Introduction to Horticulture

Introduction to Horticulture

• Horticulture involves the cultivation of garden crops, parallel to agronomy and forestry

Objectives of Horticulture

• Primary usage and economic importance of horticulture crops should be considered
• An understaing of the various divisions of horticulture is key
• It is important to appreciate how horticulture relates to agronomy and forestry
• Definition of horticulture should be clarified

Divisions of Agriculture

• Agriculture is divided into three main areas: Agronomy, Forestry and Horticulture
• Agronomy focuses on field crops
• Forestry focuses on forest crops
• Horticulture is related to fruits, vegetables, and ornamental crops

Origin of Horticulture

• Horticulture comes from the Latin words "hortus" (garden) and "colere" (to cultivate)
• The term was first used in 1631
• Horticulture is a branch of agriculture using intensive cultivation of plants for food, medicinal purposes, or aesthetic reasons
• Horticulture deals with garden crops

Horticulture vs. Agronomy & Forestry

• A garden is an enclosed, intensively cultivated space
• Horticulture differs in use, custom/tradition, and intensity of cultivation
• Horticultural crops require more water, are highly perishable, utilized fresh, have a high cash value, and are intensively cultivated
• Agronomy & forestry crops require less water, are less perishable, used in a non-living state, have a lower cash value, and are extensively cultivated
• Potatoes and sweet potatoes are agronomic crops as staple foods, but dealt with by horticulture when cultivated using intensive cultivation
• Walnuts, mangoes, and pine are forest crops when planted for wood, but horticultural crops when used as fruit and ornamental trees
• Melons are agronomic crops, when cultivated extensively, but horticultural crops when cultivated intensively
• Horticultural crops justify high investments of capital, labor, and technology due to their high cash value

Horticultural Products

• Horticultural products provide aesthetic pleasure i.e. beauty and flavor
• Fruits and vegetables such as cashews and garlic are eaten for flavor and pleasure
• Horticultural foods are distinguished by their aesthetic and food values
• Horticulture covers a variety of plant species, including fruits, vegetables, ornamental plants, medicinal plants, beverage plants (tea, coffee), and spices
• Horticulture is both an art and a science
• It includes the culture and biology of garden crops including aesthetics and scientific dimensions

Horticultural Practices

• Horticulturists use physics, chemistry, and biology to understand and manipulate plant life
• Biotechnology is applicable to horticulture

Divisions of Horticulture

• Pomology: Fruit production
• Olericulture: Vegetable production
• Floriculture: Flower production
• Landscape horticulture
• Plant propagation and nursery management
• Seed production and marketing
• Greenhouse crops
• Medicinal, pharmaceutical, and aromatic crops
• Post-harvest technology
• Breeding and biotechnology
• Mushroom production

Pomology

• The term "pomology" means the study of fruits
• Fruits are botanically defined as a ripened ovary of a plant
• Fruits, as part of horticulture practice, are edible
• Production for profit of fruits is orcharding, which focuses on growing perennials
• Grape production is Vineyards and Viticulture
• Citrus Groves and citriculture focuses on citrus
• Orcharding involves more investment and year-round operations, and need skilled and unskilled labor
• It involves long-term investment and site selection, with most fruits propagated by clonal means, and the rootstock budded and grafted on a scion variety

Pomology Practices

• Long-term high capital investment is required in pomology
• Site selection is crucial, including species and cultivars
• All major fruit crops are clonally propagated
• A plant has a rootstock (the part on which scion is budded or grafted) and scion (bud/piece of twig budded/grafted on to a rootstock)
• Scions provide canopy and fruit-bearing surface and are used for food synthesis
• Commercial cultivars are used as scions, while rootstocks belong to different species
• Farm operations include pruning, training, and thinning fruits
• Most fruit crops are highly perishable, with the exception of a few nut crops
• Post-harvest handling involves grading, packing, storing, processing, shipping, and marketing

