VEGETABLE

Vegetable is define as a edible usually a succulent plant or a part, it is eatten as staple or main Food. Especially Definition of vegetable depends upon it's uses, a plant may be vegetable in own country but is fruit on another country or it is considered as weed in other country.

Importance OF vegetable.

1) Nutritional importance

Nepal is an agriculture country. Nepal produces a substantial amount of crop, vegetable etc. for daily use as well as for sale to get maximum profit. All the vegetable contains at least a vitamin, minerals or both. Hence, it is nutritionally importance, they are also a source of carbohydrate, Vitamin, minerals, protein.

• vegetable helps to maintain good health.

• vegetable is considered as protective diet against diseases.

• They are rich source of vitamin, minerals protein and carbohydrate are necessary for balance diet.

• In vegetable we can get 80% water and 20% other Constituents.

- Iodine ~ okra, onion, asparagus , Summer quash etc.

- carbohydrate – sweet potato, potato, pea, carrots etc.

- Fiber ~ Chilli, Greenpea, okra etc.

- Protein ~ soybean, pea, cowpea, Palak.

-vitamin A ~ pumpkin, radish leaves , carrot, Palak spinach.

- Thiamine ~ Palak, cabbages, carrot, onion.

- Ribo Flavin - Pea, Bean, Palak.

vitamin - Green vegetables, vegetable oil, calcium - pea, Bean, cabbage.

- Iron ~ spinach, pea, beans, bitter gourd, onion, lettuce, tomato.

- phosphorus ~ potato, tomato, cucumber, carrot, cauliflower etc.

-vegetables are mostly alkali food and they neutralized acidic food which help to prevent from different acidic problem in human health.

2) Economic importance.

• It provides employment opportunity to the poor Farmers

• Vegetables are good source of income generation and employment opportunity.

• utilization of marginal and sloppy land almost 2-3 crops can be harvest from same land in a year.

• It increases life standard of people as well as per capital income of the Country.

• vegetable products are good source of income generation than other Farm activities.

3) Medicinal use

» Almost 40% drugs and medicines has been drive from plant materials, Here vegetable contributes

a Significant position for eg

• 300 gm powder made from white cabbage prevents ulcer.'

• vegetables are sources of hormone Eg ~ potato contain amylase enzymes.

• Cabbage contain peroxide.

•Garlic contain sex hormone.

4) National Importance.

•it increases GDP of the country.

• It increases PCI of the country.

• life standard of people increases.

Scope of vegetable production.

1) presence of different Agro-climate.

Condition:

- Nepal is a country of geographical, diversity. Here we have wide varieties or climate from tropical to temperate regions. Where the difference vegetable can be grown according to the climate required for vegetable production.

2) Increasing Demand of vegetables and it's seed within the country.

- As the increasing the population of the country but the productive land is decreased so the Demand of fresh organic vegetables is increased.

3) Export potential.

Fresh vegetables have the great Demand on the other Countries too so, by export vegetable we can earn substantial income by which living standard of people increased.

4) Availability of cheap labors and inputs.

- In the context of our country there is a serious problems of unemployment So, there is high supply and low demand of Labors where we can take benefits of it in vegetable production.

Constraints of vegetable production.

• Seasonal fluctuation in supplies and prices.
- One of the Biggest problem in vegetable farming is there is Fluctuation of price especially in their growing season. Due to such problems farmer are now attracted to offseason vegetable production where there is High value of goods and Risk taking profit.

• Inadequate market Facility.
- Vegetable have low shelf life so proper handling and marketing facilities are compulsory so proper indoor as well as Distinct marketing facilities should be maintained by the government.

• Higher post harvest losses.
- There is the high rate of Post harvest losses of Vegetables so Proper cold storage and other Processing technology should be implement to prevent post harvest losses.

• lack of improved varieties.
- Quality of the seed and Disease free Hybrid varieties can increase the production of the crops by 80% so proper Quality seed should be sown in the Seed Bed.

• Inappropriate Government policy.
- No clear cut Government policy has created the different problem in overall development. Government should provide Hybrid seed , fertilizer, and proper marketing facilities to over all Horticulture Development.

• lack of Advancement in Technology.
- By the development of the advance Technology in the Agriculture field in developed countries the cost of production is quite low that increase the Margin to the Farmer and large scale production is possible.

Classification Of Vegetables.

A] Botanical classification of vegetables.

Class ÷ Monocotyledons

Family - Alliaceae

i) onion (Allium cepa )

ii) Garlic (Allium sativum)

Family - Araceae

i ) Arvi / Taro (Colocosia esculenta)

ii) Elephant foot-yam

Family - Dioscoreaceae

i) Lesser yam (Dioscorea esculenta)

ii) white yam (Dioscorea rotundata).

Family - Gramineae (poaceae)

i) sweet corn (Zea mays)

Family - Liliaceae

i) Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)

Family: Zingiberaceae

i) Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

ii) Turmeric (curcuma longa)

Class ÷ Dicotyledons

Family - Aizoaceae

i) New Zealand spinach.

