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HRT 204: Vegetable and Spice Crop Production

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

Course Objectives

Upon completion, students will be able to:

Understand the principles and practices of vegetable and spice crop production in Nepal.
Identify climatic and edaphic factors affecting production and quality.
Manage nursery, crop raising, field management, harvesting, and post-harvest handling.
Apply off-season and protected cultivation practices.
Handle plant protection measures, physiological disorders, and seed production.

Importance, prospects, and constraints of vegetable and spice crop production in Nepal.
Classification of vegetables and spice crops.
Climate, soil, and variety considerations for major crops.
Crop management: nursery, field operations, intercropping, fertilizers, irrigation, mulching, PGR application, and harvesting.
Protected and off-season cultivation.
Major crops include solanaceous, cole, bulb, leguminous, cucurbits, okra, and spices.
Minor crops: ridge gourd, snake gourd, chayote, muskmelon, asparagus, sweet potato, yam, cassava, garden beet, amaranthus, lettuce, celery, knol-khol, broad bean, winged bean, hyacinth bean, cowpea, fennel, bamboo shoots, parsnip, tree tomato, dill.

S.N.	Topic	No. of Lectures
1	Importance, prospects, and constraints in vegetable & spice crop production in Nepal	1
2	Basic principles of vegetable & spice crop production	3
2.1	Classification of vegetable & spice crops	1
2.2	Off-season & protected cultivation of vegetables	1
2.3	Nursery care & management	1
3	Production practices of major crops (origin, distribution, area & production, climate & soil, varieties, field management, plant protection, physiological disorders, seed production & harvesting)	21
3.1	Potato	1
3.2	Tomato	1
3.3	Brinjal	1
3.4	Chilli & sweet pepper	1
3.5	Cauliflower	1
3.6	Cabbage	1
3.7	Broccoli	1
3.8	Radish	1
3.9	Carrot	1
3.10	Turnip	1
3.11	Rayo	1
3.12	Cress, Spinach, Swiss chard	1
3.13	Cucumber, Pumpkin, Summer squash	1
3.14	Bottle gourd, Bitter gourd, Sponge gourd	1
3.15	Watermelon, Pointed gourd	1
3.16	Peas & Beans	1
3.17	Onion	1
3.18	Garlic	1
3.19	Okra	1
3.20	Ginger & Turmeric	1
3.21	Coriander, Cumin & Fenugreek	1
4	Introduction to minor crops	5
4.1	Ridge gourd, Snake gourd, Chayote, Muskmelon, Asparagus	1
4.2	Sweet potato, Colocasia, Yam, Cassava, Garden beet	1
4.3	Amaranthus, Brussel’s sprout, Lettuce, Celery, Knol-khol	1
4.4	Broad bean, Winged bean, Hyacinth bean, Cowpea, Fennel	1
4.5	Bamboo shoots, Parsnip, Tree tomato, Dill	1
Total		30

S.N.	Topic	No. of Practicals
1	Identification of seasonal vegetable & spice plants (fresh) and study morphology	1
2	Identification of seeds of vegetable & spice crops (prepare catalogue)	1
3	Layout of kitchen garden	1
4	Nursery raising of different vegetable crops	1
5	Forcing of cucurbits in winter	1
6	Computation & application of manure & chemical fertilizers	1
7	Transplanting seedlings	1
8	Mulching & watering	1
9	Intercultural operations, top dressing & micro-nutrients application	1
10	Staking & pruning practices	1
11	Preparation & application of pesticides	1
12	Use of PGR in vegetable crops	1
13	Harvesting & postharvest handling of selected crops	1
14	Display & judging of fresh vegetables	1
15	Visit to nearby commercial vegetable farm	1
Total		15

AVRDC, 1992. Vegetable Production Training Manual, Asian Vegetable Research & Development Center, Taiwan.
ICAR, 2001. Text Book of Vegetables, Tuber Crops & Spices, Ed. S. Thamburaj & N. Singh, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi.
Pun, L. & Karmacharya, B.B., 1988. Trainer’s Manual “Vegetables”, Manpower Development Agric. Project, Kathmandu.
Shakya, S.M.; Thapa, F.; Pant, J., 1991. Laboratory Manual on Vegetable Production & Ornamental Horticulture, IAAS, Rampur, Chitwan.
Swarup, V., 2006. Vegetable Science and Technology, Kalyani Pub., New Delhi.