Subdivisions of Pomology

• Practical pomology involves growing fruit plants
• Commercial pomology involves commercial production, grading, washing, packing, storage, and marketing
• Systematic pomology looks at the technical aspects of fruits, including nomenclature, distribution, habitat, and classification

Olericulture

• The terms "oleris" means herb and "culture" used to describe olericulture means to cultivate
• Olericulture is the production of crops from herbaceous plants that are used freshly or processed
• Examples include: fruit (tomato), foliage (lettuce, spinach, and cabbage), tuber (potato/stem), root (sweet potato, radish, and carrot), and seeds (peas)
• Potatoes and other vegetables produce more food globally
• The vegetable industry is more flexible compared to orcharding because most vegetables are grown as annuals, and there are shifts in cultivars

Subdivisions of Olericulture

• Home gardening
• Market gardening (greenhouse setups)
• Truck mobile gardening (temporary)
• Vegetable forcing
• Production for processing
• Seed production
• Mushroom culture

Home Gardening

• Goal of home gardening is production for home consumption
• Home gardening:
  • Is important in rural households
  • Is the oldest form of vegetable production
  • Is a primary source of fresh vegetables
  • Is a good source of income
  • Requires an average of 10-20 square meters for vegetable and fruit production
• Reduced implementation is occurring due to commercialization
• Kitchen gardening needs to be supported by education, seeds, and other inputs
• Produces organic food that is in high global demand

Market Gardening

• Involves the production and sale of vegetables near big cities on a local scale
• Fulfills need of people without the time to grow their own vegetables
• Means of faster transit of vegetables is key
• Sewage water is often used as fertilizer and irrigation
• A market garden is chemically intensive and requires proper seed starting and selection

Truck Gardening

• Primarily more production for sale in distant markets
• Relies on vegetables that are generally less perishable
• Exploits different agro-ecological niches with potatoes, melons and peas, cabbage and cauliflower, winter muskmelons, and onions.
• Less intensive than market gardening
• Marketed in wholesale markets

Specialized Production Technologies

• Off-season crop production
• Relatively high cost to consumers
• Often involves early and late season summer crops
• Has limitations due to weather
• Involves production in GH greenhouses for intensive cultivation
• Plastic tunnels that are erected on crop beds are also used
• cucumber, tomatoes, gourds, peppers and egg plant all grow in high tunnels
• Low cost alternatives to GH that is used

Vegetable Processing

• Processing of vegetables is done to have a future stock
• Western world particularly specializes in processing vegetables
• Vegetables are used to help stabilize prices, increased shelf life, and be used for general and emergency use
• Types of processes for vegetables include:
  • Canning
  • Freezing
  • Dehydration
  • Making ready to eat meals

Vegetable Seed Production

• Vegetable seed production is a critical part of mass cultivation
• Vegetable seed production needs breeders and pure lines
• Classes of vegetable seed in the Philippine scheme:
  • Breeder seed: White tag
  • Foundation seed: Red tag
  • Registered seed: Green tag
  • Certified seed: Blue tag

Mushroom Culture

• The Philippines grows many edible mushrooms, these include: oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and button mushrooms.
• Some examples of common mushrooms are used as medicine too:
  • Ganoderma lucidum: Decomposing basidiomycete on woods and commonly found in Philippines
  • Schizophyllum commune: Decomposing basidiomycete on woods an commonly found in Philippines

Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture

• Ornamental horticulture deals with plants and their layout for environmental beautification
• Uses flowering plants, foliage plants, lawn grasses, evergreen/deciduous shrubs/trees, and fruit trees
• Depends on location and site

Role of Ornamental Horticulture

• Roles in modification of domestic and urban environments and pollution control is key to ornamental horticulture
• Awareness of the plant and increasing in this area
• Wholesalers are present in large cities
• Essential oil production exists
• Flowers are sold as cut (tulips, roses)
• Aromatic compounds are produced
• Medicine is produced with various trees
• There is scope for larger export in certain countries (Japan, USA, France)