Vegetables play a very important role in our lives. They are the ultimate source of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. The science of cultivation of vegetables for human and animal consumption is known as Olericulture. Olericulture is originated from Latin word ‘oleris’ meaning pot herb and English word ‘culture’ meaning raising of plants.
It is the branch of horticulture which deals with the culture of herbaceous plants. It is the production of plants for the use of their edible parts. It includes production, storage, processing, transportation and marketing of vegetables.
The Steps Involved in Olericulture Are:
- selection of cultivar
- seedbed preparation
- crops establishment by seeds and transplants.
The basic requirements of all the plants are water, nutrients, light, temperature and oxygen and when these conditions are fulfilled vegetables can be grown for food. Scope in India: India is the second largest producer of vegetables in the world (surpassed only by China), accounting for about 10 per cent of the world's production.
Biotechnology in Olericulture
Biotechnology has played a major role to increase vegetable production to meet the demands of growing population. Some of the techniques used are as follows:
- Traditional breeding: Pollen and ovule from desired male and female parents are crossed to get desirable characteristics. Example- honeycrisp apple
- Mutagenesis: Mutations are induced in crops by mutagenic chemicals or radioactivity to create variety within crops and to get desired traits. Exampleruby red grapefruits.
- Polyploidy: polyploidy is induced in crops to change the chromosome number to influence its fertility and size. Example- seedless watermelons are created by crossing 4 set chromosome watermelon with a 2 set chromosome watermelon.
- Protoplast fusion: joining of cells to transfer traits of species. Ex-male sterility was transferred from radish to red cabbages by protoplast fusion.
- Transgenic: introduction of foreign gene using plasmid vectors. Example: Rainbow papaya that gives it resistance to the papaya ringspot virus.
Methods of Vegetable Cultivation
Nowadays there are many methods for vegetable cultivation. Some of them are as follows:
- Mulching: This practice involves covering of cultivated plants with some covering materials like leaves, straw, sawdust, peat moss, compost, gravel etc. or synthetic, like polyethylene and PVC to conserve soil moisture, maintain higher soil temperature and to control weeds.
- Polyhouse/greenhouse: It is the practice of growing vegetables in an inflated structure using transparent covers to create greenhouse effect. This enclosed space allows partial control on microclimate of crop and high carbon dioxide concentration improves plant productivity.
- Low Tunnels: Low tunnels cover rows of plants in the field and provide protection against low temperatures and frost, winds and insect pests.
- Hydroponics: It is the science of growing vegetables in water having dissolved nutrients. It is also referred as soilless cultivation in which plants can be grown in an inorganic substance like sand, gravel, perlite, Rockwool or in an organic material like coconut fiber, pine bark or sphagnum peat moss and periodically watered with a nutrient solution.
- Aeroponics: It is the science of cultivating vegetables in air or mist environment and not in soil. In this plants are suspended in closed environment and the roots and stems of plants are atomized with nutrient rich solution.
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