HORTICULTURE
Horticulture is a branch of agriculture that is concerned with the production of vegetables and ornamentals.
DISCIPLINE OF HORTICULTURE
1. Vegetable production – we have local vegetable e.g. Telferia occidentals and foreign vegetable e.g. Lactuca sativa.
2. Fruits and fruit trees. Examples of fruits – banana, plantain. Examples of fruit trees citrus, mango.
3. Floriculture – We have ornamentals and flowers. Flowers have showy petals, e.g. roses, sunflowers. Ornamentals have showy leaves, e.g. croton, acalypha.
4. Landscape horticulture – Use of flowers to beautify surroundings.
· Ornamental hedges (Hibscus, Ixora)
· Ornamental shrubs (Croton, Pagoda)
· Ornamental palms (cycads, royal palm, travelers palm).
· Ornamental trees (Casuarinas).
· Ornamental flowers (marigold, sun flower)
· Potted plants (Trandescantia, sansevera)
5. Plantation crop – Grown over a large expanse of land e.g. rubber, coffee.
6. Spices – they add dramatic touch to diets e.g. ginger, onion, garlic.
7. Medicinal Plants – these are plants grown and used to cure ailments e.g. Aloe vera, Talinum triangular, vemonia amygdalina.
VEGETABLE PRODUCTION
Vegetables may be sown by two ways:
· Directly seeded e.g. cucumber, sweet corn, okra.
· Indirectly seeded e.g. tomato, pumpkin.
INDIGENOUS VEGETABLES
Indigenous is defined as originating in Africa, examples of indigenous vegetables are pumpkin bitter leaf and West African okra.
SOCIO – ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF INDIGENOUS VEGETABLES
Indigenous vegetables play an important role income generation of subsistence. They are important commodities for poor households because red to other food items. It contributes to a more balanced diet for many people and a significant improvement in food security for the community at large.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
This is the design of outdoor public areas, land marks and structure to achieve environment, social – behavioral, or aesthetic of existing soil, ecological and geological condition and process in the desired outcome. Therefore, landscape architecture is a multi – disciplinary field, incorporating aspect of botany, and the earth science, environmental psychology, geography and ecology the horticulture unit at Umudike has the sole responsibility of landscaping the entire research institutes environment. Since landscaping can enhance a property, it has become an integral part of home construction. Commercial facilities and other public area are also appropriately landscaped. The activities of a landscape architecture can range from the creation of public parks and walk way to site planning campuses and corporate office park from the design of residential estate to the design of civil infrastructure and the management of large wilderness area or reclamation of degraded landscape such as landfills.
THE FLOWER USED FOR LANDSCAPING AT NRCRI, UMUDIKE
1. Syca Palm
2. Yellow bush
3. Masquerade plant
4. Carport grass.