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Preface
Commercial floriculture, which encompasses production and trade of cut flowers, foliage plants, potted plants, landscape plants, bedding plants, seed production, dried flowers and plant parts, perfumes and essential oils and natural dyes, is an emerging area in the present scenario and has been identified as one of the possible areas for diversification into a viable agri-business option. Among various aspects of floriculture, the essential oil, dried flower and cut flower industries are emerging as powerful engines for economic growth.
In India, floriculture has been a time honoured and traditional activity largely for religious purposes, perfume industry and landscaping. Now, this earlier appreciation of floriculture for aesthetic value alone has slowly turned into realization of its economic potential due to globalization of Indian economy, the liberalization of global trade and above all, growing consciousness and demand for quality products. Ancient Indian literature, mythological sculptures, architectural work, tribal arts and crafts provide ample testimony to the development of floral and gardening art through the ages.
Basically, flowers are classified into two categories namely, traditional or loose flowers and modern or cut flowers. The traditional flowers (marigold, jasmine, chrysanthemum, desi rose, aster, crossandra etc) are mostly used for religious purposes and various kinds of decoration and arrangements at home and public places apart from extraction of essential oils. On the other hand, cut flowers-a category of flowers with stems; are mainly used for decoration in vases, floral arrangements and in bouquet preparations. The major flowers under this category which dominate in the global trade are rose, chrysanthemum, carnation, gerbera, tulip, alstroemeria, lilium, iris etc. But there are numerous ornamental plants which also find use in floral designs and arrangements either fresh or dried due to their beautiful charming foliages.
In flower trade, post harvest methods of handling of cut flowers are a rewarding subject of study. Demand for cut flower is increasing at domestic and international market. Floricultural export from India comprises fresh flowers to Europe, Japan Australia, Middle East and USA; cut foliages to Europe; dried flowers to USA, Europe, Japan, Australia and Russia. Out of these components, dried flowers constitute more then two third of floricultural export. Dried and preserved ornamental products offer a wide range of characteristics like novelty, longevity, aesthetic properties (beauty, colour and texture), and flexibility and around the year availability as compared to cut flowers. For making dried products, flowers and plant parts can be collected from wild sources or some flower crops like dahlia, marigold, woodrose, wild lilies, helichrysum, lotus pods etc. are also dried. Dried flowers constitute nearly 15% of the global floricultural business and the demand for dried flower in India is increasing at an impressive rate of 8-10 percent.
In recent years, there has been rapid growth in global demand for plant based raw material for manufacturing food flavours, fragrances, perfumes, cosmetics and related products. In India, extraction of essential oil from rose and jasmine has been practised for a very long time. For centuries essential oils are known to have many applications and were used as medicaments, disinfectants, as incense and insect repellents, in cosmetics and mood stimulants. Rose oil find amazingly wide and varied applications in many major industries such as hair oil, cosmetics, cold drinks, food stuffs, soft drinks, alcoholic liquors and medicines.
A significant factor for wholesaler as well as consumer in post harvest handling of cut flowers is their vase-life, which is a characteristic feature of each particular species and cultivar and is strongly dependent on pre-harvest conditions and handling after harvesting. To preserve best quality of cut flowers after harvest and to make them resistant to fluctuation in environmental conditions, treatments like conditioning, impregnation, pulsing or loading, bud opening, holding treatments, packaging, storage etc are recommended. Nearly 70% of the potential vase-life of cut flower is predetermined at harvest while post harvest factors influence 30% of the effects.
