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Radish, turnip, carrot and beet root are major root crops grown in the country.  In addition, root crops like rutabaga, parsnip, salsify, chervil and celeriac are grown in a limited scale in different areas. Though the crops belong to different families, their cultural requirements are uniform.  Common features of root crops like radish, turnip, carrot and beet root are:

Bulb crops include onion, garlic, leek, shallot, welsh onion and chive all belonging to the genus Allium.  This genus was earlier included in the family Liliaceae due to its superior ovary.  It was later shifted to Amaryllidaceae as flowers are born in a bracted umbel on top of a scape.  Being the typical genus in the family Amaryllidaceae, a new separate family status was given to all the specious under Allium as Alliaceae.

Vegetables belonging to the family Brassicaceae (Syn: Cruciferae) are known as Cole crops.  These are the most widely grown vegetables in temperate and sub-tropical zones.  The word ‘Cole’ comes from abbreviation of word ‘caulis’ meaning stem.  Cole crops are a group of highly differentiated plants originated from a wild plant Brassica oleracea var. oleracea (=B. sylvestris L.) commonly known as “Wild cliff cabbage” or “colewort”, through mutation, human selection or adaptation. Cole crops include cabbage, cauliflower, knol khol, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, sprouting broccoli, kale etc. of which cabbage and cauliflower are the most popular and widely grown.

Peas and beans belonging to the family Fabaceae (Syn. Leguminosae) are delicious and preferred vegetables grown throughout the world. These include cool season vegetables like pea, French bean, lima bean, broad bean and tropical vegetables like cowpea, hyacinth bean, winged bean, jack bean, sword bean etc.  These are integral components of sustainable agriculture due to their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and to improve soil properties. Legume vegetables are rich in protein and essential amino acids and have significant role in combating malnutrition among poor people and vegetarians.

Okra is predominantly a crop of tropics and subtropics.  It occupies fifth position, next to tomato, in area under vegetables in the country with a production of 33.24 lakh metric tonnes from an area of 3.47 lakh hectares.  The crop is cultivated for its young tender fruits, used in curry and soups after cooking. It is a good source of vitamins A and B, protein and minerals. It is also an excellent source of iodine and is useful for the treatment of goitre.  Fruit is useful against genito-urinary disorders, spermetorrhoea and chronic dysentery. Fruits are also dried or frozen for use during off-season.  Dried fruit contain 13-22% edible oil and 20-24% protein and is used for refined edible oil.  Dry fruit skin and fibres are used in manufacture of paper, card board and fibres.  Root and stem are used for clearing cane juice for preparation of jaggary.

Crops belonging to family Cucurbitaceae are generally known as ‘Cucurbits’. It consists of a wide range of vegetables either used for salad purpose (cucumber) or for cooking (all gourds), pickling (West Indian gherkin) or as dessert fruit (muskmelon, water melon) or candied or preserved (ash gourd).  As a group, cucurbits occupy the largest area in India and in other tropical countries. Its use is not primarily because of calories, minerals or vitamins since they are generally low to moderate in nutrients with a few exceptions like bitter gourd (rich in vitamin C- 96mg/100g), pumpkin (vitamin A 1600 IU/100g ), Kakrol (high protein  3.1g/100g,), parwal and chow chow (calcium- 531 mg and  140 mg / 100 g respectively). From the nutritional point of view, cucurbit seeds are valued for their high oil and protein contents.  Seed proteins of cucurbits are comparable to that of legumes and are richer in methionine.

The family Solanaceae consists of 85 genera, which include both tuberiferous and non-tuberiferous ones.  Brinjal (Solanum sp.), chilli (Capsicum sp.) and tomato (Lycopersicon sp.) are the major fruit vegetables under the family.  In all genera, fruit is an indehiscent berry.
 
A key for the identification of the above  three genera are furnished below:
    A.    Anthers connivant in a cone, longer than filaments
    B.    Anthers dehisce by apical pores or short slits, leaves entire, lobed or pinnatifid : Solanum
    BB.    Anthers dehisce introsely by longitudinal slits, the tips empty, leaves pinnatiset : Lycopersicon
    AA.    Anthers not connivant in a cone, not larger than the filaments, dehisce by lateral slits : Capsicum

Vegetables are grown on a limited scale in homesteads for family use and cultivated in an extensive scale for marketing.  Depending on the purpose for which they are developed, vegetable gardens are classified into different types, viz., kitchen garden or nutrition garden, market garden, truck garden, garden for processing, garden for seed production and vegetable forcing or protected cultivation.

Diverse soil and climatic conditions prevailing in different parts of the country offer scope for cultivation of a variety of crops in India.  Around 250 crops either cultivated or grown under natural habitat are used for vegetable purpose.  The crops and varieties vary in their soil and climatic requirements, cultivation practices, resistance to pests and diseases, quality etc.

