🧑‍🏫Things to Know

• The term Horticulture is derived from the Latin words: hortus meaning garden and cultura meaning cultivation. Together, these words literally translate to “garden cultivation,” which captures the essence of this discipline.
• Horticulture may be defined as the science and technique of production, processing and merchandizing of fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices, plantations, medicinal and aromatic plants. It is a broad branch of agriculture that deals with the intensive cultivation of high-value crops, distinguishing itself from agronomy which focuses on field crops like cereals and pulses.

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Branches of Horticulture

Branch	Description
Pomology	Cultivation of fruit crops
Olericulture NABARD 2021	Cultivation of vegetables
Floriculture	Cultivation of flower crops
Plantation crops	Cultivation of crops like coconut, arecanut, rubber, coffee, tea etc.
Spices crop	Cultivation of crops like cardamom, pepper, nutmeg etc.
Medicinal and aromatic plants	Cultivation of medicinal and aromatic crops
Post-Harvest	Post-harvest handling, grading, packaging, storage, processing, value addition, marketing etc. of horticulture crops

The major branches of horticulture include Pomology (study of fruit crops), Olericulture (study of vegetable crops), Floriculture (study of flower crops), Plantation crops, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic plants, and Post-harvest technology. Each branch specializes in the cultivation, management, and marketing of its respective crop group.

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Important Horticultural Institutes

Abbreviation	Name of Institute	Place	State
CISH	Central Institute of Subtropical Horticulture	Lucknow	UP
CITH	Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture	Srinagar	J&K
CPCT	Central Plantation Crops Research Institute	Kasaragod	Kerala
NRCC	National Research Centre for Cashew	Puttur	Karnataka
CTCRI	Central Tuber Crops Research Institute	Thiruvananthapuram	Kerala
CISH	Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture	Lucknow	UP
NBSS	National Bureau of Soil Survey	Nagpur	Maharashtra
NRCS	National Research Centre for Seed Spices	Ajmer	Rajasthan
CPRI	Central Potato Research Institute	Shimla	HP
NRCM	National Research Centre for Mushroom	Solan	HP
CIAH	Central Institute for Arid Horticulture	Bikaner	Rajasthan
NRFB	National Research Centre for Banana	Trichy	TN
NRCG	National Research Centre for Citrus	Nagpur	Maharashtra
NRCOG	National Research Centre for Onion & Garlic	Rajgurunagar	MH
CRDC	Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture	Hyderabad	Telangana
NRCMAP	National Research Centre for Medicinal & Aromatic Plants	Anand	Gujarat
NRCO	National Research Centre for Orchids	Gangtok	Sikkim
IIHR	Indian Institute of Horticultural Research	Bengaluru	Karnataka
IIVR	Indian Institute of Vegetable Research	Varanasi	UP
NIB	National Institute of Biotic Stress	Raipur	Haryana

Board / Institute	Location
Coffee Board	Bangalore, Karnataka
Coconut Board	Kochi, Kerala
Coir Board	Kochi, Kerala
Tea Board	Kolkata, West Bengal
Spices Board	Cochin, Kerala
National Medicinal Plants Board	New Delhi
National Horticulture Board (NHB)	Gurgaon, Haryana
Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT)	Palampur, HP
Central Sericultural Research & Training Institute (CSRTI)	Mysore
Central Silk Board	Bangalore, Karnataka
Central Muga Eri Research & Training Institute	Jorhat, Assam

These institutes and boards play a crucial role in research, development, and policy-making for the horticulture sector in India. They coordinate efforts across states, provide technical guidance to farmers, and work towards improving productivity and quality of horticultural crops.

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Nutritive value of fruits and vegetables

Nutrients	Fruit	Vegetable
Vitamin A/ Carotene	Mango 4800 IU/100 g, Papaya 2020 IU/100 g	Bathua leaves 11,300 IU/100g
Vitamin B₁/ Thiamine	Cashew nut	Chilies 0.55 mg/100 g
Vitamin B₂	Bael > Papaya	Fenugreek
Vitamin C/ Ascorbic acid	Barbados cherry 2000 mg/100g, Aonla (600 mg/100g)	Coriander leaves 135 mg/100 g
Carbohydrates	Raisin (Dehydrated Grape)	Tapioca (38.1%)
Protein	Cashew nut 21.2%	Peas (7.2%)
Fat	Walnut 64.5%	Potato 11.8 g/100g
Fibre	Fig	Fig
Calcium	Litchi 0.21%	Agathi 1130 mg/100g
Phosphorus	Almond > Cashew nut	Amaranthus 800 mg/100g
Iron	Dry Karonda 39.1%, Date Palm 10.6%	Amaranthus 22.9%
Calorific value	Walnut 687 calorie/100g	Tapioca 338 calorie/100g

Fruits and vegetables are essential components of a balanced diet. They are rich sources of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, and antioxidants. Understanding their nutritive value helps in planning diets and also in selecting crops for cultivation based on nutritional demand.

