Horticultural sciences

G. Groening, K. V. Peter

"The three major dimensions of hunger in India are calorie (energy) deprivation, protein deficiency (access to pulses limited to the wealthy) and micro-nutrient deficiency (per capita consumption of fruits and vegetables are low). Science based horticulture is a powerful tool to ensure nutritional security and the present series Horticultural Sciences: Perspectives and Applications aims to consolidate scientific information generated by eminent scientists on fruits, vegetables, spices, plantation crops, ornamentals, medicinal and aromatic plants, tubers including potato, bamboo, and mushrooms. The emphasis is on perspectives and applications of these crops in achieving nutritional security in a sustainable manner. The present Volume I carries 18 chapters authored by 36 eminent scientists dealing with crops, nutrients, water, post-harvest technologies, value-added products, and preservation in an application intensive perspective. Plant Breeding has been shown both as an art and science, biotechnological approaches for conservation, use of grafting to force growing in stressed environments, polyembryony, physiology and biochemistry of fruit ripening, chemistry of Paclobutrazol, seed borne diseases and their management are a few of the highlights of the 18 chapters. Plantation crops like coffee, cardamom, oil palm and Palmyrah find special elucidation in view of higher price recovery and export. Banana and potato are dealt in detail. ”If any had to live on one food alone, the Potato would be better than any other major food crop available” according to Dr. R.L. Sawyer, Former Director General, CIP, Lima Peru. Chapter 18 by Gert Groening, International Society of Horticultural Science (ISHS), Belgium deals with urban gardens providing shelter from pollution, both particles and sound in his chapter – “Urban Horticulture Gardens as Elements of an Urbanizing World”".--