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André Gosselin, Serge Yelle and Blancdré Gosselin, Serge Yelle and Blanche Dansereau
Centre de recherche en horticulture
Faculté des sciences de líagriculture et de líalimentation
Université Laval
Quebec, Canada
The importance of horticulture varies greatly between universities and faculties of agriculture and food sciences throughout the world. In some cases, horticulture departments include all disciplines and commodities, while in other cases, there are specific departments of pomology, vegetables and ornemental crops. In many cases, horticultural sciences are parts of larger plant or agricultural science departments.
However, in all cases, horticulture scientists must address the
basic function of training competent professional horticulturists
and high-tech horticulture scientists at the graduate levels.
It is also within the mission of university professors to conduct
research for the advancement of horticultural sciences. The questions
which immediately arise from that mission statement concern the
main issues for university research.
It is generally recognized that university research should be
more fundamental as compared to government or private research,
as basic research is generally required to train doctoral students.
However, horticultugenerally required to train doctoral students.
However, horticultural research is by definition quite applied,
as it is very often commodity-oriented, and thus requires a multidisciplinary
approach. The level of complexity rises as global systems must
be studied and as a very large number of species are involved.
It is definitely different from other university areas where research
is more discipline-oriented, or from other agriculture sectors
where much less species are involved and where less complex issues
need to be taken into account. Although funding is originating
more and more from the private sector, and consequently requires
more applied studies, universities should never forget their basic
mission for the training of competent horticulturists and the
advancement of sciences.
Governments and international agencies should have the responsability
of maintaining germplasm ressources of the main crops. It is however
not possible for them to study all botanical species and identify
potential utilizations of wild species of horticultural crops.
University scientists as they are located in all corners of Earth
and as they often collaborate with botanists, geneticists and
other scientists are very well placed to identifiy those species
and even to determine the genetic factors that could eventually
be used in horticulture research.
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be used in horticulture research.
Biotechnologies, especially when they deal with molecular biology
or genetic engineering, were generally not developed in horticulture
departments, except for some aspects related to plant propagation
where the first discoveries were achieved on horticulture crops.
In fact, some of the very basic scientific developments came from
research in human or animal physiology. However, universities
must insure the presence of biotechnologists within horticulture
departments to attract the best graduate students and to conduct
relevant and successful basic research. In fact, the most successful
research that leads to either major scientific discovery or important
commercial development often involve both basic and applied scientists.
Universities must play an important role to study and promote horticulture cropping that ensure the total protection of the environment. As private funding is increasing throughout the world, there could be a tendency to favor more traditional horticulture sytems with the same chemical inputs. Without eliminating such research that could reduce the use of fertilizers, through better application of precision agriculture, it is certainly worthwhile to study alternative growing systems with lower environmental impact.
Iing systems with lower environmental impact.
In fact, horticulture is very well positioned to solve many environmental
problems. Recent research have clearly indicated that industrial
residues from pulp and paper companies, from sewage sludge plants
or even from industrial animal production farms can be composted
and used either on ornemental crops or as artificial growing media
without any environmental damages. Suprisingly, that type of research
could be of great interest to agrochemical companies which could
become the intermediates between farmers and the source of such
organic supplies. However, this type of research require close
collaboration between horticulturists, microbiologists, soil chemists,
ecotoxycologists, etc.
University professors must promote the use of natural ennemies or biological agents to control horticulture crop predators, while more applied research aimed at reducing pesticides application is also very useful. All horticulture students must understand the advantages and inconvenients of biological control of diseases and insects as well as the very important scientific and commercial developments that have occured in the last two decades and the great future potentials.
Professors and students must also be aware of the actual limitations
of biological control and of the growing concern of environmental control and of the growing concern of environmental
and human health agencies to insure the commercialization of safe
products. As these technical requirements and related-costs for
registration of chemical pesticides constantly increase, horticulture
growers are more often left without adequate solutions.
Consumers from all over the world will be, more than ever, demanding
safer produce without pesticides or chemical residues and with
the highest nutritional values. Research on quality and innocuity
of horticultural produce are conducted either by horticulturists
or scientists in food science departments. In the first instance,
research can be closely related to the main causes explaining
the quality or innocuity of produce, as horticulturists are generally
closely collaborating with plant protection specialists and crop
management specialists. On the other hand, food scientists have
greater expertise in the areas of postharvest physiology, crop
handling, produce transformation, packaging and distribution.
Consequently, to insure the optimum quality of both fresh or processed
produce, close collaboration must be maintained between crop management
and plant protection specialists, as well as food technologists.
Ways to favor multidisciplinary approach such as the effects of
pre-harvest conditions on the post-harvest quality must be encouraged
between e post-harvest quality must be encouraged
between horticulture and food science departments or between agriculture
faculties.
Recent studies clearly indicate that the world market for nutraceuticals products will reach $ 500 Billion by 2007. An important proportion of these nutraceuticals will originate from horticultural species such as fruits, vegetables, ornamentals or medicinal plants. In some cases, consumers will demand fruits or vegetables with higher antioxydants, carotene, etc and medicinal plants with specific secondary metabolites to improve human health, prevent cancer or other important diseases. Higher prices will be obtained for such products and probably added values will be given for such plant extracts.
Horticulture scientists must develop such expertise and collaborate
more closely with food scientists, nutritionists as well as pharmaceutical
and biomedical specialists. Otherwise, knowledge and expertise
will be developed in food science and nutrition departments and
even in medical schools.
