Agriculture for Engineers 4 (3+1)

Lesson 32. Scope of Horticultural Crops

32.2 DEFINITION OF HORTICULTURE

Horticulture can be very broadly defined as the science with deals with the production utilization and improvement of (fruits, vegetables, ornamental plant spices and condiments, medicinal and aromatics, plantation crops) as well as gardening, protective cultivation and value addition.

Horticulture as a science

Over and above agriculture it involves the application of physics, chemistry and other fundamentals sciences and plant sciences viz. biochemistry, plant physiology, botany, genetics and plant breeding etc.

Horticulture as an art

Artistic application of technical knowledge gained e.g. raising flowering plants in small pot, budding roses with varied colours, pruning trees for shapes, designing gardens, growing flowers of matching colours and according to the seasons etc.

32.3 OBJECTIVES

To find out way by which horticulture crops can be made to yield optimum benefits to mankind.

 These objectives can be achieved through

- The knowledge of geographical distribution of horticultural plants

- The source and uses of such plants their structure and manner of growth

- The influence of climate and soil on their development

- The methods of their propagation

- The manner, time and degree of pruning them

- Their diseases, pests and their control and

- The manner of harvesting, storing, transporting and using the finished products

32.4 DIVISION OF HORTICULTURE

1. Pomology: The term Pomology is derived from the Latin word ‘pomum’ meaning ‘fruits’ and the Greek term ‘logy’ meaning Science. Thus, pomology is the science of production of fruit crops. OR The science of growing fruit crops.

(a) Tree fruits: Fruits are produced on tree e.g. Mango, Chiku, Citrus etc.

(b) Small fruits: Fruits are produced on shrubs or vines e.g. Phalsa, Raspberry, Mulberry, Grapes, Gooseberry, Strawberry

1. Olericulture: The term Olericulture is originated from Latin word ‘oleris’ meaning pot herb and the English word culture meaning raising of plants. Thus, olericulture is the science of vegetable crops. OR The cultivation of vegetable crops. e.g. brinjal, tomato, potato, radish, carrot, chilli, bottle gourd.
2. Floriculture: It is a science of cultivation of flowers and ornamental plants for commercial purposes or merely for getting pleasure and as a hobby.
3. Landscape gardening: It is a science of designing and laying out home gardens, public gardens, parks, road side plantation, avenues etc.
4. Preservation of fruit and vegetables: It is a science of canning of fruits and vegetables. e.g. fruit juice, jam, marmalade, candy, dehydration etc.
5. Silviculture: Cultivation and management of forest tree e.g. teak wood, neem, ficus, eucalyptus etc.
6. Plantation crops: Cultivation of tea, coffee, coconut, arecanut, rubber, oil palm etc.
7. Spices and condiments: Cultivation of crops which products are used as adjunct in food for flavor, aroma and taste. e.g cardamom, clove, nutmeg, coriander, cumin etc.
8. Aromatic and medicinal plants: cultivation of aromatic and medicinal plants like gugal, aonla, beheda, harde, lucorice, lemon grass etc.
9. Sericulture: Deals with rearing of silkworm and production of silk.
10. Apiculture: Bee keeping rearing for honey production.
11. Mushroom production: Production of different edible species of mushroom like Agaricus bisporus (button), pleurotus sp. (oyster), Calocybe indica (Milky), Volvariella volvacea (paddy straw).
    

32.5 SOME IMPORTANT TERMS EXPLAINED FROM HORTICULTURE POINTS OF VIEW

Annuals: As the name indicates annuals are plants that live for one year or less, that is the makes its vegetative growth flowers and produces seed within one year from the sowing date and then the plant dies. Actually in practices we often see that this definition cannot be strictly applied to some plants because they often over live the period of one year. e.g. brinjal, tomato, coleus, geranium etc. They may behave as perennials and yet in context to horticulture, speaking they are annuals.

Biennials: Biennials plants are those which require two years or parts of two growing seasons with more or less of a dormant or resting season between to complete their life period. In the first season or year the seed is sown and the plant makes only vegetative growth. In the second season or year the plant produces very little vegetative growth and then flowers produces seed and dies out e.g. onion, beet, carrot, cabbage,  radish, chrysanthemum, dahila etc.

Perennials: These plants do not finish their life cycle in one or two years. They persist from year to year and go on producing crops of seed from year. Perennials may be herbaceous or woody and perennials may be trees or shrubs or vines e.g. mango, chiku.

Deciduous: Deciduous plants shed their leaves once in a year when they go to rest. This happens during the cold season. When temperature starts falling, the leaves change their colour and become yellow and then fall off. The tree becomes bare and looks dry. All growth processes stop until spring when, temperature again rises, climate become warmer and the trees become active once again rises e.g. apple, plum, peach, dhak, siris, amaltas.

Evergreens: Evergreens on the other hand do not have a definite resting season and they do not shed their leaves during a particular season. All physiological activities go on continuously and the tree never become completely devoid of leaves and bare. Old leaves fall of and new leaves grow simultaneously e.g. mango, chiku, citrus.

