What does ‘Horticulture’ mean? Which crops are grown under horticulture in India?
Answer:
Horticulture is the practice of production of both fruit and vegetable crops. India is a producer of tropical as well as temperate fruits. Some of the major crops are:
- Mangoes: Many varieties of mangoes lie Safeda, Dussehri, Langda, Sindoori, etc. are grown in Maharashtra, U.P., Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
- Oranges: Nagpur and Cherrapunjee are famous for orange varieties of India.
- Bananas of various qualities are grown in Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
- Lichi and Guava are famous in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Bihar.
- Pineapple in Meghalaya and Grapes are grown in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
- Apples, pears, apricots and walnuts are mainly temperate fruits and are grown in J&K and Himachal Pradesh and are in great demand all over the world.
- Vegetables: India produces about 13 per cent of the world’s vegetables. It is an important producer of peas, cauliflower, onion, cabbage, tomato, brinjal and potatoes. There is a potato institute in Shirnla where study is made on various qualities of potatoes grown in India.