Fundamentals of Horticulture- Complete Notes
UNIT-I
Horticulture is derived from the Latin words: “Hortus” means- garden & “cultura” meaning cultivation.
Definition of Horticulture-At presant the horticulture can be defined as the science & technique of production, processing and merchandising of fruits, vegetables, plantations, spices, aromatic, flowers, and medicinal plants.
INTRODUCTION
Around 55-60 of the total population depends on agriculture & allied activities.
Horticulture crops constitute a meaningful portion of the total agricultural production in the country.
Importance of horticulture
1.Nutritional value- fruits and vegetables are very rich in vitamins & minerals so they are known as “Protective food”. Indian Council of Medical Research recommends 120 g fruits & 280 g of vegetable per day per capita.
i) Vitamin A
Mango - 4800 IU/100g
Papaya - 2020IU/100g
Fenugreek leaves - 6450IU/100g
Carrot - 2810 IU/100g
ii) Vitamin B1
Cashew Nut - 630mg/100g
Walnut - 450mg/100g
Apricot - 217mg/100g
iii) Vitamin B2-
Bael - 1.19 mg/100g
Fenugreek leaves - .31 mg/100 g
iv) Vitamin C
Barbedos cherry-1000-4000mg/100g
Aonla-600 mg/100g
Guava-299 mg/100g
v)Protein
Cashew-21.20%
Almond 20%
Walnut-15.60%
vi)Fat
Walnut-64.50%
Almond-58.90%
vii) Carbohydrate
Apricot-72.81%
Datepalm-67.30
Karonda-67.10 %
2.Food value- Banana, potato, sweet potato, are very rich in carbohydrate. almond, cashew, walnut are having rich calorific value. fruits and vegetables enhance the nutritive value of our food with carbohydrates, essential minerals, vitamins and fibres.
3. Industrial development-plantation crops like tea, coffee, coconut, rubber are always used after processing. these plants have good marketing value. rose, jasmine and the different king of flowers used in perfumery industries. Medicinal plants are used for essential oils and pharmaceutical industries.
4.Employement generation-horticultural crops are labour intensive. one-hectare fruit production generates 860 manpower per annum. grapes, banana, mango, pineapple tea, coffee, coconut generate much larger employment.
5.Asthetic value- Flowering trees, ornamental shrubs, grasses, avenue trees like Ashoka, Gulmohar, cassia fistula, silver oak, casuarina are symbols of life and youth. flowers like rose, marigold, jasmine, carnation, chrysanthemum have enhanced the beauty of the environment and beautify the place. mango, litchi, sapota can be planted as an avenue tree, these trees give aesthetic and peaceful sense to our mind and body.
6.Religious value-plant parts like leaves of mango, banana, bael have religious value. these leaves are used as bandanwars and as offering to Lord Shiva. leaves, twigs, branches are used for different religious ceremonies. many fruits bael, coconut, mango guava, are used as offering purpose.
7.Export value- among fresh fruits mango, grapes, dates and Among vegetable onion, potato, tomato having good export value. among plantation crops- tea, coffee,rubber, coconut, areca nut. in medicinal plants turmeric are used for export purpose and they fetch high-income return .mainly export of commodities from India is done with Gulf countries, UAE, European countries. India ranks first in the productivity of grapes, banana and papaya. India is at 2nd position in the production of cauliflower, cabbage, brinjal, onion, brinjal.
Scope of Horticulture-:
Like any other field, the scope of horticulture depends on theincentive it has for farmers, adaptability of the crops, necessity & facilities for future growth through inputs availability andd infrastructure Incentive for the farmer:
1.Incentives
One of the biggest incentives for the farmer is money and horticultural crops provide farmers with more returns in terms of per unit area production, value addition, export value compared to agricultural crops.
2.Adaptability: India is blessed with a great variety of climatic and edaphic condns as we have climates varying from tropical, subtropical, temperate and within these humid, semi-arid, arid, frost-free temperate etc. Likewise, we have soils like alluvial, sandy, laterite, loam, medium black rocky shallow, heavily black, sandy etc. and thus a large number of crops can be accommodated with a very high level of adaptability
3 . Necessity: After having achieved self-sufficiency in food, nutritional security for the people of our country has become the point of priority. Moreover, Indians are basically vegetarians, and to meet their nutritional req. in terms of vitamins and minerals horticulture crops are to be grown in sufficient quantities to provide bare mini. of 85 g of fruits & 200 g of vegetables per head perday with a population of above 130 crores
4.Cultivation of hardy fruit crops, medicinal crops, dessert crops should be done on wasteland as well as good land for production of fruit crops. mostly good and fertile land are under the pressure of housing, industrial use, chemical and thermal plants. so wasteland should be utilized for growing horticultural crops.
Classification of horticultural crops
• Plant kingdom
1.Thallophyta 2.Bryophyta 3.Pteridophyta
4.Spermatophyta
a)gymnospermae b)angiosperm
i)monocotyledoneae
ii)dicotylledoneae
Classification of fruits based on the nature of growth-
• Herb- banana, pineapple
• Shrub- karonda phalsa pomegranate
• Woody- Mango,ber,sapota,Jamun, guava
Classification of fruits based on climatic requirement
A)Temperate fruits-fruits grown on hills, high altitude,>1200 meter high from sea level. where temp is low and become to the freezing point in winters. summers are mild.
eg. Apple, pear,cherry,peach ,plum
B)Sub-tropical fruit-fruits grown in plain regions where temp range is 25 -45d c in summers but in winters tem did not go below 5degree centigrade
eg. papaya,oranges,lemon,litchi,loquat,grapes
C)tropical fruits-those fruit crops which h are grown in high temp with high humidity and in coastal areas
too.eg.mango,pineapple,banana,cashew
Evergreen plants-these plant donot shed their leaves inadverse season.no dormancy is found.mostly subtropical and tropical fruit treesmango,citrus,litchi.sapota
• Deciduous plants-they shed their leaves in peak winters and enters in dormancy period.like apple,pear,peach,plum
• Salinity sensitive plants-peach ,apricot,avocado,almond
• Salinity tolerant plant-date,ber, pomegranate
Classification based on ripening behaviour
Climactric fruits-fruits experience increase in rate of respiration at the time of ripening.egmango,banana,papaya,jackfruit,sapota
Non –climactric fruits-fruits experience simple decline in rate of respiration at the time of ripening.litchi,lemon,lime,orange,grape,pomegranate.
Classification based on types of fruit
• Pome-apple,pear,,quince,loquat
• Stone/drupe-plum,apricot,peaches,almond,ber,mango
• Berry-grape,guava,banana
• Hesperidium-orange
• Syconous-fig
• Capsule-aonla,carambola
• Multiple fruit-pineapple,mulberry
• Aggregate fruits-raspberry,custard apple,blackberry
Classification Based on photoperiodic requirement
• Short day plant-plants require short day light period<12
hours-strawberries, pineapple
• Long day plant-plants require long day light period >12
hours or more-plantain (banana)
• Based on water requirement
• Hydrophytes-those plants which grow partially or fully
submerged in water.
• Mesophytes-plants which grow in a situation where
water is neither abundant nor scarce.eg mango,guava,apple,pear,peach ,plum
• Xerophytes-plants which grow in extremely scarce
conditionof water.eg-ber,karonda,chilli,kair,bael,aonla