Analysing the Processing Ability of Cinnamon Stems Under Different Planting Systems

Abstract

Cinnamon contributes largely to the country’s economy, being one of the major agricultural export crops in Sri Lanka. But shortage of skilled cinnamon peelers is one of the major problems. Therefore, enhancement of the efficiency of processing procedure is crucial. Hence, the study was conducted to optimize the processing ability of common stems based on spatial pattern, type of planting material and harvesting interval to enhance the efficiency of cinnamon processing. Seedlings and vegetatively propagated plants (VP) of cinnamon; variety Sri Gemunu were planted under three spatial patterns as (A) 1.2×0.6 m with three plants per hill, (B) 1.2×0.4 m with two plants per hill and (C) 1.2×0.2 m with one plant per hill at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna. Stems were harvested in two planting intervals as 6 and 8 months. The study was conducted after four years from field establishment. Harvested cinnamon stems were processed with the support of a skilled cinnamon peeler. Scraping ability, rubbing ability, peeling ability and overall processing ability were recorded based on a scoring scale as, Bad-1, Normal-2, Good- 3 and Best- 4. The results revealed that, only the impact of planting material was significant ( p < 0.05) for Scraping ability, rubbing ability, peeling ability as well as overall processing ability of the cinnamon stems. Seedlings were observed to have better ability of processing than vegetatively propagated plants. Current findings can be used for further studies on efficiency enhancement of cinnamon processing.