Preface  Plant propagation is an important aspect of agriculture to enhance production in general and horticulture in particular. Quite a few treatises on this important field of plant science have been written but the needs of the post-graduate students and research workers in this field have not been adequately considered. The availability of genuine planting material to growers at right time on affordable cost is also a constraint responsible for lower productivity of horticultural crops. Numerous results of investigation have been published dealing with the propagation of horticultural plants of semi-arid and arid regions in many journals over a long period of time. This book compiles an up-to-date account of the researches on different aspects of propagation of semi arid and arid fruits, economic plants, spices, medicinal and aromatic plants and ornamentals, under a single book. The book also contains chapters on principles and practices of seed and vegetative propagation, physiology of regeneration of adventitious roots on cuttings as well as viability and invigoration of seeds, use of plant growth substances, micro-propagation, and management of diseases in nursery plants and quality standards of seed and planting materials. An extensive bibliography on propagation of major semi- arid and arid fruit crops should prove useful to the students in horticulture as well as the researchers working on plant propagation, policy makers and nursery management.     We are highly grateful to the contributors of the articles for their sincere efforts and cooperation to bringing out the book.  We are thankful to Dr. S.K. Sharma, Director, CIAH, Bikaner; Dr. S.K.Malhotra, ADG (Hort), ICAR, New Delhi; Dr. Vishal Nath, Director, NRC on Litchi, Muzaffarpur, Dr. B. D. Sharma, Dr. J. P. Singh, Dr. Sanjay Singh, Dr. N. D. Yadav, Dr. J. C. Tewari , Dr. D. B. Singh and Prof. P. K. Yadav, Dr. G. Pandey, Dr. A.K. Singh, Dr. Hare Krishna and Dr. S. K. Maheshwari for the encouragement and help in editing of the chapters. Our sincere thanks are due to Er. B.R. Khatri (Sr. Computer) for type setting of manuscript and designing the cover of the book and also to the staff of M/s New India Publishing Agency, New Delhi for timely publishing the book.

Even since, the man adopted plant cultivation; he attempted various methods of propagation. In ancient time, the only source of plant multiplication was by seeds. Hence, techniques for higher seed germination, improved seed vigour were developed by giving pre-treatment. However, as the knowledge advanced and demands for having true to type plants was realized to man shifted his cultivation practices for some plants from seed to vegetative propagation such as cutting, layering and grafting. The use of cuttings, corm, bulbs, tubers  for multiplication were known to ancient peoples as mentioned in old literature. This method also gave an edge to conserve the genetic gain once developed in a cultivar, since all vegetatively multiplied plants will have some genome and will produce true to type plants. Thus, the development of vegetative propagation method because it is easy method to multiply plants on large scale and develop uniform quality produce.

Plant propagation is the science of generating new plants. Basically, in plant kingdom, the plants multiply themselves either asexually or by sexual means. In asexual propagation methods, plants use any of the vegetative part of the plant to produce offspring such as stem, root, buds, etc. The plants thus produced are having exactly the same genetic blueprint as that of the parent plant. However, in the sexual method of propagation, the specialized parts of the plants which have undergone meiosis takes parts such as pollen and ovule to produce seed which on germination produces the plants having characters encoded on its genome. Such plants may have a blend of characters of both the parents. The seed production is a complex phenomenon which takes place after fertilization (Bhatnagar and Johri, 1972).

In global competitive agriculture market, the need of the hour is to provide uniform and quality agricultural produce which can compete in market and give remunerative returns. For this, the agriculture production needs to be addressed on more scientific grounds and full package of practices are to be adopted to produce quality produce for global market. Earlier, the orchards were established using seedling material where uniformity of the produce was not guaranteed. Thus, in recent years more emphasis is being paid on scientific establishment of orchards which requires true to type planting material from which uniform produce is expected. This true to type planting material can only be produced by vegetative methods. Thus, standardization of vegetative propagation in horticultural crops, particularly in perennial crops has gained much importance. Some references are available on propagation of plants which shows that vegetative propagation  methods were also practiced in ancient time as mentioned in old treaties literature viz. Upvan vinod,  Ain-e-akbari, etc.

Micropropagation refers to the production of plants from very small plant parts, tissues or cells, grown aseptically in a test tube or containers under controlled nutritional, environmental and aseptic conditions. It is also called as in vitro propagation, which implies clonal, true-to-type propagation of plants by a variety of tissue and cell culture methods and is considered as the most efficient and commercial method of plant propagation. Tissue culture or in vitro culture is two broadly used terms for micropropagation, which basically include aseptic culture of various plant parts. Micropropagation was developed as the result of accidental findings of French Professor G. Morel in 1958, when he was attempting to obtain virus-free plants through meristem culture in dahlia and orchids. All the biological principles of micropropagation technique are based on the phenomenon of totipotency of cell, in which a cell of a plant has the capacity to regenerate in to a full-fledged plant having different organs. German plant physiologist, Haberlandt (1902) is known as the father of tissue culture technique, who for the first time coined the term totipotency.

