The 2nd edition of the book: Essence of Horticulture brought out after 07 years of its 1st edition, which was very widely taken by students, and this revised edition is prepared after taking necessary feedbacks from faculty and students, has been divided into 08 sections spread over 1620 pages

Definition of farmer (National Policy for Farmers, 2001): A person actively engaged in the economic and/or livelihood activity of growing crops and producing other primary agricultural commodities and will include all agriculture operational holders, cultivators, agriculture labourers, share croppers, tenants, poultry and livestock rearers, fishers, beekeepers, gardeners, pastoralists, non-corporate planters and planting labours, as well as persons engaged in various farming related occupations such as sericulture, vermiculture, and agroforestry. It also includes tribal families/ persons engaged in shifting cultivation and in the collection, use and sale of minor and non-timber forest produce.

GENERAL POMOLOGY Word pomology: Derived from Greek word ëpomeí means ëdevelopment of fruit from inferior ovaryí and ëlogosí means ëto studyí. Father of systematic pomology: De Candolle. T. A. Knight attempted 1st artificial hybridization in fruit crops

Olericulture is Latin term ‘Olerus’ meaning ‘pot herb’ and ‘Cultra’ meaning ‘cultivation’. Definition: Vegetables are those plants wherein parts such as leaf, stem or root can be used for food. Herbs: Are those plants that are used for food, medicine, scent or flavour.

USA ranks 17th in per capita cut flowers consumption. India ranks 2nd in flower cultivation next to China. India stands 14th in the world in exporting floricultural products, while the Netherlands and Columbia rank 1st and 2nd, respectively

These crops are cultivated in an extensive scale in large contiguous areas, owned and managed by an individual or a company and whose produce is utilized only after processing e.g. Coffee, Tea, Rubber, Coconut, Cocoa, etc.

Spices: It is defined as vegetable products (non-leafy parts) or mixture thereof, used for flavouring, seasoning and imparting aroma in food. It may be whole form or in ground form e.g. Pepper, Cardamom, Clove, Cinnamon, etc.

Medicinal plants are non-food non-plantation crops. These are rich in secondary metabolites viz. alkaloids, glycosides, coumarins, flavonoides and steroids, etc. Union government of India has started a project on 'Traditional Knowledge Digital Library' under which it is documenting all Ayurvedic formulations in a digital form to avert patent threats from companies in the developed world

About 25% of worldís total food production is lost due to insects, bacteria and rodents after harvesting. Indiaís exports of Processed Food was Rs. 31563.43 Crores in 2014-15, which includes products like Mango pulp (Rs. 841.39 Crores), Dried and Preserved vegetable (Rs. 847.11 Crores), Other Processed Fruit and Vegetable (Rs. 2,569.93 Crores), Pulses (Rs. 1,209.51 Crores), Groundnuts (Rs. 4,675.35 Crores), Guargum (Rs. 9,480.00 Crores), Jaggery and Confectionary (Rs. 1,161.81 Crores), Cocoa Products (Rs. 848.62 Crores), Cereal preparations (Rs. 3,038.79 Crores), Alcoholic and Nonalcoholic beverages (Rs. 2,231.58 Crores) and Miscellaneous preparations (Rs. 2,437.77 Crores).