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HRT 101: Introductory Horticulture

Credit Hours: 3 (2+1)
Full Marks: 75 (Theory: 50, Practical: 25)

Course Objectives

Upon completion, students will:

Gain basic knowledge of horticulture in the Nepalese context.
Learn classification, importance, and scope of horticultural crops.
Understand orchard establishment, management, and propagation techniques.
Study plant growth, development, and the use of plant growth regulators.
Learn principles of training, pruning, off-season and protected horticulture.
Understand organic, high-density, multi-storied, urban, and periurban horticulture.
Gain practical skills in crop propagation, orchard layout, training, pruning, and horticultural farm management.

Meaning, branches, and relationships of horticulture with other disciplines.
Classification of horticultural crops (botanical and horticultural).
Agro-ecological zoning and economic significance.
Factors affecting horticultural crop production and mitigation measures.
Types of horticultural enterprises and orchard establishment/management.
Basics of sexual and asexual plant propagation.
Plant growth, dormancy, flowering, fruiting, ripening, and senescence.
Plant growth regulators (auxin, gibberellins, cytokinins, ethylene) and commercial uses.
Training and pruning principles and systems.
Off-season, protected, organic horticulture, high-density planting, multi-storied cropping.
Indigenous horticultural plants, urban/periurban horticulture, verticulture, hydroponics, aeroponics, and riverbed farming.

S.N.	Topic	No. of Lectures
1	Meaning of horticulture, branches, relation with other disciplines	1
2	Importance, scope, present status, national policy, constraints	1
3	Classification of horticultural crops	2
4	Agro-ecological zoning and economic significance	2
5	Factors affecting horticultural crop production (environmental stress, mitigation)	2
6	Types of horticultural enterprises	1
7	Orchard establishment & management (site selection, layout, planting, soil/water, windbreaks)	2
8	Orchard management (manuring, fertilization, weeds, maintenance)	1
9	Basics of plant propagation (sexual & asexual: cutting, layering, budding, grafting, micro/mist)	5
10	Growth & development (germination, dormancy, flowering, fruit set, maturity, ripening, senescence)	5
11	Plant growth regulators (classes, functions, commercial use)	2
12	Training & pruning (principles, systems, objectives)	2
13	Off-season & protected horticulture principles	1
14	Organic horticulture crop production	1
15	High-density planting, multi-storied & multiple cropping	1
16	Indigenous horticultural plants and nutritional importance	1
17	Urban & periurban horticulture, verticulture, hydroponics, aeroponics, riverbed farming	1
Total		30

S.N.	Topic	No. of Practicals
1	Mapping of Nepal’s agro-climatic zones and major horticultural crop regions	1
2	Identification of seasonal fruits, vegetables, spices, ornamental plants	1
3	Identification of horticultural tools, equipment, manures, fertilizers, hormones, micronutrients	1
4	Orchard layout for different systems	1
5	Preparation of pits for planting fruit saplings	1
6	Propagation practice in seasonal horticultural plants: Cutting, Layering, Grafting, Budding, Seeding	5
7	Training practice in seasonal horticultural plants	1
8	Pruning practice using different methods	1
9	Preparation and application of Bordeaux mixture	1
10	Project on horticultural enterprises	1
11	Visit to a local horticultural farm	1
Total		15

Shrestha, G.K., Shakya, S.M., Baral, D.R., & Gautam, D.M. (2001). Fundamentals of Horticulture, 2nd Edition, IAAS, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal.
Shrestha, G.K., Shakya, S.M., Baral, D.R., & Gautam, D.M. (1993). Laboratory Manual on Fundamentals of Horticulture, IAAS, Rampur.
ICAR (2002). Handbook of Horticulture, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi.
Prasad, S. (1997). Agro’s Dictionary of Horticulture, Agro-Botanics, Bikaner, UP, India.
Prasad, S. (1997). Principles of Horticulture, Agro-Botanics, Bikaner, UP, India.