Many horticultural and forestry plants don’t come true-to-type when propagated by seed owing to cross pollination and highly heterogeneous nature of fruit crops, in general. As a result, when such plants are grown, the individuals differ in morphological as well as fruit characteristics as compared to mother plant. Though, it was a common practice in old days to establish new orchards with seedling plants, but now with the development and standardization of different vegetative propagation techniques, such plantings are avoided. In modern system of crop production, instead of a single tree derived from seed, use of composite plants (consist of usually scion and rootstock, joined together by budding or grating) is in vogue. This could have been possible by growing interest of mankind in vegetative means of plant propagation.  In asexual propagation, vegetative parts of the plant are used for propagation.  It is practicable because all the living cells of a plant have a capacity to regenerate into a full plant under favourable environmental conditions.

The classical idea of the existence of a hormone as a chemical  messenger was first reported by Darwin and Darwin (1880). However, Boysen-Jensen (1911) was first who actually demonstrated their prescence by a grafting experiment. Evidence  exist to show that early mankinds often  used these phytohormones  for rooting of cuttings, flower  induction, control of flower drop etc. The  modern age of phyto-hormones began in 1926 when  F.W.Went isolated  an active substance from oat coleoptile  tip which later on proved as IAA (Indole Acetic Acid) or auxin. A dramatic revolution in this field started after the discovery that a chemical  different in structure to IAA could exhibit auxin like activity such as rooting of cuttings (Zimmermann and Wilcoxon,1935) and by 1940,the use of synthetic auxins was well established with the progress in this field, the first generation phytohormones have been replaced with superior product and new crops are being added to take the advantages of its beneficial effects.

Besides edapho-climatic constraints in the arid region, availability of genuine planting materials at the doorsteps of the farmer’s is one of the major challenges that come in the way of horticultural development at commercial venture. Though, establishment of nursery is considered as remunerative farming enterprise if managed properly, in arid region it is still confined in the vicinity of big cities. It is also interesting to reveal that in the state like Rajasthan, most of the private nursery men are not producing planting materials in their nurseries except for the fruits like ber, lasoda and  kinnow instead they are purchasing planting materials from the other states in bulk and selling them on higher rate to the farmers of the state. The main reasons for poor development of nursery in the arid region are; unfavorable edapho-climatic conditions and poor knowledge about innovations made in recent past for nursery management. Keeping these facts in view, there is a need to develop a long chain of hitech-nurseries coupled with Human Resource Development for mass multiplication of quality planting materials for fulfilling the demand of end users. Production of quality planting material is directly link with productivity of fruit crops (Bose et al., 1998; Brison and Adriance, 2000).

Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk. ) is one of the ancient and common fruits of the country. It is a drought hardy fruit tree and can grow successfully even under harsh climatic conditions. Ber is well known for its ability to thrive under adverse conditions of salinity, drought and poor marginal soils. However, for good tree’s growth and yield, deep sandy loam soils with neutral or slightly alkaline reaction and good drainage are most suitable. It is grown throughout the country especially in arid and semi- arid parts. However, it is mainly grown in western parts of Rajasthan where rainfall is less and erratic (Pareek et al, 2002). In addition to Rajasthan state, it is cultivated in other states like U.P., Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, A.P., Gujarat, M.P., Chhatisgarh, Haryana, Punjab and Bihar.

Pomegranate  (Punica granatum L.)  also  known as anar, dalim  is   an ancient  fruit and cultivated in semi-arid to arid regions of the country. However, pomegranate plants are found throughout the country from temperate to tropical climate. It has enjoyed a reputation for its healthy dietetic and medicinal properties. Pomegranate has versatile adaptability, drought tolerance, high value fruits, steady and high yields of the crop (Vishalnath et al., 2007). The pomegranate fruit has therapeutic value (Julie Jurenka, 2008); good keeping quality, high export potential and is mainly grown for table purpose, though several value added products are also available.

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) known as Khajoor, Kharek is an important fruit tree of semi-arid and arid regions of the world. It grows well under poor desertic soils due to its hardy plant characteristics and deep root system.  It is also one of the most suitable fruit plant, which can be easily grown under saline irrigation conditions. It is well known fact for date palm that its feet in the water and its head in sun. It requires dry hot climate for growth and development of fruits. In arid region, crop production is risky preposition, where date palm cultivation contributes in achieving food security, high nutritive value food, crop diversification, desertification control, income generation and foreign exchange earnings. It can be grown at such areas where adequate irrigation facilities are available besides other climatic requirements (Chandra et al., 1992; Sharma and Singh, 2013).

Indian gooseberry or aonla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.), is an important fruit crop of 21st century and it has been regarded as ‘Amritphal’ in ancient literature, and has been identified as an ideal plant for various kinds of wastelands viz, moisture stress, eroded, ravines, upland, riverbed and the areas with undulated topography (Korwar et al., 2006) as it possesses some specific characters like intensive and deeper root system, summer dormancy of zygote, reduced leaf area, synchronization of fruit growth and development with moisture availability period and selective absorption of cations and anions which enable it to grow in fragile agro-climatic conditions. India is principal aonla growing country and Uttar Pradesh is the leading state and Pratap garh district, U.P. is well known for aonla cultivation throughout the country. Aonla is a deciduous tree, small to medium in size and distributed in tropical and sub-tropical forests in India. Looking to its high demand and value added products, now, it is being commercially cultivated in different parts of country. It can tolerate alkalinity and salinity and can be grown in wide range of soils.

