06 August 1985 Lincoln student grows frost resistant coriander

Frost-resistant coriander plants have been grown at Lincoln College by a postgraduate student from Bangladesh
who wanted a constant supply of coriander for his wife to use in the curries and salads prepared in the style they used back home.

When Mr Ali Imam arrived in New Zealand five years ago the only coriander on the market was in seeds or powder
sold even these and few shops

In Bangladesh most of the plant is used : the leaves, shoots and seeds are used in curries and in soups.

Leaves and shoots are used in salads, and the highly-aromatic and volatile coriandrol - oil of coriander is a popular ingredient in curries and sauces.

Coriander seeds are also used as flavouring in confectionery and liqueurs.

Mr Imam, already an established plant scientist when he arrived at Lincoln College, is working towards a doctorate.

He started growing coriander in the back garden of the house he lives in on the Lincoln College campus,

His plots are not large ; each is only a metre by two metres, and he has four plots now.

He started growing the coriander about three years ago, as he says "Because we like coriander in food and curries I was interested to have it for the whole year.

"My wife Ruba is also interested in gardening, so we jointly decided to see if we could get a supply for the whole year."

So as a hobby research interest he began experimenting with different coriander plants when he found his original plants were susceptible to frost .

And the seeds from his latest crop will be 100 per cent frost resistant, he says.

He sees frost-resistant coriander as having commercial potential, if only for the local market.

"I cannot buy coriander leaves here, and I am sure that New Zealanders will develop a taste for these.

"When I first came to New Zealand in 1980 I couldn't buy green chillis, but New Zealanders now eat these and they can be bought in ordinary shops."

Mr Imam got seeds from several different sources, then selected his own plants for seeds, and varied the times of planting.

"Really I started just for interest to see if it was easy to do. Now it is completely successful."

He describes the flavour of the coriander as "spicy but not hot."

Now he and Ruba will are able to have coriander flavouring all their meals for the rest of their stay in New Zealand.

In Bangladesh people grow coriander in small plots in their home gardens, and those who have no land buy the plant from stalls in local markets.

Coriander is also popular with the people in neighbouring India, and in Pakistan.

Mr Immam has a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree from Dhaka University, a Master of Agricultural Science degree from the Bangladesh University of Agriculture, and a postgraduate diploma in wheat production agronomy from the International Wheat and Maize Research Institute in Mexico.

His wife Ruba, a high school teacher in Bangladesh until she came to New Zealand, has a Bachelor of Science degree in botany from Dhaka University.

Coriander known botanically as coriandrum sativum is an umbeliferous plant, with double-winged leaves and small umbrella-like pink or whitish flowers, and grows about 30-60 cm high.

Cultivated in Britain and Europe, coriander is a native of Southern Europe and Asia Minor.

Once used as an aromatic and a carminative in medicine, coriander is used these days to mask any unpleasant taste or smell of some drugs.

Further information from Mr Ali Imam, Postgraduate student, Plant Science Department, Lincoln College 8150