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Daily requirement: Per day per capita

Food Group	Daily Requirement
Cereals	475 g
Pulses	80 g
Fruits	120 g
Vegetables	285 g
Milk	240 g
Sugar	40 g

The per capita daily requirement indicates the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables that an individual should consume for maintaining good health. India has been steadily increasing its per capita availability of fruits and vegetables through focused horticulture development programmes.

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Difference between fruits and vegetables

• Fruits and vegetables are classified from both a botanical and culinary standpoint. Understanding this distinction is important for examinations, as questions often test whether a particular crop is botanically a fruit or a vegetable.
• Botanically, fruits and vegetables are classified depending on which part of the plant they come from. This classification is based on plant morphology and reproductive biology.
• A fruit develops from the flower of a plant, while the other parts of the plant are categorized as vegetables. For instance, a tomato is botanically a fruit (it develops from the ovary of a flower), but is culinarily treated as a vegetable.
• Fruits contain seeds, while vegetables can consist of roots, stems and leaves. This is a key botanical distinction to remember.
• From a culinary perspective, fruits and vegetables are classified based on taste. This is the classification most commonly used in everyday life and in the food industry.
• Fruits generally have a sweet or tart flavor and can be used in desserts, snacks or juices. Their high sugar content is what gives them this characteristic taste.
• Vegetables have a more mild or savory taste and are usually eaten as part of a side dish or main course. They are typically cooked before consumption, though many can also be eaten raw.

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Classification of fruits

👉🏻 The following are the various types of classification:

• Climatic adaptability
• According to Fruit ripening
• Rate of respiration
• Photoperiodic responses
• Relative salt tolerance
• Acid present in fruit crop

These classification systems help us understand the growth requirements, post-harvest behaviour, and management practices needed for different fruit crops. Each system offers a unique lens through which to study and manage fruits.

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Climatic Adaptability

Tropical	Subtropical	Temperate
Mango	Citrus	Apple
Banana	Guava	Pear
Papaya	Ber	Peach
Sapota	Phalsa	Plum
Pineapple	Date palm	Quince
Coconut	Pomegranate	Apricot
Cashew	Grape	Walnut
Arecanut	Aonla	Almond
Jackfruit	Litchi	Strawberry
Avocado	Loquat	Cherry

Based on climatic adaptability, fruits are broadly classified into tropical, subtropical, and temperate fruits. Tropical fruits like mango, banana, and papaya thrive in warm climates with no frost. Subtropical fruits like citrus and guava can tolerate mild winters. Temperate fruits like apple, pear, and peach require a distinct cold period (chilling hours) for proper growth and fruiting.

• *However, this choice is not very rigid as some tropical crops which can be grown in Subtropics and vice versa.

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Arid zone fruits

• Ber
• Aonla
• Pomegranate
• Fig
• Phalsa

These fruits are well-adapted to hot and dry climatic conditions with limited water availability. They are particularly important for farmers in arid and semi-arid regions of India such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, and parts of Maharashtra, where other fruit crops may not survive.

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Shade Tolerant

Highly Tolerant	Moderately Tolerant	Highly Sensitive
Carambola	Banana	Coconut, Mango, Guava, Citrus

Shade-tolerant fruit crops are those that can grow and produce fruit even under partial shade conditions. This characteristic is important when planning multi-storey cropping systems or agroforestry models where some crops grow under the canopy of taller trees.

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According to fruit ripening condition

👉🏻 Based on this, the fruits can be classified as Climacteric fruits and Non-climacteric fruits. This is one of the most important classifications from a post-harvest management perspective.

