Career Option in Horticulture

Horticulture, the art, industry and science of plant cultivation, involves research in plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic engineering, aplant biochemistry, and plant physiology. The focus is on fruits, berries, nuts, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs, and turf, to improve crop yield, quality, nutritional value, and resistance to insects, diseases, and environmental stresses.

Education Details & Eligibility:

Disciplines that complement horticulture include biology, botany, entomology, chemistry, mathematics, genetics, physiology, statistics, computer science, and communications, garden design, planting design. Plant science and horticulture courses include: plant materials, plant propagation, tissue culture, crop production, post-harvest handling, plant breeding, pollination management, crop nutrition, entomology, plant pathology, economics, and business. Some careers in horticultural science require a masters (MS) or doctoral (PhD) degree.

Area of Study: Horticulture involves eight areas of study, which can be grouped into two broad sections - ornamentals and edibles:

Arboriculture - the study and selection, planting, care, and removal of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants.
Floriculture (includes production and marketing of floral crops).
Landscape horticulture (includes production, marketing and maintenance of landscape plants).
Olericulture (includes production and marketing of vegetables).
Pomology (includes production and marketing of fruits).
Viticulture (includes production and marketing of grapes).
Postharvest physiology (involves maintaining quality and preventing spoilage of horticultural crops).

Course Duration:

FDSc Horticulture (2 Years)

• Diploma in horticulture (2 Years)
• B.Sc (3 Years)
• M.Sc (2 Years)

Scholarships of £1,000 are available to students studying the Foundation Degree in Horticulture course in England. These scholarships have been generously provided by industry and demonstrate commitment. In India it costs as below:

B.Sc - Rs.20000/ per year- (approx) - (3 Years)
Diploma Courses - Rs.15000/ per Year- (approx) - (2 Years)

The expense depends on the country where we study.

Most of the Agriculture Universities in India provide courses in Horticulture. For details on colleges that provide these courses please visit www.StudyGuideIndia.com.

Horticulture is practiced in many gardens, "plant growth centers" and nurseries. Activities in nurseries range from preparing seeds and cuttings to growing fully mature plants. These are often sold or transferred to ornamental gardens or market gardens
Job roles include

• Horticulture Consultant
• Landscape architect
• Interior Designer
• Florist
• Pharma Consultant
• Green House Consultant
• Plantation manager
• Orchard manager
• Cut Flower exporter
• Turf consultant
• Fertigation , specialist
• Venture in dry flowers
• Supply chain manager
• Horticulture therapist
• Plant clinics & agro inputs distributors
• Fruit, vegetable processing
• industrialist

Commercial horticulture embraces the production of ornamental plants, vegetables, salads, fruit and flowers both outdoors and under protection of glass or plastic. Production, harvesting and storing of vegetables is highly mechanized and merges into food technology. Plants are grown under strictly controlled conditions using sophisticated sensors, computers. Biological control of pests and diseases is common. Horticulturists are also employed by supermarkets. Marketing skills are in demand to sell to garden centers and other large companies are high.

Horticulture employment offers a variety of work environments with time required both indoors and outdoors. Labor positions usually require lifting, bending, stooping, and good physical condition is essential. Salary varies and depends on the level of education, type of employment, specific job tasks and skills. Entry level pay for labor positions range from Rs 50 to 200 per hour. Experienced workers typically earn more than Rs 300 per hour. Management and supervisory positions have the greatest earnings.

International Society for Horticultural Science: Website: www.ishs.org
Further information can be obtained from the website: www.horticulture.org.uk