Bael (Aegle marmelos Correa.) also known as Shri Phal, Baelpatra, Bengal quince, Beel, Bel is a nutritious and medicinal fruit plant, which is most suitable for water scarce areas of the country. It is indigenous tree to India and known since ancient time. Bael fruit is mentioned in ancient literature viz., Vedas, Ramayana, Upavan Vinod,  Brihat Samhita (Singh and Roy, 1984). Methods of ripening of the bael fruit are also given in Buddhist and Jain literature 800 BC – 325 BC.  During the Ramayana period, it has been mentioned that bael trees were found growing in the Chitrakut hills and Panchvati. The bael is grown throughout the country and main bael growing states are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha and Rajasthan. It is found growing in neighboring countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and most of the Southeast Asian countries. Besides systematic orchard, bael can also be grown in parks, temple gardens, roadsides etc. The bael plant is sacred to the Hindus and is of common occurrence in temples of ‘Lord Shiva’ because of its mythological significance.

Karonda (Carissa carandas L.) is found growing throughout India, mainly in the semi-arid  and arid regions. It is widely cultivated in the home gardens, farmer’s fields and orchards as hedge plant. Karonda is commonly used as a condiment or additive to Indian pickles and spices. Karonda is one of the few fruits indigenous to India while 30 species of genus Carissa have been reported; many species are found growing wildly in India while other species came from Malaysia and South Africa (Hayes, 1957). It is cultivated throughout India in tropical and sub-tropical areas for fruits (Rai and Gupta, 1996). In India Carissa are found growing most widely in plains and  Siwalik hills and grow wild in Deccan Peninsula, Maharashtra along the western ghats, parts of Gujarat, Punjab, lower ranges of J & K, U.P., Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh M.P. and Aravalli hills, Mount Abu (Rajasthan). It also cultivated in other countries like Bangladesh, South Africa, U.S.A., Denmark, Ghana, Israel, Nepal and Pakistan.  It is also grows in the Sri Lanka lowland rain forests. It can be grown in any type of soil however; it is most suitable for planting in marginal lands (Sharma and Badiyala, 2002). It is a very hardy, drought-tolerant plant that thrives well in a wide range of soils. However, it is susceptible to very low temperature/frost under hot arid conditions (Singh et al., 2012).

Fig (Ficus carica  Linn.)  also called ‘Anjeer’ is a nutritive and delicious fruit. Its tree is native to western Asia. It is rich in calories (269), protein, and calcium (higher than milk), iron and fibre content. The small deciduous plants of fig are grown in different parts of the country. Fig has been cultivated since ancient period (4000 BC.) and well known through out the world. It is originated in Middle East and naturalized in many parts of the world. Fig tree plantations cover 426,244 ha. area in the world with an overall yield 1070676million tones. The largest fig growing countries are Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Greece and Algeria (Pasqual and Ferreira, 2007). It is also grown in some parts of Australia, California, New- Zealand and Argentina.

Manila tamarind (Pithecellobium dulce  (Roxb.) Benth.), also known as ‘Jangle jalebi’, ‘Madras thorn’, Sweet inga and ‘Monkey pod’ has a potential to become an important tree of semi- arid and arid regions since it is a drought hardy plant and tolerates harsh environmental conditions as well as salinity. In general, it is planted on the boundary of orchard, road and field sides as protective hedge plant. It is a medium size, much branched tree, suitable for silvi-pastoral system (Gupta et al., 1994). It is drought resistant species but susceptible to frost under arid conditions, coming up well in areas of low rainfall due to its extensive root system. Names like dulce (sweet) and “Manila tamarind” reflect the wide use of the pods as food. The most valuable and commonly used part of Manila tamarind tree is the pulp, which is white or red, very sweet and has a pleasant flavour. The large aril represents 50 per cent of the fruit (Seeds 25%, husk 25%). The major constraint in commercialization of this tree species is lack of improved genotypes, agro-techniques for cultivation in different ago-climatic conditions and limited commercial value.

Custard apple (Annona squamosa L.), also known as sitaphal, sharifa, sugar apple  is a  nutritious, edible fruit of  family Annonaceae. It is a drought hardy, deciduous fruit tree and most suitable for dry land horticulture. Annonaceous fruits originated in tropical America and are widely distributed in tropics and sub tropics. Among Annona fruits, custard apple is the most favourite in our country. Its plants come up unattended in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Due to hardy nature and escape from animal’s damage, this plant species is grown in different tropical and sub-tropical regions of the country. Of late, custard apple has gained commercial significance and exclusive orchards are emerging in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan. A wide range of genetic diversity is available in Anonaceous fruits in many parts of country. It is naturally grown in Aravali belt especially in Udaipur, Sirohi district of Rajasthan and its potential should be exploited for improvement (Chundawat, 1990). The plant of this species is shrub or small size tree and very important in both horticulture and in ethno-botanical use. However, the maximum area of its cultivation is in Maharashtra and Karnataka  state. The area are being expanded because of its  prospects in semi arid and  dry parts of the country.

Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) is an important tree for social forestry, agro-forestry, wasteland development and dry land horticulture. The tree assumes great significance due to its various uses and capacity to withstand adverse agro-climatic conditions. The pulp of the mature ripe fruit has considerable export value in many parts of the world. The fruits are used for making processed products. It is a common tree throughout the warmer parts of India, except where frost occures i.e. sub-Himalayan tracts and North-West Punjab. Rough estimates indicate that about 80,000 metric tonnes of tamarind pulp per annum is produced in India, bulk of which comes from the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and to a limited extent from Bihar. India is perhaps the main producer and consumer of this fruit in the world. In Maharashtra, the area under tamarind crop is around 13,186 hectare.

Wood apple (Feronia limonia (L.) Swingle) is also called kainth, elephant apple, monkey fruit, curd fruit, kath bel and other dialectal names in India. It is drought hardy, medium to tall sized, under utilized fruit tree. In Malaya, it is gelinggi or belinggi, in Thailand, Ma-khwit, in Cambodia, Kromsang and in Laos, Ma-fit. In French, it is pomm-d-elephant, pomm de bois, or citron des mois (Morton and Miami, 1987). It is one of the most highly valued fruit plant grown in drier region of the country. Its plants are deciduous, glabrous, tree with thorny branches. Limited work has been done on its post harvest utilization. The wood apple is native to India and common in the wild form in dry plains of India and Sri Lanka. It is also found growing throughout South East Asia, in Northern Malaya and on Penang Island. In India, the fruit was traditionally a “Poor man’s food” until processing techniques were developed in the mid-1950’s. It occurs, wild or cultivated, up to an elevation of 1500 ft, in Western Himalayas, but more common in the Deccan; Thane and Chandrapur districts of Maharashtra. It is also reported to occur in parts of Hazaribagh, Palamau and Chota Nagpur in Jharkhand, in forest of Vidhyan hills of Uttar Pradesh and Chattishgarh. It is often cultivated on borders of fields and as a roadside tree near villages and sometimes planted in the orchards. It is grown in the states of Odisha, Karnataka, M.P., A. P.  and Tamil Nadu.

Phalsa (Grewia subinaequalis syn. G asiatica) is a minor fruit crop. It is the most hardy fruit, drought resistant and requires little care. This fruit crop is mentioned in vedic literature having medicinal properties. It can be grown almost in all parts of north India except at higher elevations. It cannot be grown in temperate climates with severe winters.  Phalsa being very vigorous in growth can be an ideal plant for plugging gullies and ravines and for contours to protect bunds. It can also be grown as a hedge along the field boundary. It is also grown as filler tree(Chundawat,1990).  It is capable of growing under marginal, waste lands and water scarcity conditions. The tiny fruits have to be picked from bush several times during the fruiting season. Fruits are used for fresh eaten and having short shelf life is suitable for disposal in local market.

Gangana(Grewia tenax) is a deciduous tropical shrub widely distributed in arid and semi-arid region. In western Rajasthan, the natural habitat of this shrub is buried pediments, hills and pediplains (Bhandari, 1971). It does best on deep sandy loam, and can grow in very shallow, skeletal, gravelly or clay soils. It has been reported that the species grow abundantly (density = 678 individuals per ha.) in hilly waste lands of Kailana, Jodhpur. Sharma (1997) reported that its efficient root system can penetrate into minute rock crevices. It is extremely drought hardy and can withstand high temperature in hot arid climate. It tolerates frost well but plant growth is slow in arid region. Mostly fruits for sale in the local markets are collected from wild stands. It is underutilized species (Gebauer et al., 2007), the major limitations to the development as a horticultural crop is the lack of detailed information, particularly the genotype, physiology and ecology (Gebauer et al., 2007). Due to its drought hardy and dense root system, it seems promising species in arid region. It has good fodder value for small ruminants. It is naturally grown in range lands, orans, and hilly track of Aravalli. It is untapped plant species and its potential should be exploited.

Mulberry (Morus nigra , Family : Moraceae)  also known as toot, shehtoot is a multipurpose tree.  It is found all over India from temperate to tropical regions.  Fig and Jackfruit are other important fruit trees of this family Moraceae. Morus alba is white mulberry mainly used in Sericulture whereas Morus nigra produces black fruits which have tremendous nutritional and medicinal value and are produced for fruit cultivation.  Mulberry is a fast growing, deciduous, woody perennial plant, which is mainly grown in the orchards as windbreak due to its dense foliage. It can be grown on wide range of climate and soil conditions (Hare Krishna et al., 2012). It is not commercially cultivated as fruit crop and trees are planted mainly on road sides, wind breaks and in the orchard for getting shade. In most parts of the country particularly southern states, mulberry is grown for its foliage, which is the only food for the silkworm (Bombyx mori). Mulberry leaf is a major economic component in sericulture since the quality and quantity of leaf produced per unit area has a direct bearing on cocoon harvest.

