Planters in Indonesia grow two types of cardamom, namely local and sabrang. Local cardamom has two phenotypes, plants with a red stem base and red fruits and plants with a light green stem base and white fruits.
Local cardamom has seeds the size of mung bean seeds and fruit clusters with a slightly sweet, fruity flavor. This variety is small in size and about 1.5 meters high, so it can be planted at 1 m x 1 m intervals. It differs from Sabrang cardamom in that it is planted at a distance of 2 m x 2 m.
The common types of sabrang cardamom are the malabar and mysore types. The malabar type reaches a height of 2.5 meters. The mysore type can reach a height of 4 meters. Ideally, sabrang cardamom should be grown at medium to high altitudes, above 700 meters above sea level. Below this level, production decreases by 30-40%. This is different from the local cardamom, which is suitable for lowland areas.
Sabrang cardamom yields an average of 1.5 tonnes/ha of dry cardamom and local cardamom yields 2-3 tonnes/ha of dry cardamom. The advantage of sabrang cardamom is the high yield of essential oils, reaching 5-6% (borneol, α-terpinene, limonene, and α-terpinene), while local cardamom is about 2-2.5%. In addition, the aroma of sabrang cardamom is more intense.