• The climacteric fruits can ripe after removing them from the plants on the other hand non-climacteric fruits are those which don’t ripe after picking. This fundamental difference determines how and when fruits should be harvested for best quality.
• Now, the ripening process is related to the production of ethylene in plants. Ethylene is a gaseous plant hormone that acts as a natural ripening agent.
• Climacteric species produce ethylene as they ripen, and the harvested produce is capable of ripening during the postharvest period. This means they can be harvested at the mature green stage and allowed to ripen during transport or storage.
• These commodities, such as bananas, apples, and peaches, tend to get sweeter and softer after harvest. The burst of ethylene production triggers a cascade of biochemical changes including starch-to-sugar conversion, softening of cell walls, and development of aroma compounds.
• Non-climacteric plants, such as leafy vegetables, do not continue to ripen after harvest; they will soften and rot, but this is due to moisture loss, decay, and tissue deterioration. Therefore, non-climacteric fruits must be harvested at optimum ripeness since they will not improve in quality after picking.
• Thus, Climacteric fruits produce much larger amount of ethylene than non-climacteric fruits. This is why climacteric fruits like bananas and mangoes can be artificially ripened using ethylene gas or calcium carbide.

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Climacteric Fruits

Climacteric Fruits (Fruit can ripe after removing from plants)	Non-Climacteric Fruits (Don’t ripe after picking)
Sapota	Grape
Guava	Pineapple
Mango	Citrus
Papaya	Pomegranate
Banana	Litchi
Fig	Ber
Apple	Jamun
Pear	Cashew
Peach	Cherry
Plum	Strawberry

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Classification based on ethylene production

Class	Micro-L C₂H₄/kg/hr	Crops
Very Low	< 0.1	Grape, Citrus
Low	0.1 — 1.0	Pineapple, Watermelon
Medium	1-10	Banana, Mango, Guava, Fig, Tomato
High	10 — 100	Papaya, Avocado, Plum
Very High	>100	Apple, Passion fruit, Sapota

• Highest ethylene production seen in Apple (25— 2500 uL/L); Passion fruit (466-530 uL/L);

The rate of ethylene production determines how quickly a fruit will ripen and how long it can be stored. Fruits with very high ethylene production should be stored separately from other produce to prevent premature ripening. This is why ethylene scrubbers and controlled atmosphere storage are used in commercial fruit storage.

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Classification based on Respiration

• Despite having been detached from the plant, fruits and vegetables remain as living organs after harvest. This is a key concept in post-harvest physiology — the produce is still alive and carrying out metabolic processes.
• Like all living tissues, harvested produce continues to respire throughout its postharvest life. Respiration is the process by which stored food is broken down to release energy for cellular activities.
• During the process of respiration, carbohydrates are broken down to their constituent parts to produce energy to run cellular processes, thus keeping the cells and organism alive. The basic equation is: C6H12O6 + 6O2 —> 6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy.
• Throughout this process, oxygen is consumed and water, carbon dioxide, and energy are released. This is essentially the reverse of photosynthesis.
• Because this process occurs from harvest to table, the carbohydrates stored in the harvested plant portion are continually “burned” as energy to keep the vegetable alive; as respiration continues, compounds that affect plant flavor, sweetness, weight, turgor (water content), and nutritional value are lost. This is why produce gradually loses quality after harvest.
• Thus, reducing the rate of respiration is an important consideration in extending the postharvest life of a fruit or vegetable and optimizing postharvest quality. The primary methods to achieve this include lowering temperature, reducing oxygen levels, and increasing CO2 levels in storage.
• Harvested fruits and vegetables of different plants have different rates of respiration; some respire at a faster rate (and thus are more perishable vegetables), while some respire at a relatively slow rate (less perishable vegetables) (see table below). Higher respiration rate = shorter shelf life.
• In addition, storage conditions affect respiration, with higher temperatures leading to a faster rate of respiration; for every 10°C (18°F) rise in temperature, the respiration rate will double or even triple. This principle is called the Q10 effect or temperature coefficient.
• Because of the significant effect of temperature on respiration, the amount of time a harvested product is exposed to heat should be minimized; the fruit or vegetable should be quickly brought to its optimal storage temperature. This practice is known as pre-cooling and is essential in the cold chain.