Kair also known as Karil or Ker {Capparis decidua (Forsk) Edgew} is an economic desertic plant species, which grows well on sand dunes. The plant is adopted so well under hot arid ecosystem that during extreme of summer when it is difficult to survive by many other vegetation, it produces flowers and fruits. Ker is indigenous to India and growing wildly in arid and semi-arid regions of the country. In India, it is found growing naturally in arid and semiarid tracts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and southern part of Deccan Peninsula. Besides India, it is found in tropical Africa, Arabia, Sind, Baluchistan, Socotra, South Persia, Pakistan (Sind), Sudan and Egypt. The natural habitat of ker is pediments plains all over dry regions and its density ranges from 8-44 bushes ha-1 (Pareek, 1978). The population density of Capparis decidua on different land forms have been reported by Gupta et al., (1989) as the population varies from 9-70 bushes/ ha. They recorded highest population density on older alluvial plains (81 plant/ ha) and minimum on the periphery of runs (20 plants/ha).  In semi-arid of Pali region, 20-40 bushes /ha was noted in rangeland area (Singh,1993). In recent decade, the natural population of ker bushes has been declined due to increase in population pressure of man and animals and increase in cropping area due to canal irrigation in north-western Rajasthan.

Lasoda (Cordia myxa L.) known by many names viz., cherry of desert, assyrian palm, sebestene plum,  lasura, lehsua, gonda and naruvilli, is an underutilized, multipurpose fruit tree distributed in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Arid regions are considered under the category of wastelands which are not being used to their fullest potential. Among the arid region crops, lasoda is very suitable crop for cultivation in Rajasthan as it can withstand drought to a very great extent and can tolerate temperature as high as 48 to 50°C during summer months. Lasoda thrives well on neglected, low fertile, sandy, gravelly, saline, alkaline soils and hence can be used for forestation of waste lands. However, it grows vigorously in moist sandy loam soils and gives high productivity.

Jamun fruit holds a dear place in Indian literature and religion. One such tale states that when Rama was exiled from Ayodhya, he lived on nothing but jamun for 14 years. Hindu mythology also likens Krishna’s blue skin to the color jamun. Its correlation with Krishna is one reason why the fruit is planted near temples honoring him, even today. Another text states how the Puranas split the cosmos into seven continents. The continent at the center and the one on which humans live was regarded as the island of jamun. At the center of the earth was a single jamun mother tree that produced fruits so large that, upon falling, gushed life-giving rivers for all to enjoy.

Khirni (Manilkara hexandra) also known as rayan, is an important multipurpose tree of dry parts of country. It is commercially used as a rootstock for vegetative propagation of sapota in different parts of the country (Singh and Singh, 2012).  Seedlings are found in natural state in the field as well forest areas. Its fruit are nutritious, edible and available during summer season at high price because of its low production. At present, the potential of this fruit crop is unexploited.  There is no improved cultivar for orchard plantation.  It can be planted as wind break on boundary of farm/orchards because of its dense foliage. It is a underexploited fruit tree semi arid to sub tropical regions. Malik et al. (2012) reported that Khirni is a socio- economically important fruit species for tribal peoples.

Cultivation of citrus holds promise in arid irrigated tracts. The major citrus fruits under cultivation in arid regions are acid lime , lemon, Kinnow, Mandarin hybrid, sweet orange and grapefruit .Acid lime and kinnow are widely grown. Citrus fruit are grown  through out country for its  nutritive and medicinal value (Chadha, 2001) . Citrus is world’s leading fruit crop. In India, it is cultivated in the states of Maharashtra, A.P., Punjab, Rajasthan, H.P., U.P., M.P., Karnataka, T.N., J&K., Odisha, Gujarat, Assam, & Sikkim, For obtaining quality plant material, propagation is an important aspect. Citrus is largely propagated   by budding except kagzi lime which is raised from seeds because of occurrence of polyembryony and sweet lime which is  commercially  propagated by stem cuttings. Kagzi lime and lemon can also be propagated by layering. In case of citrus the availability of proper plant material is very much essential.

Kamrakh or Carambola (Averrhoa carambola L.) known as ‘Star fruit’ is an important fruit of tropical and subtropical regions of the world. However, it is  a drought hardy plant and grow in dry land areas. Its fruit pulp is  sour-acidic in taste due to oxalic acid content.   Carambola are still in wild form or in homestead gardens and therefore, no improved and recognized varieties and /or systemic cultivation practices for this fruit has been developed so far. It is mainly grown as a fancy fruit in the garden and only limited plants are maintained. The plants prefers warm, moist climate but it can grow on any type of soil with good drainage system.

Chironji or Charoli (Buchanania lanzan Spreng.) is an important fruit tree of agro forestry and social forestry. In the wasteland development and dryland horticulture, it assumes great significance due to its multifarious uses and capacity to withstand adverse environmental conditions. At present, it is growing under natural forest as an underexploited fruit and gives monitory reward to the tribal community of the country and seems to be boon for them. It is valuable tree species found in dry deciduous forest throughout the country excluding eastern Himalayan forests (Singh, 1982).

