Horticulture Crops

 Horticulture may be broadly defined as the science and art of growing fruits, vegetable and flowers and crops like spices, condiments and other plantation crops. Horticultural crops play a unique role in India’s economy by improving the income of the rural people. Cultivation of these crops is labour intensive and as such they generate lot of employment opportunities for the rural population. Fruits and vegetables are also rich source of vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates etc. which are essential in human nutrition. Hence, these are referred to as protective foods and assumed great importance as nutritional security of the people. Thus, cultivation of horticultural crops plays a vital role in the prosperity of a nation and is directly linked with the health and happiness of the people.

India, with its wide variability of climate and soil, has good potential for growing a wide range of horticultural crops such as fruits, vegetables, potato, tropical tuber crops and mushrooms, ornamental crops; medicinal and aromatic plants, spices and plantation crops like coconut, cashew nut, cocoa, etc.

Horticultural  Fruits :

A large variety of fruits are grown in India. Of these 

mango, grapes, pineapple, guava, papaya, pomegranate, ber, annona and citrus and anola, ber, pomegranate, annona, fig, phalsa among the arid zone fruits are important. India accounts for about 10 per cent of the production of fruits in the world. It leads the world in the production of mango, banana, sapota and acid lime and has recorded highest productivity in grape.

Horticultural  Vegetables : 

On an average, the yield-of vegetable crop is about 5 to.10 times more than these of cereals. They are quick growing and shorter duration. Therefore it is time now, to take up the intensive and multiple vegetable cropping in India. At present, greater than 70 % of our population is engaged in Agriculture over an area of 320 million acres. Out of this hardly about 1-2 percent of the total cultivated area is under vegetable crops. These figures showed the necessity of vegetable cultivation on larger, area.

Important vegetable crops grown in the country are tomato, onion, brinjal, cabbage, cauliflower, okra and peas, Sweet Potato, Mushroom.

Horticultural Flowers :

Commercial cut flower production is a significant horticultural industry. Commercial flower growing is a labour intensive and technically challenging business. Unlike most other horticultural crops, demand for fresh flowers is related to fashion trends and purchases are often related to our need to convey 'emotion' (sympathy, joy and celebration). India is known for growing t flowers such as jasmine, marigold, chrysanthemum, tuberose, crossandra and aster. Commercial cultivation of cut flowers such as rose, orchids, gladiolus, carnation, anthurium, gerbera and lilies has also become popular.

Horticultural Crop – Medicinal and Aromatic Plants :

This sub – sector has high potential for health management considering the importance being given to herbal products. Concerted efforts have been made to consume the bio – diversity of the herbal wealth by establishing 226 hectares of herbal gardens along with 16 nurseries to provide quality planting material.

Besides, 335 hectares have been developed for production of quality planting material of aromatic plants. More than 6,000 demonstration – cum – seed production plots have been established in the farmer’s field.

In order to maximise horticulture production, honey bees can be used as an important input for increasing the productivity of horticultural crops through cross pollination.