In the early years of the new millennium, Indian agriculture, particularly in the field of horticulture, has undergone significant changes. In the past millennium, the development of horticultural crops was limited due to a lack of awareness of research potential. As we enter the second decade of the new millennium, a golden revolution is set to begin, characterized by new visions and the application of modern and innovative techniques in breeding and farming. While qualitative production is generally sufficient to meet the domestic market, there are exceptions for certain crops, such as spices, condiments, plantation crops, flower crops, and medicinal plants, which have high demand in the international market. Horticultural crops play a crucial role in providing food security by contributing to the supplementary diet. To achieve these objectives, it is necessary to apply innovative approaches of scientific culture.

This book covers recent and relevant fields of horticulture, including crop breeding, precision farming, biotechnology, therapeutic horticulture, and post-harvest practices for fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices, and plantation crops. The knowledge of recent research technologies, such as bioinformatics, biotechnology, and transplastomics, will prove helpful in the production and consumption of horticultural crops. The practical application of breeding techniques, such as polyoidy and selection techniques, will increase productivity. The exploitation of horticultural crops for the occurrence of antioxidants will contribute to human health and prevent diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. The organic farming of vegetable and plantation crops is also discussed in detail in this book.

1. Applications of Bioinformatics in Vegetable Breeding by R.Arunkumar, K.Kannan, V.Thirumalmurugan and K.Latha 2. HI - Tech Horticulture Farming in Vegetable Crops by M.Anand, R.Arunkumar, A.Mayavel and T.Muregsaboopathi 3. Ploidy Breeding in Tropical Fruits by R. Kamalkumar and K. Soorianathasundram 4. Application of Fertigation in Horticultural Crops by M.Anand, V. Ponnusamy, V. Vijayaraghavan and T.Sumathi 5. Organic Farming of Plantation Crops by K.Padmadevi, T.Vijaya and M.Vijayakumar 6. Issues, Strategies and Scope in Organic Production of Vegetables by M.Anand, L.Pugalendhi and A.Mayavel 7. Psychoactive Plants by C. Thangamani, C. Kavitha and P. Jansirani 8. Microencapsulation – A Media for Functional Pharma Products by T .Vijaya, K.R.Vijayalatha, K.Padmadevi and L.Pugalendhi 9. Potentialities of Antioxidants in Horticultural Crops by Kamalkumar R. Arunkumar and A.Mayavel 10. Photoautotrophic Micropropagation by V. Vijayaraghavan, M.Anand D.Veeraragavathatham and K.Indhumathi 11. Defense Proteins and Plant Disease Resistance by K.R.Vijayalatha and R.Venkatachalam 12. Genetic Transformation for Secondary Metabolites Production by C. Kavitha, C.Thangamani and E.Vadivel 13. Nator’s and Traitor Technologies by S.Sudagar and R.Kamal Kumar 14. Transplastomics by K.Padma Priya and N.Chezhiyan 15. Post Harvest Biotechnology of Tomato and Cassava by T.Sumathi, V.Vijayaraghavan and A.Mayavel