Table of Contents
Definitions and branches of Horticulture
Definition
Horticulture is a branch of agriculture that deals with the cultivation of garden plants, including fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices, plantations, and medicinal and aromatic plants. The term “horticulture” is derived from the Latin words “hortus” (garden) and “colere“ (cultivation).
India is the seventh-largest country in the world, with a total geographical area of 328.73 million hectares and the second-largest population after China, at 1.38 billion (2020 Census). Around 55-60% of India’s population depends on agriculture and allied activities, with horticultural crops constituting a significant component of total agricultural production.
India is a leading producer of several horticultural crops, including bananas, papayas, mangoes, ginger, and okra. The country accounts for more than 10% of global fruit production and leads the world in mango, banana, guava, acid lime, and papaya production.
Branches of Horticulture
Horticulture can be divided into several branches based on the crops it deals with:
- Pomology: The study and cultivation of fruit crops.
- Olericulture: The study and cultivation of vegetable crops.
- Floriculture: The study and cultivation of flower crops.
- Plantation Crops: The study and cultivation of crops like coconut, areca nut, rubber, coffee, etc.
- Spices Crops: The study and cultivation of spices like cardamom, pepper, nutmeg, etc.
- Medicinal and Aromatic Crops: The study and cultivation of medicinal and aromatic crops.
- Post-Harvest Technology: Handling, grading, packaging, storage, processing, value addition, and marketing of horticultural crops.
Present Scenario of Horticultural Crops in India
Fruit Crops
India is the second-largest producer of fruits after China, with a wide variety of fruit crops grown, including mango, banana, citrus, papaya, guava, pineapple, sapota, jackfruit, litchi, grapes, apple, pear, peach, plum, and walnut. The leading fruit-growing states are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh.
Vegetable Crops
India is the largest producer of ginger and okra among vegetables and ranks second in potato, onion, cauliflower, brinjal (eggplant), and cabbage production. West Bengal, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Karnataka are important states for vegetable production.
Flower Crops
Flower cultivation has been practiced in India for ages as an integral part of socio-cultural and religious life. Commercial cultivation of cut flowers like roses, orchids, gladiolus, carnation, anthurium, gerbera, and lilies under protected cultivation has gained popularity. The important flower-growing states are Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, and Meghalaya.
Plantation Crops
This sector contributes up to 5.5% of total horticultural crop production, with major crops like coconut, areca nut, oil palm, cashew, tea, coffee, rubber, cocoa, betel vine, and vanilla. The leading states are Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, and Assam.
Spices Crops
India is known as the home of spices, producing a wide variety like black pepper, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, chili, coriander, etc. Major spice-producing states are Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu.
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
India has a diverse collection of more than 9,500 medicinal and aromatic plant species, with demand increasing in both domestic and export markets. Important medicinal plants include isabgol, periwinkle, coleus, ashwagandha, and aromatic plants like mint, grasses, davana, patchouli, etc.
Importance and Scope of Horticulture
Importance of Horticulture
- Source of variability in produce, nutrients, vitamins, minerals, flavors, aromas, alkaloids, oleoresins, and fibers.
- Source of medicine and economic proposition, providing higher returns per unit area.
- Employment generation (e.g., 860 person-days/annum for fruit crops vs. 143 person-days/annum for cereal crops).
- Effective utilization of wastelands through hardy fruits and medicinal plants.
- Foreign exchange earner, with a higher share compared to agricultural crops.
- Input for the fruit and vegetable processing industry.
- Aesthetic consideration and protection of the environment.
- Religious significance.
- Supplies quality food for health and mind, more calories per unit area, develops better resources, and yields higher returns per unit area.
- Enhances land value and creates better purchasing power for those engaged in the industry.
Scope of Horticulture
- Adaptability to various climatic and edaphic (soil) conditions in India, ranging from tropical, subtropical, temperate, humid, semi-arid, arid, and frost-free temperate regions, and diverse soil types like loamy, alluvial, lateritic, medium black, rocky shallow, heavy black, and sandy soils.
- Continued increase in demand for horticultural produce provides tremendous scope for industry growth.
- Efficient utilization of wastelands, where cultivation of annuals is a gamble due to restricted root zones and susceptibility to abiotic stress, by cultivating hardy horticultural crops like fruits and medicinal plants.
