Horticultural Sciences (Pomology, Olericulture, Floriculture, Plantation Crops and Spices)
This domain covers production technology of fruit, vegetable, flower, plantation and spice crops. The exam asks crop classification, propagation, spacing, training and pruning, pollination, maturity and AP-specific crop zones.
Core concepts
- Pomology: mango, banana, sweet orange, acid lime, guava, papaya and sapota; perennial crops, mostly grafted or propagated by suckers/tissue culture.
- Olericulture: tomato, brinjal, chilli, okra, cucurbits and leafy vegetables; nursery, transplanting, staking and fertigation.
- Floriculture: jasmine, crossandra, chrysanthemum, marigold, rose and tuberose; photoperiod and pinching matter.
- Plantation/spices: coconut, oil palm, cashew and coffee; turmeric, ginger, chilli, coriander and black pepper.
Rules
Match crop to propagation: mango veneer grafting; banana suckers/tissue culture; coconut seedlings; turmeric rhizomes. Climacteric fruits such as mango and banana ripen after harvest; non-climacteric citrus and grape do not. Spacing determines plant population: plants/ha = 10,000 ÷ (row spacing × plant spacing in metres).
Worked example
Banana at 1.8 m × 1.8 m: area per plant = 3.24 m²; plants/ha = 10,000 ÷ 3.24 = 3,086 approximately. If 5% gaps occur, effective population ≈ 2,932. Show units and round sensibly.
Traps
- Confusing botanical names and families.
- Treating spices as plantation crops without definition.
- Using total area instead of area per plant in density.
- Forgetting that pruning differs by crop and season.
- Mixing maturity indices with harvesting methods.