Nutmeg variety · Released variety
IISR Viswasree
Also known as Viswasree Nutmeg
ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode, Kerala · ICAR-IISR · 2001
Bold, heavy seeds with thick, well-developed whole mace; consistent yields and good oil recovery. Compact canopy, dark red mace, and low fruit rot incidence.
Key facts
| Type | Released variety |
|---|---|
| Origin | ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode, Kerala |
| Breeder / source | ICAR-IISR |
| Year released | 2001 |
| Parentage | Clonal selection from elite female mother tree |
| Yield | By 8th year: 3122 kg nuts and 480 kg mace per hectare; potential yields up to 31,220 kg nuts and 4800 kg mace per hectare by 25th year |
| Tolerance | Fruit rot (Phytophthora); low incidence of fruit rot noted |
| Distinctive features | Grafted propagation only; female or hermaphrodite clone; medium to large nuts; whole mace blades dark red when dried; seeds heavy and oily; compact bushy canopy 3–5 m tall within 9 years |
| Grown in | Widely adopted across Kerala's nutmeg belt (Thrissur, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kottayam); also Tamil Nadu and coastal Karnataka |
| Also known as | Viswasree Nutmeg |
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.
IISR Viswasree in detail
Viswasree is a clonal selection from ICAR-IISR that was bred for higher yield and quality than traditional seedling nutmeg, reaching commercial productivity by about year eight.
Origin & story
Released in 2001 by ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research in Kozhikode, Kerala, Viswasree was developed through clonal selection from elite trees.
How it grows
Trees reach 3–5 m tall with a compact, bushy canopy 3–3.5 m wide within nine years, and a trunk girth of about 45 cm. Flowering begins after 4 years. By year eight, individual trees yield around 100 fruits (1.33 kg mace, 9 kg dry nuts). Per hectare this works out to roughly 480 kg mace and 3,122 kg nuts at current production, with a potential of 4,800 kg mace and 31,220 kg nuts at full maturity. It is propagated only by grafting; seed propagation is not used because seedlings segregate (nutmeg is dioecious, so seed-grown plants vary in sex and quality).
Quality & character
Bold seeds with a shining black surface, and whole mace blades that dry dark red, with about 35% mace recovery and 70% nut recovery. Nut oil content is 7.14%, mace oil 7.13%, and oleoresin in mace 13.8%. Myristicin is high (12.48% in the nut, 22.0% in mace oil), and elemicin is also present (13.65% in nut oil, 20.8% in mace oil). It shows a low incidence of fruit rot caused by Diplodia spp.
Why it matters to buyers
The dark red mace and bold seeds are the kind of quality export markets pay more for. Good oil content and consistent quality across harvests help reduce variability in flavour and extraction yields, which matters to spice processors and exporters. Because it is grafted rather than seed-grown, it bears reliably without the sex-ratio uncertainty of seedlings, and commercial production by around year eight shortens the wait for returns.
About nutmeg
Nutmeg in India's Western Ghats is no ancient crop—it arrived on colonial spice ships and made its quiet home in Kerala's shaded homesteads over the past three centuries. Today, where farmers once relied on seedlings of mixed sex and uncertain character, ICAR-IISR in Kozhikode has released proven female clones and farmer-tested selections that turn an…
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