- Potential for increased involvement in international trade, taking advantage of globalization, nearness to big markets, and the size of production, as horticultural commodities fetch 10-20 times more foreign exchange per unit weight than cereals.
Horticultural Crops and Human Nutrition
Fruits and vegetables play a crucial role in a balanced diet, providing not only energy-rich food but also vital protective nutrients, elements, and vitamins. They are comparatively the cheapest source of natural nutritive foods, and since most Indians are vegetarians, incorporating horticultural produce in their daily diet is essential for good health.
Functions of Fruits and Vegetables
- Provide palatability, taste, improve appetite, and provide fiber, overcoming constipation.
- Neutralize acids produced during protein and fatty acid digestion.
- Improve the general immunity of the human body against diseases and deficiencies.
- Important sources of vitamins and minerals used for several biochemical reactions in the body.
Fruits are a good source of various vitamins
- Vitamin A (found in mango, papaya, persimmon, dates, jackfruit, walnut, oranges, passion fruit, loquat, etc.) is essential for growth, reproduction, resistance to infections, and longevity.
- Vitamin B1 (found in walnut, apricot, apple, banana, grapefruit, plum, and almond) is necessary for good appetite, normal digestion, growth, fertility, lactation, and nervous system functioning.
- Vitamin B2 (found in bael, papaya, litchi, pomegranate, wood apple, and pineapple) is important for growth, skin health, and respiration in poorly vascularized tissues like the cornea.
- Vitamin C (found in Barbados cherry, aonla, guava, lime, lemon, sweet oranges, ber, pineapple, and pear) is essential, as its deficiency causes scurvy, joint pain, swollen limbs, unhealthy gums, tooth decay, delayed wound healing, and rheumatism.
Fruits are also a good source of enzymes that aid in metabolic activities and proper food digestion, such as papaya and jamun. Additionally, all fruits have medicinal value and should be consumed in adequate quantities. Regular fruit consumption reduces obesity, maintains health, and increases life longevity. Fruits are attractive in appearance, delicious in taste, and easily digestible, making them liked by people of all ages.
Horticultural and Botanical Classification
Classification is the grouping of plants based on shared characteristics, making it easier to present and remember them. Horticultural plants can be classified based on various criteria:
Based on duration of life/lifespan
- Annuals: Plants completing their life cycle in one season or year (e.g., tomato, balsam, marigold).
- Biennials: Plants completing their life cycle in two seasons or years (e.g., onion, cabbage, tuberose).
- Perennials: Plants requiring more than two years to complete their life cycle, further divided into woody perennials (e.g., mango, custard apple) and herbaceous perennials (e.g., banana, chrysanthemum).
Based on climatic requirements
- Temperate Crops: Grown in regions with freezing winter temperatures (e.g., apple, pear, almond, walnut).
- Sub-tropical Crops: Grown in regions with hot, dry summers and mild winters (e.g., citrus, guava, pomegranate, fig).
- Tropical Crops: Grown in hot and humid summers and mild winters (e.g., mango, banana, pineapple, sapota).
Based on growth habit and physiological characters
- Trees: Plants with distinct stems or trunks, further divided into woody trees (e.g., apple, citrus, guava, mango) and herbaceous trees (upright growth like banana).
- Shrubs/Bushes: Smaller plants producing multiple branches (e.g., phalsa, coffee).
- Climbers: Plants attaching themselves to supports (e.g., grapes, passion fruit, black pepper).
