Breeding of Fruit and Plantation Crops 2 + 1

Importance of fruit breeding

 
• Although cultivation and utilization of fruits have been known in India since the Vedic age, a modest beginning for systematic research was made only during the twenties. Owing to the growing awareness on the importance of fruits in daily diet and the need to increase their supply position to the growing population, more emphasis was laid on fruit research during the sixties.
• Especially during the last fifteen years, development in horticulture has gradually moved from rural to urban areas and from traditional agricultural enterprise to corporate sector adopting improved technology, greater commercialization and professionalism in the management of production and marketing. During the last two decades, research approach on fruits has undergone considerable change with ever-increasing multi-location, inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional involvement to solve specific problems in a coordinated manner.
• Intensive research in horticulture has been taken up in many ICAR institutions, Agricultural Universities for the last 50 years with the result that many improved cultivars have been made available for planting by the horticulturist despite the fact that the problems are encountered in breeding of horticultural crops are enormous.
• Research on crop improvement in fruit crops is receiving considerable augmentation on account of the newly emerging production constraints due to pest, diseases, drought, salinity and climate change.