Olericulture

   Olericulture refers to the study of vegetables.

The word olericulture  is a Latin  words 'Oleri' is from 'Olus' or 'Holus' meaning from pot herb/vegetable and 'culture' means cultivation.

   Vegetable in horticultural science is an edible herbaceous plant or part their of which is commonly used for culinary purposes or as salads. 

  • China ranks first in vegetable production and India comes second.
  • India is the first in cauliflower production, second in onion production, and third in cabbage production
  • India produces 13,38% of the world's vegetable production.

  • According to ICMR, a healthy person should consume 300 grams of vegetables per day but at present 145 grams used per day.




Scope and Importance of vegetable crops

  • Cultivation of vegetables occupies an important place in agricultural development and economy of the country.
  •  Vegetable farming is an important source of income.
  • Vegetables are rich in nutrition - Vegetables are rich in carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, vitamins, etc. 
  • Vegetables gives higher yield than most of the field crops. 
  • An important source for earning foreign exchange through export of vegetables.
  • More returns per unit area per day - The daily earning from vegetables is higher than field crops.
  • Role in Agro-Forestry - Many vegetables can be grown in vacant land between trees.Many trees are used for timber cultivation in the early age vegetables are grown between them for extra profit.
  • Role in employment -Cultivation of vegetable crops being more labour intensive than cereal crops will be helpful for seasonally under-employed farm workers by increasing their income. Vegetables require manpower to make daily turning weeding, plant protection, support, irrigation, processing industries also require more workers.
  • Most vegetables crops are of short duration and fit well into many remunerative crop rotation and cropping patterns like intercropping, multiple cropping and companion cropping.
  • Flexibility in production program - Crops can be changed according to the benefit of the benefit from a crop is decreasing.
  • Vegetable cultivation and processing are considered as one of the major components in the agro-industry. It gives a high net profit.
  • Vegetables are used in the baking industries.




Reference

Textbook of vegetable crops by Prem nath k.R.M.swamy
Vegetable science by D.singh