The Department of Horticulture, UAS, GKVK is a front runner involved of imparting horticultural education in the illustrious College of Agriculture, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore. The Horticulture discipline was given a status of separate Department with sufficient teaching and non-teaching staff to cater the targeted activities of teaching, research and extension.

Keeping in view of the increased activities, scope and potential the Department of Horticulture was elevated to the status of Division during 1976. The Department offering 5 courses (Cr.hr. 10) for B.Sc. (Hons.) Agri, 2 courses (Cr.hr. 5), for B.Sc. (Hons.) Ag. Maco., and 1 course (Cr.hr. 3) for B.Sc. (Hons.) Engg. degree programme. Apart from above courses 20 credits HoT and 20 credits RAWEP are offered. The department offering Master’s Degree programme as M.Sc. (Agri.) in Horticulture besides Doctoral degree programme in Horticulture. Recently Plant Tissue Culture and Molecular Biology in horticulture have been given a specialized status in the department and quality laboratories have been established. Since 1982 collection of medicinal and aromatic crops is made with 180 species of medicinal plants and 80 species of aromatic crops, along with some of natural dye yielding plants are also added. The medicinal and aromatic garden is one of the best centre in the country. This is in tune with the emerging trend of importance and scope for further development, entrepreneurship and startup programme.

The Department has been identified as one of the excellent Plastic Development Centers (PDCs) of ICAR. These centers are now renamed as Precision Farming Development Centers.

The Plant Tissue Culture laboratory is a well equipped with floor space of 2500 sq. feet and growth room can hold 50,000 culture bottles with an estimated production capacity of 5 lakh plants per year. The laboratory has good facility for post-graduate teaching as well as research.

The important research accomplishments of the Department are presented as here under.

• Soft wood grafting technique for mass multiplication of cashew, mango and jack has been standardized.
• A protocol has been developed for the mass multiplication of Banana varieties (Grand Naine (G9) Banana, Elakki Bale, Nanjangudu Rasabale and Nendran Banana ) through tissue culture.
• Standardized rejuvenation of uneconomical cashew plantations although to working
• Established fruit crops (Major and minor) nursery for elite planting material.

• Developed new and innovative technology for training tomato and viney vegetable crops using GI wire mesh.
• Standardized of optimum requirements of Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium for pole bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).
• Established elite vegetable variety seed production unit.
• Established vegetable seedlings nursery.

• Established ornamental plants nursery for multiplication and for sales.
• Established annual flower seed production unit.
• Established seasonal cut flower production unit

• Collection and conservation of endangered and rare species of medicinal, spice and aromatic plants.
• Established herbal garden, aromatic garden, spices block and nurseries of elite planting material
• Protocols developed for
  • Extraction of essential oils from aromatic crops.
  • Quality analysis of essential oils.
  • Phytochemical analysis of medicinal and aromatic crops
  • In-vitro evaluation of antioxidant activity for medicinal and aromatic crops
  • Evaluation of in-vitro antimicrobial activity

• Drip irrigation, fertigation system and polyethylene mulching have been standardized for efficient water and weed management in selected vegetable, flower and fruit crops.

• In jack fruit cv. Singapore, protocol for micro-propagation has been established.
• In sweet type star fruit (carambola), for the first time, a protocol for direct and indirect somatic embryogenesis has been developed.
• In gloriosa, a highly valued medicinal plant somatic embryogenesis regeneration protocol has been developed for the first time.
• Micro-propagation protocols have been established in medicinal and aromatic crops like coleus, neem, patchouli, tinospora, long pepper, stevia, gymnema and asparagus.

• Established plant molecular biology laboratory
• Established plant tissue culture laboratory
• Established Medicinal and aromatic crops analysis laboratory
• Established Post harvest quality control Laboratory
• Fruit and plantation orchards
• Vegetable and flower gardens
• Erected low cost and medium cost polyhouses, shade houses
• Erected polyhouses and seed storage facilities for medicinal and aromatic spices crops.

Dr. P. Venkatesha Murthy
Professor & Head,
Department of Horticulture,
UAS, GKVK, Bangalore - 560065