Horticulture

Horticulture (from Latin: horti + culture) is the science and art of growing ornamental plants, flowers, as well as fruits, vegetables, and other economically valuable crops or trees on a controlled scale. Horticulture is distinct from conventional extensive farming and row crop agronomy through its emphasis on landscaping, plant propagation, floriculture, or various non-ornamental crops being grown in deliberately controlled environments such as greenhouses and specific formats of commercial small-scale outdoor operations. There are various divisions of horticulture because plants are grown for a variety of purposes. These divisions include, but are not limited to: propagation, arboriculture, landscaping, floriculture and turf maintenance. For each of these, there are various professions, aspects, tools used and associated challenges—each requiring highly specialized skills and knowledge on the part of the horticulturist. Typically, horticulture is characterized as the ornamental, small-scale and non-industrial cultivation of plants; horticulture is distinct from gardening by its emphasis on scientific methods, plant breeding, and technical cultivation practices, while gardening, even at a professional level, tends to focus more on the aesthetic care and maintenance of plants in gardens or landscapes. However, some aspects of horticulture are industrialized or commercial such as greenhouse production or CEA. Horticulture began with the domestication of plants c. 10,000 – c. 20,000 years ago. At first, only plants for sustenance were grown and maintained, but as humanity became increasingly sedentary, plants were grown for their ornamental value. Horticulture emerged as a distinct field from agriculture when humans sought to cultivate plants for pleasure on a smaller scale rather than exclusively for sustenance. Emerging technologies are moving the industry forward, especially in the alteration of plants to be more resistant to parasites, disease and drought. Modifying technologies such as CRISPR are also improving the nutrition, taste and yield of crops. Many horticultural organizations and societies...