures are indicative, compiled from public agricultural sources (ICAR institutes, State Agricultural Universities, the Spices Board and the National Innovation Foundation) and vary with soil, season and management. Confirm with your local package of practices.
PPI(C)1 (Pechiparai cinnamon) in detail
A long-lived cinnamon selection from TNAU's Pechiparai research station, bred for vigorous coppicing and leaf oil over 18–24 month cycles in humid, lower-altitude regions.
Origin & story
PPI(C)1 was selected from open-pollinated clones maintained at the Horticultural Research Station (HRS), Pechiparai, under Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. It came out of the station's tree-spice improvement work for high-rainfall, lower-elevation tracts. No specific release year is documented in available sources.
How it grows
Suited to lower elevations (100–500 m) with high rainfall and a wide range of soils. Trees can be retained for up to 50 years. The variety is meant for repeated coppicing on 18–24 month cycles, producing good shoot recovery and herbaceous regrowth that favours leaf oil extraction. June–July is the best harvest season. It yields about 980 kg of bark per hectare on coppicing—248.42 kg quills and 731.58 kg chips and dust—around 25% higher than Pechiparai local. It shows drought tolerance and pest/disease resistance, and is well adapted to Kerala's humid coastal and mid-altitude tracts where coppicing is standard.
Quality & character
Oil recovery is 3.3% in the leaf and 2.9% in the bark. The herbaceous regrowth from coppicing favours leaf oil extraction, while bark is processed into quills and broken pieces in the usual way.
Why it matters to buyers
Traders and processors value this variety for its steady bark output, high leaf oil recovery on coppiced regrowth, and the ability to harvest repeatedly over decades from one planting. The roughly 25% yield gain over the local Pechiparai type and the long tree life make it attractive for growers in high-rainfall zones, and its drought and pest resistance helps in tougher conditions.
About cinnamon
Cinnamon in India spans two botanical worlds: true cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), the rare, delicate quill-spice prized for low coumarin and high cinnamaldehyde, thrives in Kerala's Western Ghats from ancient plantings in Kannur and Kottayam; and cassia—Chinese (C. cassia), Indonesian (C. burmannii), Vietnamese (C. loureiroi)—cheaper and peppery, now grown…
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Other cinnamon varieties
- Navashree (C. verum)
- Nithyashree (C. verum)
- YCD-1 (Yercaud cinnamon)
- Konkan Tej
- Sugandhini (ODC-130, C. verum)
- True Cinnamon / Cinnamomum verum (botanical type)
- Cassia / Cinnamomum cassia (botanical type)
- Cinnamomum burmannii (Indonesian/Korintje cassia)
- Cinnamomum loureiroi (Saigon cinnamon, Vietnamese cinnamon)
From the Western Ghats
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