**1. Introduction**

The cumin (*Cuminium cyminium* L.) commonly known as *Jeera* is an important seed spice crop belonging to family Apiaceae of the order Apiales. It holds more than 22% share of area under spice crops, and is the most widely grown seed spice in India with an area share of more than 48% among seed spices. In India cultivation of this spice is very popular in states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, along with some parts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh during *Rabi* season. During 2019–20, cumin was cultivated on 8.42 lakh hectares in India with total production amounting to 5.47 lakh tonnes. Rajasthan and Gujarat are the leading producers and contribute to nearly

99% of the total production of India. India as a leading producer has a world market share of 70%, followed by Syria (13%), Turkey (5%), and UAE (3%) [1]. These four countries produce about 91% of cumin of the world, while the remaining production comes from other tropical or sub-tropical Asian and African countries.

Cumin as a condiment is vital in composition of mixed spices, curry powders, and it also imparts good flavour to soups, sausages, pickles etc. Some of the bakery products such as breads and cakes are also seasoned with these seeds in Germany, while in some of the European countries it is used for flavouring cheese. This seed spice is an essential component of varied cuisines such as Iranian, Mexican, Turkish, Cuban, Indian, South East Asian and Egyptian. Cumin is a regular feature in confectionary, beverages, medicines, liquors, sausages, meat, perfumery and bread manufacturing. In food processing industries cumin is used as a preservative.

Cumin oil has a characteristic flavour and odour due to the presence of falvour component called cuminaldehyde. This seed spice possesses several medicinal properties [2] such as stomachic, carminative, antimicrobial, stimulant, and astringent properties. It is widely used traditionally for treatment of various ailments cold, fever, insomnia, flatulence, diarrhoea, and other digestive disorders [3, 4]. In Indian veterinary practice cumin is popularly used as a carminative. In lactating mothers this spice is said to enhance the secretion of milk after child birth. External application of mixture of powdered cumin, honey, salt and butter is a home remedy for scorpion bite. After essential oil extraction from cumin the by-product known as *Ark Jeera* has medicinal properties which aids in indigestion. The essential oil of cumin is known to have positive effects on nervous system, reproductive system, gastrointestinal system, and immune system. Apart from this the cumin essential oil also possesses chemoprotective, antimicrobial, hypoglycaemic, antioxidant, and hypolipidemic activity but therapeutic role of secondary metabolites remains unknown. Alcohol and water extracts of cumin have nutraceutical properties such as anti-platelet aggregation, antioxidant, anti-allergic, and hypoglycemic (**Table 1**).


#### **Table 1.**

*Nutritional composition of cumin seeds.*

*Cumin (*Cuminium cyminium *L.): A Seed Spice Crop with Adopted Production Technology… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109054*

## **1.1 Climate**

Cumin grows well in tropical and subtropical areas of world ideally situated within the 20o to 38o north latitudes. Its cultivation is done best under moderately cold dry climate. Humidity during flowering and seed setting is deleterious as the crop is susceptible to fungal diseases [7]. It is requires temperature range from 9o C to 26o C for proper growth and development. Frost at the time of flowering and early fruit sett has an adverse effect on the crop. Overall, locations having low atmospheric humidity and mild winters are most suited for cumin cultivation. Frequent rains at the time of flowering, fruit setting, and maturity leads to incidence of blight and powdery mildew in the crop.

#### **1.2 Soil**

Although cumin cultivation can be done on all type of soils, most suitable are sandy soils with low organic matter, and clay or clay loam with fair organic matter.


**Table 2.** *The details of varieties.* Soil drainage is very crucial as water stagnation and excessive moisture are harmful for the crop. High soil pH also has adverse effect on the crop and preferred range of 6.8–8.3 [8], while soil suspension EC of 14 dSm<sup>−</sup><sup>1</sup> is suitable for cumin cultivation. Saline soil or saline irrigation water results in better seed filling in cumin. Apart from deep, and shallow soil, gravely soils with good porosity and drainage are also suitable for this crop.