Considering the climatic conditions for growing vegetable crops and for evolving zone wise technologies and recommendations, the entire country is divided into eight agro-climatic zones under the All India Coordinated  Research Project (Vegetable Crops) as given in Table 1.

Quite a large number of vegetable crops are grown in the country either on a commercial scale or limited to backyards of homesteads.  A few crops have similarity while others have dissimilarity in their climatic and soil requirements, parts used, method of cultivation etc. While describing individual vegetables, there is possibility of repetition in many aspects. In order to avoid repetition, it is essential to classify or group them into different classes/groups. Different methods of classification followed in vegetables are described below: 

Vegetables are defined as edible herbaceous plants or parts of plants consumed as raw or after cooking and are rich in vitamins and minerals, low in calorific value and neutralize the acid substances produced during digestion of high energy foods.  Olericulture is a branch of Horticulture that deals with production, storage, processing and marketing of vegetables and has its origin when man started growing vegetables for consumption. The term Olericulture comes from Latin words holus-holeris = any kind of culinary vegetable, pot herb, and cultura = to cultivate.

Gladiolus saundersii

Aerides

Aerides consists of more than 60 species. These are monopodial epiphytic orchids grown on trunks or branches of trees.  The stems are round, leafy and branched with aerial roots. The strap leaves are thick, leathery and bilobed. The inflorescence is auxillary and drooping. The flowers are many and 2cm in diameter closely set on the inflorescence and generally fragrant.

Orchids comprise the largest family of flowering plants with 25,000 to 35000  species belonging to 600-800 genera. They are prized for their incredible diversity in the size, shape and colour and attractiveness of their  flowers and high keeping qualities even upto 10 weeks. In the international trade, among   top ten cut flowers, orchids rank the sixth position and among orchids Cymbidium ranks the first position and in floricultural crops it accounts for 3% of the total cut flower production. In India, it comprises 140 genera and 1300 species which grow upto an elevation of 5000m. Indian terrestrials are located in humus rich moist earth under tree shades in North Western India.  Western Ghats harbour the small flowered orchids. Epiphytic orchids are common in North eastern India which grow upto an elevation of 2000m from sea level.

India is bestowed with varied agroclimate ranging from mild tropical zones to alpine zones and congenial for several types of ornamental plants in different seasons. Worldwide China and India have large total areas under flower cultivation. Among top ten cut flowers, rose ranks the first position followed by spray chrysanthemum, tulip, lily, gerbera, cymbidium, freesia, chrysanthemum, anthurium, alstroemeria and carnation. In view of rapid changing global competition, diversification into lesser known potential new ornamental plants play key role in fetching premium prices. Most of the potential exotic ornamentals plants have been introduced from Australia, South Africa, Israel, New Zealand and Eastern USA. There are about more than 60 types of new ornamentals reported to be hold potential for commercial importance. All these newly introduced ornamental plants require the following stages of research and development.

Bulbous plants are herbaceous perennial or biennial ornamental plants which produce fleshy storage organs including true bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes and tuberous roots. These underground organs have capacity to store moisture and nutrients are utilized by bulbous plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat in a dormant state.

Cacti

Cacti belong to the family Cactaceae comprising of 130 genera and 2000 species and bear a complex organ, a cushion like structure spirally arranged over the stem called ‘areoles’ from which spines, hairs, flowers and shoots develop. In tribe, Pereskieae, the plants are leafy bushes or shrubby and characterized by areoles on the stem and by the typical flower borne in clusters, e.g. Maihuenia, Pereskia and Rhodocactus.

Aquatic plants are essential to maintain water balance. They also keep out the dreaded algal bloom. Aquatic plants absorb the minerals and carbon dioxide in the water. Pond plants are classified into four groups: oxygenators, marginals, floaters and aquatic. Oxygenators such as buttercup and water violet supply lots of oxygen in the water. Marginals are ornamental pond plants and planted in pots or baskets in the edge of the ponds to provide space for fishes or frogs, e.g., Primula. Floaters like water hyacinth help in keeping algae at bay and also provide enough cover for tadpoles or small fish.

Foliage or house plants are mostly those with attractive foliages or flowers and are able to survive and grow under indoor conditions. They are mostly used for interior decoration or interior plantscaping. Foliage plants of world’s importance include Aglaonema, Dieffenbachia, Dracena, Epidendrum, Ficus, Peperomia, Philodendron, Sansevieria, Syngonium, Schfflera, ferns, Anthurium, Codiaeum. Florida shares more than 55% in foliage industry.

Shrubs are group of plants having woody stems and multi-branching from the base of the plant. These plants are useful to build up the framework of the planting scheme for screens, ground covers, flowers and hedges. They vary in blooming time, colour, size, growth habit, fragrance as well as situations.