Pre-Harvest Technologies; Floriculture Sustainability Initiative

Floriculture is an exquisite branch of horticulture dealing with the production, handling and marketing of flowers, ornamental plants, and cut greens. Ornamental plants, especially cut flowers, possess a restricted post-harvest life which poses a major setback to this industry. However, recent advancements have played a critical role in the production of quality flower crops, enabling farmers to maximize yields and reduce losses while increasing the vase life of flowers. The post-harvest life depends on the pre-harvest, harvest, and post-harvest factors which determine the final quality of the produce. The environmental impact of flower production is mainly associated with its pre-harvest factors which majorly comprise the cultivation practices throughout its life cycle. A sustainable approach to such factors may include practices that ensure reduced environmental degradation along with maintaining productivity of the crop while producing high-quality produce.