32.6 IMPORTANCE OF HORTICULTURE

• Fruits and vegetables play an important role in the balance diet of human being by providing vital protective nutrients.
• They not only adorn the table but also enrich health from the most nutritive menu and tone up the energy and vigour of man.
• Fruits and vegetables have a key role in neutralizing the acid produced during digestion of protein rich and fatty foods.
• They provide valuable roughages which promote digestion and helps in preventing constipation.
• From unit are of land more income is obtained by growing fruits and vegetables crops.
• From energy point of view the fruit crops give very high amount of calories per acre e.g. wheat 1034880 calories/acre and banana 15252800 calories/acre.
  
• Horticulture is mother of several industries like canning, essential oil, dehydration, refrigeration, wine, cashew nut, transport etc. which provide work for many people. Farmers and labours can keep themselves engaged busy throughout year.
• Growing of horticultural crops is an art as well as science which help in mental development of farmers.
• The fruits and vegetables are chief source of vitamins and minerals which help in proper health and resistant to disease.
• The flowers, ornamental plants and gardens play a very important role in refreshing the minds of people and reducing air pollution.
• The growing of horticultural crops also contributes to the aesthetic side of rural and home life of community.
• Generate employment opportunities.
• Wide source of medicine.
• Effective utilization of wasteland through hardy fruits and medicinal plants.

32.7 SCOPE OF HORTICULTURE

• India has great variety of climate and edaphic conditions which can be exploited by growing horticultural crops.
• Climates are varying from tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. From this humid, semi-arid, arid and varying temperature trees are also grown.
• Likewise soils like loamy, alluvial, laterite, medium black, rocky shallow heavy black sandy etc are also available. From this, large crop areas can be grown with very high level of adaptability.
• To meet the requirements in terms of vitamins and minerals, minimum of 85 g of fruits and 200 g of vegetables per head per day with population of above 1000 million people, fruit and vegetables are to be grown on large scale.
• For providing raw material to small scale industries like silkworm, lack, honey, match, paper, canning, and dehydration etc. horticulture has  wide scope.
• In India larger area of lands are waste land, problematic soil, desert land which can be utilized for  hardy fruits and medicinal plants.
• The fast development of communication and transport system create wide scope for horticulture development particularly in transporting the perishable commodities and products.

Thus horticulture has great scope for the following reasons:

• To exploit great variability of agro-climatic conditions.
• To meet the need for fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices beverages in relation to population growth and nutritional requirement.
• To meet the requirement of processing industries.
• For increasing export and import of horticultural products.
• To improve economical condition of the farmers.
• To generate employment opportunity for labour and human being.
• To protect environment.

32.8 HORTICULTUREAL PLANT CLASSIFICATION

A.   Edible plants  Names of crops given below in  a, b, and c should start with small letters

a. Vegetables:

(1) Plants grown for aerial portion

-  Cole crops: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli

-  Legumes or pulse crops: pea, bean, soy bean cluster bean

-  Solanaceous fruit crops: Tomato, Brinjal, Chilli

-  Vine crops or cucurbits: Cucumber, Squash, Melon, Bottle gourd

-  Green or pot herbs: Spinach, Dandelion, Amaranthus

-  Salad crops: Lettuce, Celery, endive

-  Miscellaneous: Corn, Asparagus, Okra, Mushroom

(2) Plant grown for underground portions

- Root crops: Beet root, Radish, Carrot, Sweet potato

- Tubers and roots: Potato, Yams, Cassava

- Bulb and corm: Onion, Garlic, Shallot, Leek Gladiolus

 b.    Fruits:

(1) Temperate (Deciduous) fruits:

-  Small fruits: Raspberry, Black berry, grape, cranberry, straw berry.

-  Tree fruits: Pomes, apple, pear, quince

-  Stone fruits: Peach, plum, apricot

-  Nuts: Pecan, filbert, walnut

(2) Tropical and sub-tropical (Evergreen) fruits:

- Herbaceous perennials: Pine apple, Banana

- Tree fruits: (i) Citrus fruits: Orange, lemon, grape gruit

(ii) Miscellaneous: Fig, date palm, mango, papaya, avocado - Nuts: Cashew, Brazil nut, Macadamia

 B.   Ornamental plants

(1) Flower and foliage plants:

a. Annuals: Petunia, Zinnia, Snapdragon, Dianthus, Balsam

b. Biennials: Sweet William, holly hock, evening primerose, Gladiolus

c. Perennials: Chrysanthemum, philodendron, Aster amellus, Gerbera, Tulip

(2) Nursery plants

a. Lawn (Turf) plants: Blue grass, Bermuda grass

b. Ground cover: Periwinkle, sedum

c. Vines (Both herbaceous and woody): Virginia, creeper, grape, English ivy

d. Shrubs (Commonly restricted to deciduous shrubs): Forshythia, liac

e. Evergreens (Both shrubs and trees): Spreading juniper, rhododendron, white pine

f. Tree, commonly restricted to deciduous trees: Pin oak, sugar maple, larch

 C.   Miscellaneous plants:

(1) Herbs, spices, drugs: Dill, nut, meg, spearmint, quinine, digitals

(2) Beverage plants, non alcoholic: Coffee, Tea, Cacao, mate

(3) Oil yielding plants: Tung, sunflower

(4) Rubber plants: Para rubber tree

(5) Plants yielding gums or resins: Sweetgum, slash, pine

Christmas tree: Balsam fire, scotch pine