Salvadora the  “Grape of the Desert” and commonly known as Pilu or jaal is a popular  multipurpose tree (MPTS) found growing luxuriantly in Thar desert and Kutchh region of Gujarat. It is an extremely drought hardy and salinity tolerant plant, capable of growing in hostile weather conditions. Salvadora provides life and support to the people living in fragile ecosystem of Thar desert and hence can be rated as a life line tree. The two important species of Salvadora i.e. Salvadora oleoides Decne and Salvadora persica L. are known to exist in India and known by different vernacular names. S. oleoides is called jaal, Mitha jal (Rajasthani); Pilu (Sanskrit); Bhapilu (Hindi); Kankhina (Marathi); Pil (Punjabi) and Kalawa (Tamil) while S. persica is known as Pilu (Sanskrit), tooth brush tree (English); Chotapilu (Bengali); darakht-I-miswak (Persian); Pilu (Marathi); Varagogu (Telgu) Ughaiputtai (Tamil); goni-mara (Karnataka). Salvadora is native of India, East Africa and Arabia. It is found in wild form in extensive areas of Africa particularly, Turkama, Sambura and Marsabit districts of Northern Kenya, Ferli in North Senegal, South Sivani in Egypt and N. E. Tanzania. Salvadora is also of common occurrence in South coastal areas of Pakistan, Sindh and Baluchistan, Saudi Arabia and other middle eastern countries.

Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) is a unique horticultural plant. It has a tremendous demand due to its high medicinal value. Increasing demand has led to commercial farming of the crop. Noni is an ideal plant for mixed farming with other horticultural plantations. Noni is grown as medicinal plant in most of South Indian temples as sacred plant like basil (tulsi). All parts of plants have traditional and modern use, including roots and barks in dye and medicine. Fruit juice is a rich source of vitamin A, C, E, B, B2, B6, B12, calcium, iron, niacin, folic acid, phosphorous, magnesium, zinc, copper, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, sodium, potassium and carbohydrates. Noni fruit is a raw source for more than 150 neutraceuticals, required by our body on daily basis.  It is good source of anti-oxidants. Fruit juice purifies blood, protects from toxins and pollutants, promotes self healing mechanism and stimulates production of T-cells in immune system. Noni fruit attained significant economic importance world wide through a variety of health and cosmetic products, made from fruit leaves and fruits.

West Indian Cherry is a nutritive fruit mainly grown in semi dry and tropical parts of the country. It is native to West Indies and Central and South America and distributed in Southern Florida, Hawaii and other tropical and sub tropical regions of the world. West Indian Cherry received considerable attention in the 1950’s in its area of distribution because of its extremely high vitamin C content (2000-4600 mg / 100 gm of edible matter). It has been considered to be far superior to guava (Psidium guajava L.) as a potential source of vitamin c and it is richer than even the Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica L.), which is reported to contain roughly 800 mg of ascorbic acid per 100 g of edible matter. One fruit the size of a large cherry can furnish a man’s daily requirement of this vitamin. Thus the fruit of West Indian Cherry can rightly be called as the “pill of nature’s vitamin”. The fruit can be utilized for the production of crystalline vitamin C. The fruit is also rich in vitamin A, iron and can be consumed fresh or can be used in preparation of sherbet, ice cream, jelly and baby foods, fruit nectars and soft drinks. The juice can also be used to fortify ascorbic acid content of various other products and fruit juices to improve their nutritive value. It can withstand mild frost and drought. Fruits are good source of vitamin C and bark yields tannin (Chadha, 2001).

Mahua (Bassia latifolia Roxb.), is a deciduous, hard woody multipurpose tree species (Venkatesh,1998). It is very hardy and thrives well on rocky, gravelly red soils and also on saline and sodic soils. It can grow even in pockets of soil between crevices of barren rock. Trees are grown on degraded rocky area including salt-affected soils and forests area.  Mahua prefers tropical and sub-tropical climate. It can withstand drought admirably. A characteristic tree of the dry region is found in north and central India.  It commonly grows in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.  In Rajasthan, it is also found growing on the wastelands particularly in southern part of the state.  The tree is very well known to rural folk since ages in India.

Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis (Link) Schn.) is a non traditional crop in arid and semi-arid areas. The search for a replacement for sperm whale oil has led to the investigation of jojoba, as a potential crop plant, because its seeds contain a wax that is essentially identical to the whale oil. Development of jojoba as an economically viable crop requires improved methods of propagation and culture since it is a dioecious in nature. Jojoba is a new oil-producing industrial crop that has attracted much attention in recent years. Jojoba oil is unique in nature. No other plant is known to produce oil like jojoba. It is remarkable to note that, in spite of the variability in size or where grown, each jojoba seed contains an average of 50% pure oil by volume. Jojoba is native to the semiarid regions of southern Arizona, southern California and north western Mexico. Now Jojoba is being cultivated in many countries like Israel, Egypt, Arizona and Mexico. In Rajasthan (India) it provides a renewable source of unique high-quality oil. It is suitable oil yielding plant for hot arid region (Muthana,1981)  because of its adoptive nature to arid environment. Much of the interest in jojoba worldwide is the result of the plant’s ability to survive in a harsh desert environment. Jojoba can be grown as an oil-producing cash crop. Jojoba is a drought resistant plant and can be grown on marginal lands without replacing any existing crops. Moreover, for optimum production, the crop needs irrigation, management and a good cultivar.

Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill.) commonly known as Prickly pear or Tuna, which have been identified and established as vegetable, fruit and fodder crop and considered as an important fruit crop for semi-arid and arid regions.  In Indian arid and semi- arid regions, it is called Nagphani and produces small size fruits in which number of seed is available. It is grown wildly and unexploited. It is thorny plant and generally used for bio –fencing to protect fields from wild animals (Singh, 2000;  Pareek et al., 2001) . However, exotic cactus pear produces edible fruits and its tender cladodes can be used to prepare vegetable, salad, pickle and as animal fodder (Singh and Felker, 1998). Owing to the presence of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) pathway, cacti have about four to five times more efficiency of water to dry matter conversion than even C4 plants such as maize (Nobel, 1988). The species which produce edible fruits are Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill; O. megacantha Salm dyck; O. amyclaea Tenore; O.streptacantha Limaire; O. robusta Wandl; O. lindhaimeri Engelm . Fruits are rich source of sugar, vitamins and minerals, whereas its tender green cladodes are used as tasty and nutritious vegetable like lettuce and spinach (Rodriguez -Felix and Cantwell, 1988).

Marula nut (Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra) is a highly valued tree in most parts of Southern Africa because of its medicinal and nutritional properties. The marula tree is adapted to the semi-arid conditions that characterize most parts of sub-Saharan Africa and renders them unsuitable for conventional crop agriculture (Moyo Mack, 2009). The unique nutritional properties of marula and its high tolerance to dry conditions provide opportunities for its development into a plantation crop. On the other hand, the demand for marula plant parts, mainly the bark and roots as medicinal remedies, poses a great threat to wild populations. In the long term, the growing demand of marula products in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries will not be sustainable from wild populations alone. A rich genetic diversity in Sclerocarya birrea has  reported by Muco et al.

The woody perennial shrubs have been the integral part of the traditional agro forestry system in arid region since ancient times. Inhabitants of the region rely on these species for food, fodder, fuel wood and other day-today requirements since long. Among woody perennials arid shrubs also have a major role in stabilization of drifting sands in the arid ecosystem. Out of about 682 species of Indian arid Zone (Bhandari, 1990), shrubs constitute 70% of the total flora in the Indian desert, yet they cover over 70-80% of desert landscape. Thus shrubs are less in variety, they are ecologically more successful biotypes in the desert environment.

Seed spices, an important group of horticultural crops, are defined as vegetable products or mixture thereof, free from extraneous matter, primarily used for flavouring, seasoning and imparting aroma of foods item and beverages. Besides food industry, the seed spices have medicinal properties and thus are used in various pharmaceutical preparations and cosmetics (Malhotra and Vashishtha, 2008).  India is known as the home of spices and produces a wide variety of seed spices- coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, ajowan, dill, nigella, celery, anise and caraway. Over the years a good number of high yielding varieties have been developed under AICRP on Spices of ICAR by SAU’s and National Research Centre on Seed Spices. India enjoys the status of largest producer of seed spices in the world but the productivity in the country is very low and is 25-30 % of the total potential of the crop varieties.

The propagation of plants has been a fundamental occupation of mankind since civilization begins. Agriculture started some 10,000 years back when ancient people learned plants and grow kind of plants that fulfilled nutritional needs for themselves and their animals (Hartman et al., 1981). As civilization advanced, people added to the variety of plants cultivating not only for additional food crops but also those that provided fibres, medicine, recreational opportunities and beauty. From the great diversity and variation in plant life, it has been possible to select kinds of plants particularly useful to the welfare of humans and their animals. Bio-diversity has attracted the world wide attention because of growing awareness of its importance on the one hand, and the anticipated awareness depletion on the other. About 20 per cent of all species are expected to be lost within 30 years and 50 per cent or more by the end of 21st Century (Myers, 1993). India is one of the 12 mega-diversity countries globally recognized for its rich diversity, since its geographic position extends from sea level to the highest mountain ranges in the world.

Guggul (Commiphora wightii Arnott.) commonly known as guggul, is a much branched shrub yielding gum-resin generally obtained by incision of the bark. Its plant is drought hardy and can  be grown in wasteland,  gravelly, desertic soils of arid parts of the country. This resin, normally referred as guggul, has been shown to have diverse medicinal properties like lowering of lipid activity anti-inflammatory  activity , diuretic, expectorant, diaphoretic  activity, etc (Atal et al.,1975). Its description and uses is mentioned in ancient literatures Ayurvedic treatise Charak (1000 B.C.), Sushruta Samhita (600B.C.). It has  a historical use in  folk medicine and today it ‘s highly commercially important target species .In the last few decades there has been  a sharp  decline in natural population of this species. There is hardly any commercial cultivation of this species. However, at Mangliavas near Ajmer in  Guggul Herbal Farm, more than 15,000 plants have been planted on the rocky site and the material  so  established  is being used for  research purpose on tapping of guggul and other related aspects.

