Ornamental Horticulture: Latest Cultivation Practices and Breeding Technologies

Book excerpt: This book has combined information on the most recent agricultural practices and breeding methods for ornamental crops. The applications and benefits of hydroponics systems over traditional soil culture growing systems are also discussed. The role of current breeding tactics, such as gene editing tools like CRISPR Cas9, in the development of ornamental crop traits has been debated. The specifics of omics approaches to combat biotic and abiotic stresses in ornamental plants using modern breeding have been thoroughly studied. The critical significance of epigenetic control in ornamental plant development is also highlighted. This book discusses the importance of microbes in sustainable floriculture. Domestication and culture of wild ornamentals have also been considered. This book compiles an in-depth understanding of globally leading cultivated ornamentals and the most important cultivated ornamentals in India. Also, the important domains, i.e., pests and diseases and management in ornamentals and the economic services of ornamental cultivation are discussed. The most recent advances in urban floriculture and the future of smart horticulture have been examined. Nanotechnology uses in ornamental horticulture have been exclusively discussed. This book is a ready reckoner of the advances made in the field of ornamental horticulture for the scientists, graduate students, research scholars, breeders, farmers, and market managers of public and private sectors. This book will establish potential links between inter-disciplinary topics of research, such as aspects of floriculture, plant biotechnology, microbiology, and nanotechnology. This book series will take research in floriculture to a new frontier. This book serves as an excellent guide to formulating public-private collaborative research for future innovation in the floriculture frontiers.