Aswathy

Aswathy is one of three somaclonal ginger varieties, with Athira and Karthika, developed at the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology of Kerala Agricultural University at Vellanikkara. Somaclonal means they were regenerated through tissue culture and then selected out of the genetic variation that process throws up, rather than being crossed or picked from a field landrace, which makes them one of the more unusual routes to a named ginger anywhere. The programme targeted three traits simultaneously: yield, disease resistance and gingerol content. Aswathy is the highest-yielding of the trio at around 23 tonnes per hectare and the only one with bold rather than medium-bold rhizomes, which is why Kerala extension material recommends it specifically for the fresh-ginger market rather than for drying. Under organic management it has recorded 16.7 tonnes per hectare, outperforming its two siblings.