The present manuscript “Post Harvest Technologies for Commercial Floriculture” is aimed to bring out comprehensive information on relevance of post harvest technology in commercial aspects of floriculture. The book contains five chapters. Chapter-1, “Introduction to the world of perfumes and essential oils” gives an exhausted review of quality control and standardization in the perfume and essential oil industry and techniques that are employed for analysis of essential oils. The chapter also includes chemical constitutes and sensory evaluation of essential oil. Chaper-2, “Perfume and perfume based industry-an overview” highlights the historical events in perfume and fragrances. Types of fragrance oils and future of the industry are also discussed. Chapter-3 “Fragrance from flowers and plant parts” lists fragrant extract sources of botanical origin. Processing techniques and quality attributes are discussed in detail. It also gives description of some ornamental and aromatic plants which are sources of fragrances. However, Processing of rose, marigold and jasmine have been discussed in detail. Chapter-4, “Preserving flowers and plant parts for value addition” gives detail review of preservation techniques. Bleaching, dyeing processes has also been discussed. This chapter also through light on processing of ornamental grasses, post harvest management of dried flowers and guidelines for suitable flowers and plant species used in floral craft, flower arrangements etc. Chapter-5, “Evaluation of quality factors for floricultural crops” gives detail information on various pre-harvest, harvest and post-harvest factors affecting the quality of floriculture crops mainly cut flowers. However, quality evaluation of chrysanthemum, carnation, gladiolus and alstroemeria has been discussed in detail.
We take this rare opportunity to express our deep sense of heartfelt gratitude to our dignified teacher Late Professor S P Dhall for his personal inspiration and constant encouragement during compilation of this manuscript and will remain indebted for his selfless encouragement and inpeccable guidence that we got whenever needed.
We also sincerely acknowledge the encouragement and guidance received from Professor SPS Guleria (Retired Head, Department of Postharvest technology, Dr YS Parmar, University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan) and Professor SK Chopra (Retired, Head from the same Institute). The contribution of all those whose material has been used is gratefully acknowledged.
We are thankful to the staff of New India Publishing Agency (NIPA) for their efforts in producing this publication.
Our thanks are due to Mrs Rajni Grewal for keeping everything flying when typing the manuscript painstakingly well in time and to Sh Rattan Grewal for his individual support for preparing this manuscript.
This book will help all and serve as a comprehensive guide to those who want to opt Floriculture as a business. It is earnestly hoped that the students of horticulture (fruit science, vegetable science, floriculture and post harvest technology) will find this book quite useful.
Suggestions for further improvement are invited and will be immensely acknowledged.
Preface
Commercial floriculture, which encompasses production and trade of cut flowers, foliage plants, potted plants, landscape plants, bedding plants, seed production, dried flowers and plant parts, perfumes and essential oils and natural dyes, is an emerging area in the present scenario and has been identified as one of the possible areas for diversification into a viable agri-business option. Among various aspects of floriculture, the essential oil, dried flower and cut flower industries are emerging as powerful engines for economic growth.
In India, floriculture has been a time honoured and traditional activity largely for religious purposes, perfume industry and landscaping. Now, this earlier appreciation of floriculture for aesthetic value alone has slowly turned into realization of its economic potential due to globalization of Indian economy, the liberalization of global trade and above all, growing consciousness and demand for quality products. Ancient Indian literature, mythological sculptures, architectural work, tribal arts and crafts provide ample testimony to the development of floral and gardening art through the ages.
Basically, flowers are classified into two categories namely, traditional or loose flowers and modern or cut flowers. The traditional flowers (marigold, jasmine, chrysanthemum, desi rose, aster, crossandra etc) are mostly used for religious purposes and various kinds of decoration and arrangements at home and public places apart from extraction of essential oils. On the other hand, cut flowers-a category of flowers with stems; are mainly used for decoration in vases, floral arrangements and in bouquet preparations. The major flowers under this category which dominate in the global trade are rose, chrysanthemum, carnation, gerbera, tulip, alstroemeria, lilium, iris etc. But there are numerous ornamental plants which also find use in floral designs and arrangements either fresh or dried due to their beautiful charming foliages.
In flower trade, post harvest methods of handling of cut flowers are a rewarding subject of study. Demand for cut flower is increasing at domestic and international market. Floricultural export from India comprises fresh flowers to Europe, Japan Australia, Middle East and USA; cut foliages to Europe; dried flowers to USA, Europe, Japan, Australia and Russia. Out of these components, dried flowers constitute more then two third of floricultural export. Dried and preserved ornamental products offer a wide range of characteristics like novelty, longevity, aesthetic properties (beauty, colour and texture), and flexibility and around the year availability as compared to cut flowers. For making dried products, flowers and plant parts can be collected from wild sources or some flower crops like dahlia, marigold, woodrose, wild lilies, helichrysum, lotus pods etc. are also dried. Dried flowers constitute nearly 15% of the global floricultural business and the demand for dried flower in India is increasing at an impressive rate of 8-10 percent.