Globalization is becoming a world phenomena and it is especially true in horticulture as compared to other agricultural sectors such as meat or dairy products. The tendency is to grow fruits, vegetables, flower seeds, spices and medicinal produce that reqables, flower seeds, spices and medicinal produce that require intensive labor in underdeveloped countries to save on labor costs. This tendency is probably more common when multinational corporations control a large proportion of the commodities and when they have developed distribution channels.
Another phenomena is the concentration of distribution chains in the hands of a small number of large corporations. For instance, in Canada, 6 distribution chains control more than 80% of retail sales across the country. These supermakets can establish sales contracts with large international corporations that control production of various commodities, especially from underdeveloped countries. The problems may become even worse if these large production firms are associated or even own by large seed or agrochemical corporations. We may eventually reach a dramatic situation whereby the whole production and distribution chains of specific commodities will be entirely controled by a small number of commercial interests.
Horticulture scientists must then collaborate with agriculture economists and distribution specialists to study more accurately world production and trade as well as distribution concentration as it relates to biotechnology and agrochemical firms. Studies must be achieved for different commodities and different areas of the world. Moreover, horticulturists should pay closer attention to local niches to insure a minimum market to loto local niches to insure a minimum market to local growers, to favor biodiversity and avoid excessive standardization.
Although universities must pay attention to the world economic
situation, international agencies should have a leading role in
studying international commerce and commercial trends.
Horticultural research must be more narrowly focused to better respond to future consumer needs. In order to achieve that goal, market studies need to be conducted. This particular aspect is generally and naturally achieved by private retail companies that transfer consumer requirements to growers. Sometimes, horticulture scientists do not take into consideration this evolution and waste time to study commoditites or products that are no longer required.
Another aspect deals with consumers requirements as they are modified
by population age, ethnic origins, health consciousness, taste
evolution, etc. Scientists must be very aware of such consumer
needs as new discoveries or older findings may become more or
less important.
More research must be dedicated to determine the beneficial effects of plants in general, and horticultural species in particular, in the maintenance and improvement of environmental quality. Very few papers are available on the effects of plants on the qu few papers are available on the effects of plants on the quality of environment in large cities. Some data clearly show the advantages of lawn or trees on air temperature, atmospheric CO2 concentration, dust levels, but very few studies have shown the effects of horticultural species on the concentration of atmospheric pollutants. Trees in urban environments accomplish three roles as they provide ecological stability, improve esthetic and architectural surroundings and most of all contribute to air quality. Similar research must also be conducted in commercial or industrial buildings or even in family dwellings.
Obviouly, this type of research should also take into account the beneficial effects of plants or landscaping on social issues such as violence and criminality, human health and disease incidence, psychological behavior of individuals or communities, population activities and hobbies, etc.
International agencies together with large megapoles should initiate
through a network of universities and government scientists an
exhaustive research program to optimize horticultural plant utilization
in large cities in order to maximize the quality of life.
Globalization should favor students and professors mobility, but not necessarily the availability of new knowledge as research funding is more and more originating from as research funding is more and more originating from the private industry. Furthermore, international agencies generally favor exchanges of students and professors and sponsor research in crop or animal sciences as these commodities are generally recognized as the main source of human food. We need to remember the importance of non-edible horticulture commodities and their contribution to enhancing the quality of life.
International agencies, governments and universities should recognize the importance of horticulture species in the human diet and on the quality of environment and dedicate more ressources to finance scientific collaboration and graduates training in developed and under-developed countries.
In such programs, data should be published widely and new findings
made available to the scientific and horticultural communities
throughout the world.
Various issues related to university research in horticulture were raised and briefly discussed in this paper. Horticulture shall have a growing commercial importance in the near future as world population is aging, people devote more attention to health and most communities better emphasize the quality of life and environment.
Development and adequate share of new discoveries across the scientific
horticulture community through adequate training of horticulture
specialists at all educational levels shall insure a bright
specialists at all educational levels shall insure a bright future
to horticulture and the humanity. Networking of world horticulture
scientists working on the same commodities, disciplines, geographical
areas, theme of research, etc shall help to support such development.
The authors acknowledge the relevant comments provided by Dr. Jules
Janick, Purdue University, USA; Dr. Collin Scanes, Iowa State
University, USA; Dr. Bill Baumgart, Purdue University,
USA; Dr. Denis Demars, Agriculture and Agrofood Canada; Dr. B.S.
Dhillon, Khals College for Women Civil Lines, India; Dr. H. Waibel,
Hannover, Germany; Dr. R. Jones, Florida University,
USA; Dr. Chris Wien, Cornell University, USA; Dr. D.
Maxwell, University of Wisconsin, USA; Dr. D. Levanon, Israël;
Eng. Antonio Marreiros, APH, Spain; Prof. Shapir, ARO, Israël;
Prof. Chen Zenghong, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural
Sciences, China; Dr. G. Glomon, Romania; Dr. J.B. Morissey,
Agriculture and Agrifood Canada; Dr. V. Galan, Sech,
Spain; Prof. C. Fideghelli, Italy; Prof. P. Garriz, Argentina;
Prof. M. Dron, Cirad, France; Mr. Raimo Sopo, IPS, Finland;
Prof. M. Schenk, Hannover, Germany; Dr. W.J. Peacock,
CSIRO, Australia; Dr. Ichiro Kajuira, Japan; Dr. Tom Papadopoulos,
Agriculture and Agrifood Canada.