Tropical and subtropical vegetables (2+1)

Aesthetic value of vegetables

• Immense joy and pleasure is derived in producing vegetables in kitchen gardens.

Scope of Vegetable production
• Vegetables combat under nourishment and are known to be the cheapest source of natural protective food.
•  As per nutritionists, per capita requirements of vegetables should be 300g, in which 115 g leafy vegetables, 70g root vegetables and 115 g others. 
•  The deficiency of vitamin 'A' causes night blindness. 
•  The deficiency of vitamin 'B1 causes beriberi disease.
•  Scurvy disease is due to deficiency of vitamin 'C'.
•  Vitamin E is also known as antisterility vitamin. 
•  Agathi (seobania) is the richest source of protein and calcium. 
•  Rajira leaves are the richest source of Vitamin A followed by colocossia 
•  Radish leaves are the richest source of riboflavin followed by fenugreek leaves. 
•  Vitamin 'D' is essential for prevention of rickets, osteomalacia and dental diseases. 
•  The synthesis of prothrombin and normal blood cloting regulate by the vitamin ‘C’. 
•  The deficiency of calcium in body causes rickets and osteomalacia.
•  Phosphorus is essential in human diet for cell multiplication of bones and soft tissue. 
•  The ‘goitre’ disease in human is due to deficiency of iodine. 
•  For good health, the requirement of vitamin 'A' per day is more than 2000 IU. 
•  The requirement of vitamin '13' per capita/day for good health is above 0.17 mg. 
•  For good health per capita/day requirement of vitamin 'C' is above 20 mg. 
•  Iron requirement per capita/day for good health is above 3.0 mg.
•  Calcium requirement per capita/day is above 20 mg. 
•  Magnesium is implicated to have role in cardiovascular diseases. 
•  Zinc deficiency in human body leads to growth failure and poor development of body growth.
•  Chromium deficiency in body leads to impaired glucose tolerance. 
•  Magnese deficiency in body leads to abnormality in skeletal bone mineralization. 
•  Excess molybednum intakes in human body may increase the risk of gout. 
•  Selenium deficiency in human body is also implicated as a risk factor in cancer. 
•  Megaloblastic anaemia in living organism is due to deficiency of vitamin B12.
•  Inadequate intake of vitamin like riboflavin results in soreness of the tongue (glossaries), cracking at the angles of mouth (angular stomatitis), redness of the eye and burning sensation in eyes, scaliness of the skin in the region between the nose and the angles of the lips (seborroic dermatitis). 
•  Psychomotor development in children may be impaired in riboflavin deficiency. 
•  Vitamin A is incorporated in rhodapsin (eye pigment) 
•  Tapioca is the richest source of carbohydrate (38.1g) 100 g edible part) and calories followed by sweet potato. 
•  Chilli is the richest source of fiber (6.8 g / 100 g edible part). 
•  Giant chillies are the richest source of thiamine followed by peas. 
•  China is the largest producer of vegetables in world followed by India. 
•  India occupaies first position in cauliflower, second in onion and third in cabbage in the world. 
•  India shares 13.38 per cent of world production of vegetables. 
•  Vegetable crops, occupy only 2.8 per cent of the total cultivated land.
•  The area and production wise largest vegetable growing states are west Bengal, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh. 
•  Vegetable crop varieties like in tomato (Pusa Red Plum), carrot (Pusa Yamadagni and Pusa Meghali), pumpkin (Arka Chandan), palak (Pusa Jyoti), beet root (Pusa Swarnima) and sweet potato (Pusa Sunehri) are richest source of carotene. 
•  Parsley is the richest source of vitamin C (281mg/ 100 g edible part). 
•  Sweet potato is the richest source of vitamin A (14190 11g/100g edible part). 
•  Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM), vitamin A deficiency, iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) and nutritional anemia- mainly resulting from iron deficiency or iron losses - are the most common serious nutritional problems in almost, all countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Near East. 
•  RDA stands recommended dietary allowance.

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• A large number of vegetable crops are being cultivated in India in temperate, tropical and sub tropical regions. Most of the vegetables are quick growing, high yielding, and give very high remuneration. India is the world’s second largest producer of vegetables next only to China. Vegetable crops in India occupy only 2.8 per cent (7.99 m.ha) of the total cultivated land producing 133.9 million tonnes of vegetables. India shares 12 per cent of world production of vegetables with a productivity of about 15 t/ha which is quite low as compared to many countries.
• The present production is not sufficient to meet the requirement of 300 g of vegetables on an average per capita per day. At present our per capita availability is around 145 g / day. By the end of 2030 according to an estimate we need 151-193 million tonnes of vegetables to meet our requirement. According to the recommendations given by ICMR, an average man with vegetarian or non vegetarian food habit should consume 125 g leafy vegetables, 100 g of roots and tubers and 75 g other vegetables. Since the availability of vegetables per day per capita is very low, it is necessary that the vegetable production and consumption in India will have to be increased three to four fold. Area, production and productivity of leading vegetable producing states are given in the table 3.

  Table 3: Production of vegetables in leading states of India (2009- 10)

  States	Area ( 000’ ha)	Production (000’ tonnes)	Productivity  (t/ha)
  Uttar Pradesh	1020.1	22435.7	21.99
  West Bengal	1302.7	21906.5	16.81
  Bihar	836.0	13906.8	16.63
  Orissa	694.2	8963.6	12.91
  Tamil Nadu	263.7	7627.7	28.92
  Gujarat	406.8	7255.5	17.83
  Karnataka	441.2	7082.2	16.05
  Maharashtra	451.8	6172.6	13.66
  Andra Pradesh	331.3	5426.2	16.37
  Assam	255.2	4569.9	17.90
  Total	7984.8	133737.6	16.75

  Source: Indian horticulture data base, (2009-10)
• The vegetable industry contributes heavily to the national economy. Millions of farmers, business people (marketing) and industries (seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, machinery manufactures etc.) are directly or indirectly dependent on vegetable cultivation.
• Vegetables have great potential to contribute directly to the income, employment and nutrition. Due to varied geographical situation and favourable climatic conditions, India can develop into one of the leading countries exporting fresh vegetables and their seeds. During 2006-07, India exported fresh vegetables worth of Rs. 430.2 crores. Of all the fresh vegetables exported the share of onion is around 75 %. Other traditional vegetables which are presently exported are potato, gherkins, okra, bitter gourd, chilli, cauliflower and some root vegetables.
• In addition to these traditional vegetables, non traditional vegetables which have export potential are asparagus, celery, sweet pepper, sweet corn, green pea, french bean and tomato. Cole crops and root vegetables are much more demand in temperate countries during winter. In India, these vegetables are grown in the open during winter and thus the cost of production is less as compared to those grown under protective cover. There is a lot of opportunity for exporting these vegetables to the European and North American countries from India.

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