Senna (Cassia angustifolia Vahl.) popularly called as ‘Sonamukhi’ is widely used medicinal herb in Ayurveda, Unani and also in Allopathic system of medicine. It is well known for its purgative activity (Bentley and Trimen, 1999). The plant is known by various names in common conversation likes Sennai, Sona, Sonamukhi, Sennamukki, Sonpar, etc.  Presently, there is a growing demand of senna  dry leaves and processed products in the national as well as in international markets. In recent years, its cultivation has gained momentum in arid and semi- arid parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat due to its diversified adaptability. It has also been widely adopted by the farmers because of its low cost of cultivation with yield stability. Its main characteristics viz., drought hardy, perenniality, non-palatability to animals has also attracted the farmers for its popularity. Moreover, the senna crop is eco-friendly as it can be utilized for wasteland, sand dune stabilization and desert development (Bohra and Sankhla, 1997; Tripathi, 1999).

Henna (Lawsonia inermis L.) is a multipurpose shrub also known as mehandi. It is grown through out the country as a hedge plant. In India, it was once grown extensively in Punjab and Gujarat. However, gradually major cultivation has shifted to the arid fringes of Rajasthan with the Pali district having the maximum area under henna cultivation. It is taken as an annual ratoon crop under rain fed conditions. Presently there are over 22,000 ha of henna plantations in the Pali district nearly 70 percent occurring in the Sojat area which produces around 20000 tonnes dry leaves worth Rs.40 crores annually. Sojat city is world famous for its mehandi or henna (Heena) powder.

Khejri (Prosopis cineraria), also known as shami (Sanskrit), janti and jand (Delhi, Haryana, Punjab), sumi (Gujarat), banni (Karnataka), kandi (Sindh) is a leguminous tree species of arid and semi-arid regions. It not only tolerates the extreme edapho-climatic conditions of these regions but also bears flowers and fruits and that too during the driest period from February to May (Pareek, 2002). Khejri is a tree having multipurpose uses, viz. nutritious rich pods and fodder and valuable fuel, besides its favourable effects on ecology and soil fertility(Arya et al.,1991). It is an important perennial component compatible to almost any companion crop in various agri-horti-forestry systems of production in the hot arid ecosystem (Harsh and Tewari, 1998). The crops such as bajra, guar, moth, mung, cowpea and ground nut during kharif and wheat, mustard, gram, etc. during rabi season are grown between the natural plantations of khejri trees without adverse effect on growth of crops. Almost all the vegetable crops grow better between the widespread natural this leguminous tree. Also the fruits such as ber, aonla, bael, kinnow, lime, etc. have been observed to perform better in association of khejri trees. Excellent growth and development of desert plant species of commercial significance such as jharber, ker, lasora, pilu, rohida, kumat, phog, kheep and grasses like sewan, dhaman, etc. has been observed in association with khejri trees (Mann and Saxena,1980; Samadia,2007, Samadia et al., 2009).

Indian Aloe (Aloe barbadensis Mill.)  is commonly known as Ghritkumari in Sanskrit and Bangla, Ghikwar or Ghikanwar in Hindi, Aloe in English, Ghiquara in Urdu, Darkhtesibra in Persian, Sabbarat in Arbi, Guarpatha in Rajasthani, Koryed, Korkanta and Elwa in Marathi, Kunwargandal in Punjabi, Lolesara and Katthaligida in Kannada, Kattavala in Malyalam, Sirukanthli, Sirukattashai, Kattazhai, Sorttukathali and Chirukattali in Tamil, Kalawand, Manjikattali, Pinngorisht Kalvand and Chinnakalabanda in Telgu, Kumari and Mushaboro in Oriya and  Musabbar in Kashmiri. Because of its nutritional qualities, anti-oxidant and medicinal values, it is often called as ‘The Miracle Plant’, ‘The Natural Healer’, ‘The Health Plant’ and by many other names.

Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.)  commonly known as drumstick or sehjna is a multipurpose tree of India and grown intensively in the tropics and sub-tropics. It is a vitamin rich, mineral packed and nutritious vegetable crop. The name drumstick is derived from the pod shape resembling the slender and curved stick used for beating drum. Fruits are also resembled with the siliqua of radish and hence the name is “radish tree’’. Ancient Indian literature mentioned that moringa is an interesting plant due to its widespread uses in socio-economic for food, medicine, agriculture and industry.

Nursery is a place where plants are grown, nurtured and sold out. Generally, various commercial crop growers require a good quality saplings or grafts of genuine type.   Diseases and insects are as much a problem in growing plants in the nursery as they are in growing any other crop. It is always better to monitor the nursery continually with respect to disease and insects damage and select the proper control measures or pesticides for identified pests. Horticultural nurseries are heterogenous and especially complex agricultural systems, which present formidable challenges to management of diseases and pests. Moreover, nursery plants transported interstate and internationally can serve as important vectors for pathogens and insects that threaten both agriculture and forestry.