Maharashtra Board Class 11 Agriculture Science and Technology Chapter 14 Horticultural Practices PDF Download

Horticultural Practices

Definition And Branches Of Horticulture

Definition

The word Horticulture is derived from the Latin word hortus and colere meaning garden and to cultivate, respectively.

Horticulture is a part of plant agriculture which is concerned with cultivation of garden crops.

Garden crops traditionally include fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, spices, plantation crops, flowering plants, medicinal plants and aromatic plants.

Horticulture can be defined as the branch of agriculture concerned with intensively cultured plants directly used by people for food, medicinal purpose or aesthetic gratification.

Branches Of Horticulture

Horticulture is a wide field which includes numerous crops (groups) having great diversity.

Following are the branches of Horticulture

Pomology - Study of fruits (Pomam means fruit and logy means science)

Olericulture - Study of vegetables (Oleries means pot herb)

Floriculture - Study of flowers, ornamental plants and landscaping.

Plantation crops - Study of crops grown on large area for commercial uses.

Spice crops - Study of crops grown for their spicy taste and flavour. (used in food preparations)

Medicinal and aromatic Plants - Study of plants having medicinal property.

Post harvest technology - Deals with post harvest handling, grading, packaging, storage, processing, value addition, marketing, etc. of horticultural crops.

Plant propagation - Deals with propagation of horticultural crops and their nursery.

Landscape gardening is an art of beautifying a piece of land with garden design, methods and plant material

India is the second largest producer of fruits after Brazil.

India ranks second in vegetable production after China.

Teacher's Note

Horticulture means growing fruits and vegetables. In India, many farmers grow mangoes, oranges and vegetables like tomatoes and onions to earn money.

Exam Trick

Remember: Pomology = Phal = Fruits. Olericulture = Sabzi = Vegetables. Just like in Hindi, phal means fruit and sabzi means vegetables!

Points To Remember

Horticulture is the science of growing fruits, vegetables and flowers.
There are 8 main branches of horticulture.
India is the second largest fruit producer in the world.
Garden crops are grown for food, medicine and beauty.
Landscape gardening makes land look beautiful.

Importance Of Horticulture

Economic - Horticultural crops especially fruits, vegetables and plantation crops are more and prolific yielders. Spices, medicinal, aromatic and floricultural crops are high value crops. These crops fetch more price in the market. These crops yield more per unit area and are grown with different objectives on different fields. Horticultural crops are useful for improving economic, health and nutritional status of the farmer.

Employment - These crops are labour intensive. Horticultural crops are delicate and tender in nature hence they require utmost care at each stage of production which increases requirement of man days.

Religious and sacred value - Horticultural plants have religious value to their leaves, flowers, fruits, roots, plants, etc. and are used in many religious functions.

Food and nutrition - As a source of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fibre, vitamins and minerals some horticultural crops have high food value. These acts as alternative for the conventional food. Further processed product of these crops show high nutritional value. Consumption of adequate amount of fruits and vegetables helps in maintaining health, vigour and resistance of human body.

Industrial - Horticultural plants supplies raw material to the industry directly or indirectly. A vast industrial development is observed in area growing horticultural crops. Manufacturing of processed fruit products, edibles, cosmetics, medicines has shown improvement in recent years in India.

Teacher's Note

Horticultural crops give us good food and earn money. In India, mango farmers and vegetable growers make good income and provide employment to many people.

Exam Trick

Remember the 5 importance: Economic (money), Employment (jobs), Industrial (factory), Religious (worship), Food and nutrition (health). Think E-E-I-R-F!

Points To Remember

Horticultural crops earn more money than cereal crops.
These crops need many workers, so they give employment.
Fruits and vegetables have important vitamins and minerals.
Religious plants are used in temples and worship.
Industries use horticultural crops to make food products and medicines.

Scope For Horticulture

Areas in horticulture having scope for future prospects

Hi tech Horticulture : Technology for intensive production system, including ethnic and exotic crops.

Micro irrigation : For saving water and giving enough water there by bringing more area under cultivation.

Use of plastic : For cultivation practices (Poly house, mulching) and post harvest handling.

Protected cultivation : For production of high value crops under controlled conditions.

Precision farming : Emphasis on maximum precision in production, minimizing wastage of inputs and resources.

High density planting : High yield from same piece of land.

Integrated nutrient management : Use of organic and inorganic sources enabling better availability of nutrients in the soil.

Integrated pest management : Use of different methods in of pest control combination so as to minimize use of hazardous chemicals.

Mechanization : Reduce agriculture labour, fast field operations, easily handling huge area.

Organic farming : Increasing demand for safe and natural food providing natural inputs.

Contract farming : Economic liberalization process leads to efficient changes in marketing strategies of agriculture produce.

Export - Import trade : Showing continuous growth in export of horticultural produce and import of certain commodities better assured market for agri-horti produces.

Teacher's Note

Modern farming uses new ideas like drip water system and plastic tunnels. In Karnataka, many farmers use drip irrigation to grow vegetables with less water.

Exam Trick

Remember: Scope = New Ideas = Future = Technology. Hi-tech, micro-irrigation, protected cultivation are the future of fruit farming!

Points To Remember

Hi-tech horticulture uses modern technology for more production.
Micro irrigation saves water by dripping it slowly to roots.
Plastic sheets help in growing better quality fruits and vegetables.
Protected cultivation means growing crops inside greenhouses.
Mechanization means using machines instead of people for farm work.

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