Horticulture and Crop Production — Quick Reference
Fruit crop classification by climate
| Category | Climate need | Examples |
|---|
|---|---|---|
| Tropical | Warm year-round, no frost tolerance | Mango, banana, papaya, guava |
|---|---|---|
| Subtropical | Warm summer, mild winter | Citrus, litchi, pomegranate |
| Temperate | Winter chilling requirement | Apple, pear, peach, plum |
Vegetable classification by plant part
| Category | Part harvested | Examples |
|---|
|---|---|---|
| Root | Root | Carrot, radish, beetroot |
|---|---|---|
| Tuber | Underground stem | Potato |
| Leafy | Leaves | Spinach, cabbage, lettuce |
| Fruit | Fruit (botanical) | Tomato, brinjal, okra, cucumber |
| Flower | Flower head | Cauliflower, broccoli |
| Bulb | Bulb | Onion, garlic |
Propagation methods
| Method | Type | Used for |
|---|
|---|---|---|
| Seed | Sexual | Cheap, but no genetic guarantee — rarely used for commercial fruit |
|---|---|---|
| Cutting | Vegetative | Grapes, pomegranate, many ornamentals |
| Layering | Vegetative | Species that root slowly/unreliably from cuttings |
| Budding | Vegetative (single bud) | Citrus, roses — fast, minimal scion material |
| Grafting | Vegetative (scion section) | Mango, apple — most tree fruits |
Climacteric vs. non-climacteric
| Climacteric | Non-climacteric |
|---|
|---|---|---|
| Ripens after harvest | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | Banana, mango, papaya, tomato, apple | Citrus, grapes, pineapple, litchi |
| Harvest strategy | Can pick under-ripe, ripen later (ethylene) | Must pick at full ripeness |
Post-harvest loss stages
Harvest (timing/handling) → Storage (cold chain) → Transport (packaging, cold-chain breaks) → Market (unsold perishables)
Nursery raising checklist (vegetables)
1.Raised beds for drainage
2.Seed treatment (fungicide/biofertiliser) — reduces damping-off
3.Controlled watering — overwatering causes damping-off
4.Hardening before transplant — skipping this raises transplant shock/mortality
Protected cultivation quick comparison
| Polyhouse | Shadenet |
|---|
|---|---|---|
| Control level | Full climate control | Reduces light/temp only |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Higher | Lower |
| Use case | Off-season high-value crops, cut flowers | Nursery raising, sun-sensitive crops |
CA storage vs. standard cold storage
| Cold storage | CA (Controlled Atmosphere) storage |
|---|
|---|---|---|
| Controls | Temperature only | Temperature + O2/CO2 levels |
|---|---|---|
| Effect | Slows ripening | Slows ripening further via lowered respiration |
| Cost | Lower | Higher — justified for high-value, long-storage crops |
Export certification
GlobalGAP — near-mandatory for EU/developed-market exports (traceability, worker safety, residue limits). APEDA — Indian body coordinating horticultural export promotion/certification.
(needs verification — recheck against current source: certification requirements and residue limits are periodically updated.)