ITI in Horticulture

ITI In Horticulture

Horticulture is an agricultural plant cultivation trade. The duration of trade is one year with two semesters of six months duration. During teaching/trade, students get knowledge of so many agricultural aspects such as cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and non-food crops such as grass and ornamental trees and plants. Trade is an important from job point of view as India is an agricultural country and has so many opportunities therein. Candidates good at study also have further higher study option like Diploma and Degree courses.

Skills Required

• Students should have knowledge of plants and their care; practical skills; the ability to understand and follow health and safety regulations.
• They should have the ability to work either alone or in a team; customer service and money handling skills for garden centre work.
• Students should have knowledge of sowing seeds and planting bulbs and ornamental plants; growing plants from cuttings and by grafting.

Syllabus

1st Sem

• Agro-meteorology, Agro climatic regions, Weights and measures and land records
• Farm Power and Machinery, Basic Knowledge on Plant Biology
• Soils, Water and their Management Soil, Soil moisture & its conservation, Soil erosion and its control, Soil conservation, Watershed and water harvesting, Irrigation and Drainage, Soils and Soil Management, Role of organic matter in soil and its recycling.
• Soil Fertility, Fertilizers, Manures & Soil Fertility Management.
• Introductory Horticulture
• Project Work

2nd Sem

• Importance of fruits, flowers and vegetables.
• Layout of Plots and Gardens
• Fruit Culture, Vegetable propagation and Preservation of fruits & vegetables Cultivation of fruits, Management of orchards, Vegetative Propagation, Fruits and Vegetable preservation
• Cultivation of Vegetables & Spices: Cultivation of Vegetables and Spices
• Cultivation of Flowers, Climbers, Foliages & Other crops, Cultivation of flowers and climbers
• Cultivation of Mushroom, Betel vine
• Pest Management: Pest management
• Seed Production, Marketing & Trade Management: Seed production, Inventory control & maintenance of Records, Markets & Marketing, Trade and trading
• Workshop, Field practical, project preparation.

Eligibility & Admissions

• Passed 10th Class Examination
• Performa for admission may be obtained from the respective State Directorate dealing with Craftsmen Training Scheme or from the Principals of the concerned Industrial Training Institutes/ centers conducting training programme under Craftsmen Training Scheme.

Higher Studies

• Diploma in Commercial Horticulture
• Diploma in Fruit Production
• B.Sc. (Horticulture Science)
• M.Sc. (Horticulture)
• B.Sc. (Hons) (Horticulture)
• M.Phil. (Horticulture)
• M.Sc. (Agriculture Horticulture)
• M.Sc. (Horticulture- Fruit Production and Post Harvest Technology)
• M.Sc. (Horticulture-Floriculture and Land Scaping)
• M.Sc. (Horticulture-Vegetable Science)
• Ph.D. (Horticulture – Vegetable Science)
• Ph.D. (Horticulture)

Job Prospects

Horticulture is a very diverse area with career opportunities for almost any person interested in the field. Job exist for almost everyone, from those with no formal education in horticulture to those with Ph.D. and other degrees in horticulture.The nature of many of the career fields in horticulture allows horticulturists to open their own business. Scope for career advancement are determined by the career chosen and it is limited by the educational qualification, ambitions and skills of the person pursuing the career.

Due to its significance, there are ample job opportunities for graduate and postgraduate of the discipline in India as well as abroad. Horticulturists can enter into various fields in industry, government or educational institutions or private concerns. Horticulturists work in a wide range of areas in agribusiness, arboriculture (planting and care of woody plants), botanical gardens, conservation, crop management, floral design, food chemistry, fruit and vegetable production, garden centers, greenhouses, grounds management, landscape construction and management, nurseries, management and sales, marketing/public relations, research and development, teaching/instruction, technical writing and publishing. Horticulture institutes and colleges, vegetable farms, fruit orchards etc. always look for skilled horticulturists. Those in government sector are responsible for the maintenance of parks, public gardens, official lawns etc.

Both public and private sectors offer employment to qualified and trained horticulturists with attractive remuneration. In Govt. Sector one can work as Horticulture Inspector, Fruit and Vegetable Inspector, Training Assistant in Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), District Horticulture Officer/ District Agriculture Officer, Marketing Inspector, Farm Supervisor, Section Officer and Agriculture Inspector. Option of a career as Lecturer and Assistant Professor, Associate Professor in Agriculture Universities and Colleges or Technical Assistant/Technical Officer in Agriculture Universities can also be accessed. One can also work as Agriculture Development Officer or can become Scientist. Self employment option is available as Horticulture Consultant or Horticulture Therapist, Floral decorator/ florist shop, Fruit/ Vegetable / Flower grower etc. One can choose to be a horticulture entrepreneur also by setting up a horticulture farm for growing fruits, vegetables or flowers or a horticulture nursery for nursery production of horticultural plants. Horticultural professionals can get in Civil Services sector too through competitive examinations.

With the commercialisation of agriculture and horticulture there are varied opportunities for salaried jobs as well as entrepreneurship. While salaried jobs with various government and private concerns provide a regular income, entrepreneurship can generate handsome profits. Many horticulturists take up independent profession as landscape designers. Horticulturists are hired by hotels, health farms, and holiday resorts to beautify their surroundings. Students completing horticulture courses in India are offered placements as farming experts in vineyards, plantations, and fruit groves. City planners appoint horticulture experts for town beautification. There is a vast employment opportunity in the commercial or environmental sectors as well as in research and journalism. Horticulture with its offshoot floriculture has become a focus of export activity. In the field of fruits and vegetables too, India has tremendous export potential. Now, computers are widely used in the horticultural field. Special areas of computer application in horticulture include: designing plants, crop modeling and soil modeling equipment automation, public information, record keeping and databases.

Horticultural therapy is an exciting and challenging field. Horticultural Therapists often work in conjunction or liaison with other professionals such as psychologists, occupational therapists, physicians and social workers. Horticultural Therapists treat those who have physical disabilities, mental health problems and learning difficulties, those recovering from major injuries or illnesses, and elderly people. Programmes can also be developed for the rehabilitation of offenders or those suffering from drug or alcohol abuse.With more and more people opting for naturopathic treatment of diseases, growing of medicinal plants has become significant, which provide attractive business opportunity to horticultural nursery/gardens.

Employers

• Corporations: Agriculturists from this sector can seek employment in Warehousing
• Corporation & Food Corporation, State Farm Corporation and National Seed Corporation.
• Estates and tea gardens: There are ample of opportunities in estates and tea gardens which also offer great remuneration.
• Agricultural Engineering: This sector deals with conservation of soil and water, power, agricultural machines, and farm structures. Engineering graduates can venture into this field.
• Agriculture Management: Students possessing knowledge of management and agriculture are the need of this industry and can venture into estates and tea gardens.
• Agro-industry Sector: This sector revolves around dairy processing, meat packaging, grain processing, fats and oils, production, fibers, pesticides and other such products. There is scope for great research in this field and also requires sales and promotion, technologists, scientists, as well as in production
• Services Sector: this field revolves around fertilizers, seeds and chemicals at reasonable price and also to provide quality food products.
• Self employment: Like most other industries graduates can start his/her own business such as agriculture product shops, agri-base industry, etc.

One can also venture into farming, conservation, seri-culture, agri-business, research, agricultural education, agricultural journalism and many more.