Based on plant parts used for consumption
Fruits: (Edible Part)
- Apple (Pome)– Fleshy thalamus
- Banana (Berry)– Mesocarp and endocarp
- Cashew nut (nut)- Peduncle and cotyledons
- Coconut (Fibrous drupe)– Endosperm
- Custard apple (Etaerio of berries)- Fleshy pericarp of individual berries
- Fig (Syconus)- Fleshy receptacle
- Guava (Berry)– Thalamus and pericarp
- Grape (Berry)- Pericarp and placentae
- Mango (Drupe)- Mesocarp
- Orange (Hesperidium) – Juicy placental hair
- Papaya (Berry)- Mesocarp
- Pineapple (Sorosis)- Fleshy thalamus
- Pomegranate (Blausta)- Aril b
Plantation crops and spices: (Edible Part)
- Coconut (Fibrous drupe) –Endosperm
- Arecanut (one-seeded ovoid drupe) -Seed (Fresh and dried
- Cocoa (5-ribbed drupe) -Beans (Seeds)
- Coffee (Fleshy (drupe)- Seed (Bean)
- Black pepper (One-seeded spherical drupe)– Dried wrinkled fruit
- Clove (Fleshy drupe) -Unopened flower bud
- Cinnamon (Fleshy berry)– Bark
- Chilli (berry)– Fruit and seeds
- Turmeric-Rhizome
- Ginger (Capsule)-Rhizome
- Onion- Leaves and Bulb
- Garlic- Cloves
Edible Part: Vegetables
- Roots– Radish, Carrot, Turnip, Beetroot, Sweet potato
- Stem– Knolkhol, Potato
- Leaf- Palak, Methi, Amaranthus
- Flower-Cauliflower, Broccoli
- Fruit- Tomato, Brinjal, Okra, Cucurbits
- Pod- Beans and Pea
- Onion– Bulb
Based on Leaf shedding
- Deciduous: Plants that shed leaves during winter (e.g., apple, fig, grape).
- Evergreen: Plants whose leaves persist year-round (e.g., arecanut, coconut, banana, mango, sapota).
Based on Longevity
- 1000 years: Sweet chestnut
- 100-300 years: Walnut
- 50-100 years: Persimmon, Avocado
- 30-70 years: Apricot, Fig
- 20-40 years: Peach, Plum, Pomegranate
- 25-30 years: Currant, Gooseberry, Raspberry
- 4-5 years: Strawberry
Based on Botanical Classification
Botanical classification of Vegetables
Monocot
- Araceae – Colocassia
- Alliaceae – Onion, Garlic
- Diascoreaceae – Yam
Dicot
- Chenopodiaceae – Spinach
- Cruciferae – Cole crops, Turnip, Radish
- Leguminosae – Pea, Beans, Fenugreek
- Euphorbiaceae – Tapioca
- Malvaceae – Okra
- Umbelliferae – Carrot
- Convolvulaceae – Sweet potato
- Solanaceae – Tomato, Brinjal, Chilli, Potato
- Cucurbitaceae – Gourds, Melons, Pumpkin
- Compositae – Lettuce
Botanical classification of Fruits
Monocot
- Musaceae – Banana
- Bromeliaceae – Pineapple
Dicot
- Rhamnaceae – Ber
- Sapotaceae – Chiku
- Rutaceae – Citrus and Bael
- Annonaceae – Custard apple
- Moraceae – Fig, Jackfruit
- Vitaceae – Grape
- Myrtaceae – Guava
- Apocynaceae – Karonda
- Anacardiaceae – Mango, Cashew nut
- Caricaceae – Papaya
- Punicaceae – Pomegranate
Botanical classification of plantations and spices
Monocot
- Arecaceae (Palmae) – Coconut
- Arecaceae (Palmae) – Arecanut
- Alliaceae – Onion, Garlic
- Zingiberaceae – Turmeric, Ginger
Dicot
- Lauraceae – Cinnamon
- Mytraceae – Clove
- Piperaceae – Black pepper
- Rubiaceae – Coffee
- Solanaceae – Chilli
- Sterculiaceae – Cocoa
Classification of based on Rate of Respiration
Climacteric
Fruits that exhibit a sharp rise in respiration after harvesting (e.g., mango, banana, sapota, guava, papaya, apple, fig, peach, pear, plum, annona).
Non-climacteric:
Fruits with steady respiration at the time of harvesting (e.g., citrus, grape, pineapple, pomegranate, litchi, jamun, cashew, cherry, strawberry).
Climacteric fruits produce much larger amounts of ethylene than non-climacteric fruits. The highest ethylene production is observed in
- Apple (25-2500 μL/L)
- Passion fruit (466-530 μL/L).
Classification based on Photoperiodic Responses
Long-day plants
Passion fruit, banana, potato, onion, cabbage, cauliflower, radish, lettuce, spinach, palak, turnip, carrot, beet.
Short-day plants
Strawberry, apple, pineapple, sweet potato, Indian spinach, dolichos bean, cluster bean, winged bean, coffee.
Day-neutral plants
Papaya, guava, banana, brinjal (eggplant), chili, okra, cucurbits, amaranths, French bean, cowpea, sweet pepper.
