The genus Cinnamomum consists of about 250 species spread globally. Out of these, C. verum (C. zeylanicum), also known as true cinnamon or Ceylon cinnamon, has gained worldwide attention due to its culinary uses and medicinal values. Sri Lanka is the largest true cinnamon producer in the world and accounts for about 80–90% of global production. Other than the cultivated species, Sri Lankan natural vegetation is home to seven endemic wild species of the genus Cinnamomum. While these are underutilized, proper identification and characterization are essential steps in any sustainable conservation and utilization strategies. Currently, species identification is purely based on morphological traits, and intraspecific diversity has made it more challenging. In this study, all the eight Cinnamomum species found in Sri Lanka, C. capparu-coronde, C. citriodorum C. dubium, C. litseifolium, C. ovalifolium, C. rivulorum, C. sinharajaense, and C. verum were collected in triplicates and identified using typical morphological traits. DNA extracted with the same collection was assessed with universal barcoding regions, rbcL, matK, and trnH-psbA. While no intraspecific sequence differences were observed in C. citriodorum, C. rivulorum, and C. verum, the others had polymorphic sites in one, two, or all regions assessed. Interestingly, two individuals of C. sinharajaense had identical barcodes to the cultivated species C. verum, while the other one had one variable cite in matK region and three cites in trnH-psbA reigon. Further, one C. dubium and one C. capparu-coronde accession each had identical, rbcL, and trnH-psbA sequences while those had only a single nucleotide variation observed in matK region. Overall, the phylogeny of Cinnamomum species found in Sri Lanka could not be completely resolved with DNA barcoding regions studied.

Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume is a commercially important species cultivated in Sri Lanka and traded as Ceylon cinnamon or true cinnamon. In addition, seven endemic wild species of the genus Cinnamomum have been reported in Sri Lanka. The literature on wild relatives of C. dubium, C. capparucoronde, C. citriodorum, C. litseaefolium, C. ovalifolium, C. rivulorum and C. sinharajaense is limited. Therefore, proper field level identification and differentiation of both wild and cultivated species are critical for the conservation and utilization of such species. Since the cinnamon is a crosspollinated species, intra-species diversity is also a possibility. Our work focused on inter-and intra-species diversity of Cinnamomum leaf morphology to develop a "Leaf Morphological Index" for field-level identification of reported species. Forty accessions, representing a minimum of two from each species, collected from natural and cultivated habitats, were assessed with 12 morphological characters. The highest within-species variation was observed in C. zeylanicum, followed by C. dubium. Of the morphological characters, five-leaf traits, leaf shape, apex, base, venation, and size significantly contributed to the main principle components. Therefore, those traits were used for developing a leaf morphological index. The morphological index could distinguish all the species at the field level.

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The demand for Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum syn. C. zeylanicum ) is consistent due to its superior characteristics. Besides that, Sri Lanka is home to seven other wild species: Cinnamomum capparu-coronde, Cinnamomum citriodorum, Cinnamomum dubium, Cinnamomum litseifolium, Cinnamomum ovalifolium, Cinnamomum rivulorum, and Cinnamomum sinharajaense. Since cinnamon bark contains more than seventy bioactive compounds, it possesses various pharmacological and health benefits, including antimicrobial activity. Even though there is some literature on the antimicrobial activity and chemical composition of C. verum, wild species have not been studied yet. The present study evaluated the antimicrobial activity and biochemical compounds of Cinnamomum species found in Sri Lanka using bark methanol extract and crude. Trans-cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl alcohol, cinnamyl acetate, coumaric acid, and coumarin were quantified using HPLC techniques. The antimicrobial properties were evaluated by disc diffusion assay against two standard pathogenic strains, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853. There were no detectable coumarin or coumaric acid levels in any of the species. The highest transcinnamaldehyde content and antimicrobial activity were observed in C. verum, followed by C. sinharajaense and C. capparu-coronde. Further, C. ovalifolium, C. dubium, and C. rivulorum did not show positive inhibition zones against the two pathogenic strains and detectable levels of transcinnamaldehyde. Moreover, the results showed a strong positive correlation between antimicrobial activity and transcinnamaldehyde content. The results suggest that the antibacterial activity of C. sinharajaense and C. capparucoronde should be tested against a broader range of pathogenic strains and could be useful in future breeding programs.

The genus Cinnamomum of the family Lauraceae is an economically important crop. The Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum syn. C. zeylanicum) has an exceptional position in the global cinnamon market. In addition to the cultivated species, Sri Lanka is home to seven endemic wild Cinnamomum species, C. capparu-coronde, C. citriodorum, C.

Turmeric is mainly grown as monocrop or intercrop in wet and intermediate zones of Sri Lanka. However, promoting the dry zone turmeric cultivation under intensive irrigation and proper shade conditions could address the increased demand for locally produced Turmeric and create an extra potential for exportation. Therefore, it is essential and urgent need to find out the feasibility of growing Turmeric in dry and semi-arid areas. Thus, this study focus evaluate the effect of different plant spacing, growing media, and shade on growth and yield performances of Turmeric in Hambantota district,belong to semi-arid zones. The split-plot design was used. The main plot consisted of two shade levels (30% shade and without shade), and subplots were assigned three spacing (30 x 20 cm, 30 x 30 cm, 30 x 40 cm) and two different potting media (Cow dung: Topsoil -1:1, Cow dung: Topsoil: Sand -1: 1: 0.5 replicated by three times. Results revealed no significant interaction of shade, planting spacing and planting media on plant height, leaf length and yield. However, the interaction effects were found between shade and planting media on plant height and shade and planting spacing on rhizome yield. The significant improvement of yield and plant height in plants established in cow dung: topsoil; 1:1 media under shade and plant grown in 30 x 30 cm plant spacing. The significantly highest leaf length was recorded from the plant established under 30% shade compared to without shade and the highest number of sprouts was recorded from the plants in cow dung: topsoil; 1:1 media. The significantly highest yield were recorded from the plants established in both 30 x 30 cm and 30 x 40 cm spacing under shade. Thus, the results could be concluded that plants are grown in cow dung: topsoil: 1:1 media with 30 x 40 cm spacing under 30% shade condition are suitable for turmeric cultivation under dry/semi-arid areas of Sri Lanka.