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Classification based on the respiration rate

Respiration Rate	Examples	Release of CO₂
Very Low	Nut, Dried fruits	<5 mg
Low	Apple, Citrus, Grape	5-10 mg
Medium	Mango, Banana, Peach, Pear	10-20 mg
High	Strawberry, Avocado	20-40 mg
Very High	Snap melon	40-60 mg

• In the case of Climacteric fruits, there is a sharp rise in respiration after harvesting. This sudden spike is called the climacteric peak and is associated with rapid ripening.
• In the case of Non-climacteric fruits, there is steady respiration at the time of harvesting. Their respiration rate gradually declines after harvest without any sharp peak.

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Classification based on Photoperiodic responses

Long Day Plants	Short Day Plants	Day Neutral Plants
Passion fruit, Apple	Strawberry, Pineapple, Coffee	Papaya, Guava, Banana

Photoperiodism refers to the response of plants to the relative length of day and night. Some fruit crops are classified as short-day plants (flower when day length is shorter), long-day plants (flower when day length is longer), or day-neutral plants (flowering is not affected by day length). This knowledge is valuable for planning planting schedules and predicting flowering time.

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Classification based on relative salt tolerance

Highly tolerant	Medium tolerant	Less tolerant
Datepalm, Ber, Aonla, Guava, Coconut, Khirni	Pomegranate, Cashew, Fig, Jamun and Phalsa	Mango, Apple, Citrus, Pear, Strawberry

Salt tolerance is an increasingly important characteristic as soil salinity is a growing problem in irrigated agriculture. Knowing which fruit crops can tolerate saline conditions helps farmers in salt-affected regions choose appropriate crops for cultivation.

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Acid present in fruit crops

Citric Acid	Malic Acid
Citrus, Guava, Pear, Pineapple	Apple, Banana, Cherry, Plum, Melon

The type of organic acid present in a fruit is a frequently asked question in competitive exams. For example, citric acid is found in citrus fruits, tartaric acid in grapes, malic acid in apple, and oxalic acid in carambola (star fruit). These acids contribute to the flavour profile and TSS:acid ratio of the fruit, which determines its taste and quality.

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Causes of colour/bitterness in fruits/vegetables

Fruit/Vegetable (Property)	Responsible Compound
Papaya (Yellow Colour)	Caricaxanthin
Apple (Redness)	Anthocyanin
Tomato (Redness)	Lycopene
Chilli (Redness)	Anthocyanin
Chilli (Pungency)	Capsaicin
Carrot (Orange Colour)	Carotein
Carrot (Red Colour)	Anthocyanin
Turmeric (Yellow Colour)	Curcumin
Bitter Gourd (Bitterness)	Memordicocite
Cucumber (Bitterness)	Cucurbitacin
Onion (Yellow Colour)	Quercetin
Onion (Red Colour)	Anthocyanin
Onion (Pungency)	Allyl propyl di-sulphide AFO-2021
Garlic (Pungency)	Alycine/Amino Acid
Raphanus (Pungency)	Isocyanate
Mustard (Pungency)	Glucosilates
Potato (Green Colour)	Solanin
Gram leaves (Sour taste)	Malic/Oxalic Acid
Pepper (Pungency)	Oleoresin
Cabbage (Pungency)	Sinigrin

The colour of fruits and vegetables is determined by specific pigments such as chlorophyll (green), carotenoids (yellow-orange-red), anthocyanins (red-blue-purple), and lycopene (red). Bitterness is typically caused by specific chemical compounds like alkaloids and glycosides. Understanding these pigments and compounds is important for quality assessment, processing, and nutritional evaluation of horticultural produce.

Summary Cheat Sheet

Concept / Topic	Key Details
Pomology	Study of fruit crops
Olericulture	Study of vegetable crops
Floriculture	Study of flower crops
Plantation crops	Study of tea, coffee, rubber, coconut, arecanut
Daily fruit requirement	85 g/person/day (ICMR recommendation)
Fruits richest in Vitamin C	Aonla (600–700 mg), Guava (200–300 mg), Citrus
Fruits richest in Vitamin A	Mango, papaya (beta-carotene)
Fruits richest in Iron	Karonda, custard apple, dried dates
Fruits richest in Protein	Avocado, jackfruit seed
Highest calorie fruit	Avocado (fat-rich) and banana
NHB	National Horticulture Board (1984); promotes horticulture
ICAR-IIHR	Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru
ICAR-CISH	Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture, Lucknow
ICAR-CIAH	Central Institute for Arid Horticulture, Bikaner
TNAU	Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
IARI	Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi