ABSTRACT
Introduction During the past several decades, production of horticultural crops has undergone a tremendous change in both developed and developing countries due to the development and use of fertilizers, pesticides, mechanization, soil fumigation, container production in soil-less media, breeding, micropropagation, pathogen elimination and a number of other innovations for attaining its future stability and sustainability. Recently, in modern agriculture, enhanced productivity depends heavily on inputs of fertilizers and pesticides to maintain an economic level of productivity. On the other hand, social and economic pressures are demanding that agricultural practices, that have a damaging impact on the environment and pose risk to the health of mankind, be curtailed. In the near future, we would face severe problem in fertilizer production which is an important factor for attaining technological revolution. The production of nitrogen fertilizers seems to be energy intensive and reserves of some fertilizer components especially phosphate are becoming limiting factors. Thus throughout the world, agriculture including horticulture is at crossroads in terms of its future stability and sustainability. The solution for the above lies in developing new technology with reduced use of fertilizer and pesticide besides maintaining a sustainable level of productivity.
