IISR Rejatha

IISR Rejatha was released in 2001 by the ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research at Calicut as a selection from germplasm, published alongside IISR Mahima in the Journal of Spices and Aromatic Crops as one of a pair of high-yielding, high-quality ginger varieties. It is the aromatic member of the IISR line: essential oil runs 2.36%, the highest of the institute's older releases, with oleoresin at 6.34% and crude fibre at 4%. That combination of high oil and low fibre is exactly what spice processors buy on, which is why Rejatha is positioned for dry ginger, oil and oleoresin extraction rather than the fresh vegetable market. It is a medium-duration, bold-rhizome variety yielding an average 22.4 tonnes per hectare fresh, adopted mainly in Kerala.