PLSC 210: Lecture 1

INTRODUCTION TO HORTICULTURE

I. DEFINITION

1. Horticulture = hortus (garden) + colere (culture)

derived from the Latin words, perhaps first used in the 17th century. It involves the art and science of growing so-called garden crops such as flowers, vegetables, fruits, herbs, trees. The modern horticulture integrates many natural phenomena with advanced technology and practices the art of gardening and decoration.

 2. Agriculture = Technology of raising plants and animals

Animal agriculture

Animal science
Dairy science
Veterinary science

Plant agriculture

Agronomy...field crops mainly grains and forages
Horticulture...so-called garden crops
Forestry...forest trees and products

  3. Disciplines within Horticulture

Olericulture: culture of vegetables crops
Pomology: culture of fruit crops
Floriculture: production of flowers
Environmental Horticulture: culture of plants to enhance our surroundings

Nursery crops (trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous landscape plant
Arboriculture (culture of trees and shrubs)
Landscape horticulture (care of plants in the landscape)
Turfgrass management (care of lawns and grasses)
Landscape Architecture: planning and design of outdoor space for beautification

 II. ROLE OF HORTICULTURE

 1. Contribution to human health

 2. Emotional fulfillment

 3. Environmental enhancement

 III. HORTICULTURAL CROPS

  1. Food Crops

a. Vegetables

Grown for fruits or seeds (beans, peas, squash, melons, tomato, eggplant, pepper)
Grown for vegetative parts

Stems, leaves, flower parts (cabbage, broccoli, spinach, lettuce cauliflower)
Roots, bulbs, tubers (beet, carrot, potato, sweet potato, taro, onion)

b. Fruits

Deciduous

Herbaceous (strawberry)
Shrubs (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
Vines (grapes, kiwifruit)
Trees: Pome fruits (apple, pear, quince)
Stone fruits (peach, plum, cherry, apricot)
Nuts (pecan, filbert, walnut, almond)

Evergreens

Herbaceous (pineapple, banana)
Shrubs (tea pomegranate)
Trees (citrus, avocado, guava, mango, coffee, cacao)

2. Ornamental Plants

a. Floricultural crops

Cut flowers (roses, chrysanthemum, carnation, alstroemeria)
Flowering pot plants (geranium, azalea, Easter lily, gloxinia
Foliage plants (philodendron, dracaena, ficus, aglaonema)
Bedding plants (impatiens, petunia, marigold, zinnia, pansy)

 b. Landscape plants

Woody plants

Trees

Deciduous (oaks, elms, maples, larch, birch, willow, ash)
Evergreen (pine, juniper, spruce)

Shrubs

Deciduous (lilac, spirea, viburnum, dogwood, euonymus)
Evergreen (juniper, mugo pine)
Vines (clematis, wisteria, bougainvillea, ivy)
Ground covers (periwinkle, juniper, ivy, lantana)

Herbaceous plants

Perennials (peony, delphinium, chrysanthemum, columbine)
Annuals (bedding plants)

c. Turfgrass

Kentucky bluegrass, Bermuda grass, etc.

 

3. Industrial Crops

a. Herbs and spices (rosemary, tarragon, cloves, basil, black pepper)
b. Medicinal and drug plants (opium poppy, digitalis, reserpine, quinine)
c. Insecticides (pyrethrum, rotenone)
d. Rubber (guayule, hevea)
e. Oil (oil palm, tung, olive, jojoba, sunflower)
f. Gums (acacia, gua)
g. Fiber (hemp, manila hemp, sisal)

III. WHAT HORTICULTURISTS DO

  1. Plant Improvement

Breeding of horticultural crops for better quality and higher yields.

2. Plant Propagation

Seed propagation
Vegetative propagation
Tissue culture propagation
 

3. Crop Production

Field production
Greenhouse production
 

4. Plant Protection

Disease control
Insect control
 

5. Plant Utilization

Food technology
Sales and marketing
 

6. Landscaping

Design, construction, maintenance
 

IV. KINDS OF ORGANIZATIONS HORTICULTURISTS WORK IN

 1. Public Service

Research

Universities and experiment stations, government research agencies such as USDA, botanic gardens, arboretums
 

Education

Teaching in high schools, vocational schools, colleges and universities
Extension adult education in the state and federal cooperative extension service
Educational programs in public horticulture, botanical gardens, arboretums, etc.
 

Service and regulatory agencies

Plant inspection and quarantine services
Product grading services
Statistical reporting services
Park and recreation facilities
State and local governments
 

2. Private Enterprises

 Crop production

Fruit and vegetable farms
Nurseries
Turfgrass farms
Greenhouses
 

Plant breeding

Vegetable, fruit, flower and grass breeding companies
 

Propagation

Nursery and greenhouse crop propagators
 

3. Processing and Marketing Enterprises
 

Fruit and vegetable shippers, wholesalers, and retailers
Flower and foliage plant distributors and merchandisers
Nursery stock distributors, retail nurseries and garden centers
Canners, freezers, dehydrators, winery
 

4. Service Enterprises

 Landscape designers
Landscape construction
Landscape maintenance
Technical consultants
Golf courses and athletic fields
Transportation companies
 

5. Suppliers

 Seed and plant supply companies
Fertilizer and growing media companies
Pesticide and chemical companies
Equipment manufacturers and distributors
Supplies manufacturers and distributors
 

6. Your Own Business

Research and development (biotechnology, tissue culture)
Production of vegetables, fruits, ornamental plants, turfgrass, floral crops, herbs and spices, etc.
Consulting services
Landscape construction and maintenance
Wholesale and retail florists
Horticultural suppliers
Seed companies
Horticultural therapy
 

 

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