Family - Amaranthaceae

i) chhoti chauli (Amaranthus blitum )

ii) Badi chauli ( Amaranthus tricolor )

Family - Basellaceae

i) indian spinach or Basella ( Basella rubra)

Family - chenopodiaceae

i) Beet root (Beta vulgaris)

ii) palak (spinach beet)

iii) Spinach (spinacea oleracea)

Family - Compositae

i) lettuce ( lactuca sativa )

Family - Convolvulaceae

i) sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas)

Family - Cruciferae (Brassicaceae)

i) white cabbage (Brassica oleracea)

ii) cauliflower (Brassica Oleracea)

iii) Broccoli

IV) Knol-knol

v) Turnip

vi) leaf mustard (Brassica juncea)

vii) Radish (Raphanus sativus)

Family- cucurbitaceae

1) cucumber (cucumis sativus)

ii) muskmelon (cucumis melo)

iii) water melon (citrullus lanatus)

iv) Bottle gourd ( lagenaria siceraria )

v)Bitter gourd (momordica charantia)

vi)Ridge gourd (luffa acutangula)

vii)sponge gourd

viii) pointed gourd

ix) snake gourd

x)pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata)

xi) summer squash (Cucurbita pepo).

x) winter squash (Cucurbita maxima Duch).

Family - Euphorbiaceae

i) cassava / Tapioca

Family- leguminosae (Fabaceae)

i) Garden pea ( Pisum sativum)

ii) field pea. ( Pisum sativum spp arvense)

iii) French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)

iv) lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus)

v) Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)

vi) soybean (Glycine max)

Family - Malvaceae

i) Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)

Family - Solanaceae

i) Tomato (solanum lycopersium)

ii) potato (solanum tuberosum)

iii) Brinjal (solanum melongena)

Family - Umbelliferne (Apiaceae)

i) carrot (Daucus carota)

ii) Turnip

iii) Coriander (coriandrum sativum).

B] classification based on parts use.

1) Root crops - Radish , carrot.

2) Tuber crops - sweet potato, potato.

3) leafy vegetable - Broad leaf mustard

4) fruit crops - Tomato, Eggplant, chilly, lady finger, beans, all cucurbits.

5) Immature flowers. - sprouting broccoli, cauliflower, Agathi.

6) stem crops - khol khol , asparagus.

7 Bulb crops - Garlic, onion.

8) legume crops - Asparagus, cowpea.

v ) seeds - Fenugreek, coriander.

20) Rhizome - Ginger , Turmeric.

11) petiole - celery, parsley.

C] classification based on the growing season.

1) Rainy or Kharif season vegetables (June- September)

• Brinjal, Chilli , Okro , tomato , ginger, cowpea, hyacinth bean, cluster bean, cucumber, bottle gourd, bitter gourd , ridge gourd , snake gourde , sponge gourd. pointed gourd, ivy gourd, ash gourd sweet potato, etc.

2 winter or Rabi season vegetables (October - January)

• cole crops, radish, carrot, turnip, beet garlic, onion, Spinach, Palak, pea, fenugreek potato etc.

3) summer or zaid season vegetables (February - June)

• Brinjal tomato, chilli, okra, cowpea, cluster bean, amaranthus, all cucurbits etc.

D] classification based on hardness'

• This classification is based on ability of crops to with stand Frost. The crop can be classified as

- Hardy - Resistance to Frost.

- Half Hardy - Tolerance to Frost.

- Tender - susceptible to Frost. ( Sensitive easily affected)

1) Hardy

They are temperate crop or winter crops Eg ÷ broccoli asparagus, Radish Turnip.

Half Hardy ÷ They are sub tropical Eg - Cauliflower, Carrot , potato, lettuce.

3) Tender ÷

They are warm Season vegetable

Eg ÷ lady finger, Eggplant , cowpea, Tomato, cucumbers.

E) Classification based on photoperiod requirement (Duration of crop)

• photoperiod refers to the period for which light is available. The response of plant to light for the induction of flowering is called Photoperiodism.

Based on photoperiod the vegetable crop are mainly classified into three groups ÷

1) long day ÷ Those vegetables which require long light and short nights (generally 8-10 hours of continuous dark period ) for the induction of Flowering. Eg ÷ potato, radish, turnip, Carrot , onion, lettuce, cabbage cauliflower , knol khol etc.

2) Short day

• Those vegetables which require short light and long dark period (10-14) hours or continuous dark period for the induction of flower buds Eg÷ sweet potato, cluster bean , Indian spinach.

3) Day- Neutral

Those vegetables in which flowering is not influenced by day length therefore such vegetable are called as photo - insensitive vegetables, eg: Tomato , Eggplant, chili, capsicum , Cowpea, okra, Cucumber etc.

Definition of vegetable, scope and Important of vegetable production , constraints on vegetable farming and classification of vegetables.