INTRODUCTIONCinnamomum verum J. Presl, commonly known as Ceylon cinnamon is a multifaceted evergreen tree mostly well known for the usage of its bark as a spice. The plant belongs to the family Lauraceae and synonym as Cinnamomum zeylanicum as it has been originated in the up-country area of Sri Lanka. The down south area of the country owns most of the Country's cinnamon lands which approximately covering 11,159 ha in Galle district, 8,453 ha in Matara district and 3,158 ha in Hambantota district (Fonseka et al. 2018). The land area under cinnamon cultivation has been increased by 12.8% during

Background: Aegle marmelos (L.) Corr. is an important medicinal and a fruit tree belongs to the family Rutaceae possessing numerous valuable secondary metabolites. The growing commercial importance for secondary metabolites has led to a great demand in the pharmaceutical industry in recent years. Therefore, an efficient callus production protocol was developed as a tool for extracting valuable secondary metabolites from Aegle marmelos.Methods: For seeds, callus induction was observed under three conditions as with seed coat, after removing seed coat and split into two halves after removing seed coat. For callus multiplication, 1cm2 pieces of initiated calli were used. These explants were established in MS medium supplemented with combinations of 2, 4 D either with BAP or Kinetin. All experiments were arranged according to the completely randomized design (CRD) with 20 replicates at the Tissue Culture Laboratory, Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, for a period of 1 year. Percentage of fungal and bacterial contaminations and percentage of bleached explants were observed to select the best explant/s. Percentage of responded explants were observed to select the best condition for callus induction and quality of callus. Growth of callus was observed visually by giving a score. Best hormonal combination for callus multiplication was observed as fresh weight and dry weight of callus produced under each treatment.Result: High quality callus with higher growth was observed in all combinations of BAP and 2, 4 D tested: ranging from 0.5 mgL-1 to 1.5 mgL-1 BAP and 1.0 mgL-1 to 2.0 mgL-1 2,4 D in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. Initiated calli were further multiplied in MS medium supplemented with 2,4 D combined with either BAP or Kinetin. Highest amount of callus biomass was recorded in the MS medium with 0.5 mgL-1 2, 4 D and 1.0 mgL-1 Kinetin (132.58 gL-1 fresh weight). The optimized protocol could be used to produce higher amount of callus in order to extract secondary metabolites from Aegle marmelos (L).

Stevia rebaudiana is a medicinally important herb belongs to Asteraceae family. It is highly important in anti-diabetic treatments due to sweet taste with zero calorific value. Stevia is a natural alternative source to traditional sugar (sucrose) obtained from sugarcane and sugar beet. The aim of this research was to develop a protocol for mass production of this important medicinal herb for commercialization. The experiments were carried out to develop an in vitro culture technique for the mass propagation of Stevia rebaudiana using shoot tips and nodal segments in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Explants were collected from 10 weeks old mother plants maintained in shade house conditions. Surface sterilized explants were cultured on MS (Murashiege and Skoog) medium for culture establishment. Established shoot tips and nodal segment explants were transferred to MS medium containing different concentrations and combinations of BAP, Kinetin and NAA. The highest plantlet proliferation was observed in the MS medium supplemented with 0.2 mg/L NAA, 0.5 mg/L BAP and 1 mg/L Kinetin after 6 th week of ex-plant establishment. Rooting was observed in the MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg L -1 of IBA and 0.2 mg L -1 IAA leading to a successful plantlet regeneration with well-developed shoots and roots that are ready for acclimatization. Highest survival percentage (90%) was observed using coco-pellet as a substrate under high humid conditions.

Cinnamon is one of the most important export crops in Sri Lanka, which generates a considerable amount of foreign exchange for the country. Therefore, special emphasis should be given to enhancing its production as well as quality. Hence, the study was conducted to evaluate some important quantitative and qualitative aspects of the cinnamon yield, namely, cumulative bark yield, bark dry matter percentage, biological yield, the composition of the biological yield and organoleptic properties under some modified planting systems. Seedlings and vegetatively propagated plants of cinnamon variety Sri Gemunu were planted under three different spatial patterns 1.2×0.6 m with three plants per hill, 1.2×0.4 m with two plants per hill and 1.2×0.2 m with one plant per hill while maintaining equal planting density in a unit area. Plants were harvested according to two harvesting intervals, 6 and 8 months and required measurements were taken. According to the results, the effect of harvesting interval and the interaction effect between planting material and the spatial pattern was significant (p < 0.05) for the cumulative cinnamon bark yield for two years (kg/ha). However, tested factors were not significant (p < 0.05) for the bark dry matter percentage. In contrast, the effects of harvesting interval and planting materials were significant (p < 0.05) for the biological yield of cinnamon plants. When considering the composition of the aboveground biological yield of cinnamon plants, the interaction effect between planting material and the spatial pattern was significant (p < 0.05) for the percentages of all components (bark, leaves, stem wood, scrape, immature stems and the un-peelable portion of the mature stems and branches). Vegetatively propagated plants consist of a higher bark oil content and a cinnamaldehyde percentage than seedlings. In contrast, seedlings consist of higher eugenol and cinnamyl acetate percentage than vegetatively propagated plants. When considering benzyl benzoate, β-linalool and β-caryophyllene, an impact from the tested factors was not observed.

Cinnamon is a well-recognized invaluable spice used worldwide throughout centuries for numerous purposes. Sri Lankan history has been greatly influenced by the cinnamon trade as the birthplace of this valuable crop. Even today, cinnamon plays an important role in the Sri Lankan economy, being the fourth export agricultural crop that acquires a considerable amount of foreign exchange to the country. Although a considerable amount of foreign exchange is earned through the cinnamon trade, the existing potential is still under-exploited. Low productivity of cinnamon lands and lower-grade cinnamon quills have been identified as major bottlenecks to prevent reaching the potential income. The majority of cinnamon is exported as quills. Therefore, the objective of this review was to gather available literature and formulate a comprehensive analysis of three main aspects considering the quantitative and qualitative enhancement of cinnamon quill production, namely yield indices, bush architecture, and type of planting materials. According to the literature, the productivity of cultivations can be enhanced by optimizing one or more yield indices of cinnamon. At the same time, stems suitable for producing higher-grade quills can be obtained by optimizing the bush architecture. Simultaneously, the optimum conditions for higher productivity and quality can differ for seedlings and vegetatively propagated plants.