In recent years, there has been rapid growth in global demand for plant based raw material for manufacturing food flavours, fragrances, perfumes, cosmetics and related products. In India, extraction of essential oil from rose and jasmine has been practised for a very long time. For centuries essential oils are known to have many applications and were used as medicaments, disinfectants, as incense and insect repellents, in cosmetics and mood stimulants. Rose oil find amazingly wide and varied applications in many major industries such as hair oil, cosmetics, cold drinks, food stuffs, soft drinks, alcoholic liquors and medicines.
A significant factor for wholesaler as well as consumer in post harvest handling of cut flowers is their vase-life, which is a characteristic feature of each particular species and cultivar and is strongly dependent on pre-harvest conditions and handling after harvesting. To preserve best quality of cut flowers after harvest and to make them resistant to fluctuation in environmental conditions, treatments like conditioning, impregnation, pulsing or loading, bud opening, holding treatments, packaging, storage etc are recommended. Nearly 70% of the potential vase-life of cut flower is predetermined at harvest while post harvest factors influence 30% of the effects.
The present manuscript “Post Harvest Technologies for Commercial Floriculture” is aimed to bring out comprehensive information on relevance of post harvest technology in commercial aspects of floriculture. The book contains five chapters. Chapter-1, “Introduction to the world of perfumes and essential oils” gives an exhausted review of quality control and standardization in the perfume and essential oil industry and techniques that are employed for analysis of essential oils. The chapter also includes chemical constitutes and sensory evaluation of essential oil. Chaper-2, “Perfume and perfume based industry-an overview” highlights the historical events in perfume and fragrances. Types of fragrance oils and future of the industry are also discussed. Chapter-3 “Fragrance from flowers and plant parts” lists fragrant extract sources of botanical origin. Processing techniques and quality attributes are discussed in detail. It also gives description of some ornamental and aromatic plants which are sources of fragrances. However, Processing of rose, marigold and jasmine have been discussed in detail. Chapter-4, “Preserving flowers and plant parts for value addition” gives detail review of preservation techniques. Bleaching, dyeing processes has also been discussed. This chapter also through light on processing of ornamental grasses, post harvest management of dried flowers and guidelines for suitable flowers and plant species used in floral craft, flower arrangements etc. Chapter-5, “Evaluation of quality factors for floricultural crops” gives detail information on various pre-harvest, harvest and post-harvest factors affecting the quality of floriculture crops mainly cut flowers. However, quality evaluation of chrysanthemum, carnation, gladiolus and alstroemeria has been discussed in detail.
We take this rare opportunity to express our deep sense of heartfelt gratitude to our dignified teacher Late Professor S P Dhall for his personal inspiration and constant encouragement during compilation of this manuscript and will remain indebted for his selfless encouragement and inpeccable guidence that we got whenever needed.
We also sincerely acknowledge the encouragement and guidance received from Professor SPS Guleria (Retired Head, Department of Postharvest technology, Dr YS Parmar, University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan) and Professor SK Chopra (Retired, Head from the same Institute). The contribution of all those whose material has been used is gratefully acknowledged.
We are thankful to the staff of New India Publishing Agency (NIPA) for their efforts in producing this publication.
Our thanks are due to Mrs Rajni Grewal for keeping everything flying when typing the manuscript painstakingly well in time and to Sh Rattan Grewal for his individual support for preparing this manuscript.
This book will help all and serve as a comprehensive guide to those who want to opt Floriculture as a business. It is earnestly hoped that the students of horticulture (fruit science, vegetable science, floriculture and post harvest technology) will find this book quite useful.
Suggestions for further improvement are invited and will be immensely acknowledged.