Spectrum of variation in land races and different morphological characters of betel vine

Betel vine (Piper betle L.) is a dioecious perennial cash crop and its cultivation is referred as most distinctive agricultural industry. This crop had been referred in the ancient Indian literature dating back to AD 473. Betel leaf had an esteemed position in human society from the dawn of civilization. The origin of betel vine is believed to be in Malaysia or in surrounding East Asian region. Eight crore sq. km. area in the whole of the world is estimated to be under betel vine cultivation. According to Mabberley (1997), of the 2000 cultivars of P. betle distributed in the whole world, ten were available in Nepal. Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the other important countries with respect to variability in land races. Based on the morphological characters and essential oil content, Singh (1994) grouped betel vine varieties in India into five main groups viz., Bangla, Desawari, Kapoori, Sanchi and Meetha. Meetha was grown on commercial scale in West Bengal only. The important morphological characters of betel vine include plant height internodal colour, number of lateral branches, number of leaves, leaf area and weight etc. All these characters influence yield and consumer acceptability.