If you do not want to do boring desk jobs and want to get into a profession where you can be close to nature, you can pursue a career in horticulture. It is a branch of science that deals with growing plants, herbs, vegetables, and edible fruits. Horticulture combines the features of both gardening and agriculture. It is concerned with the cultivation of crops, growing plants and shrubs, and creating new varieties of flowers. Horticulture is relevant for medicinal purposes and plant aesthetics. This blog offers you a complete guide on how you can pursue a career in horticulture and the best courses.
How to Build a Career in Horticulture?
Wondering how to make your passion a career? You can pursue a career in horticulture right after you complete school, here is how.
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1. Get A Degree in Horticulture
If you have decided to make a career in the field of horticulture, you can immediately take the first step towards your career by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in horticulture. The best courses and universities for horticulture have been discussed later in this blog. You can shortlist courses and universities and start applying for the same.
2. Acquire Relevant Skills
Once you get enrolled in a horticulture degree, you should focus on acquiring relevant skills in this field like knowledge of plants, irrigation, maintenance, machinery, and equipment. You can learn these skills by doing internships at a nursery, garden, or agricultural factory. Also, you can do additional diploma courses or certificate courses to enhance your knowledge in this field.
3. Apply for Jobs or Become an Entrepreneur
Horticulture has a large career scope. There are plenty of options that you can pursue in various fields, some of which have been discussed below. After completing your degree, you can apply for jobs in nurseries, research centers, agricultural farms, warehouses, and factories. You can also become an entrepreneur and provide consulting services.
Best Courses and Universities in India to Study Horticulture
Let us go through some of the best universities in India that offer degree courses in horticulture.
1. Indian Agricultural Research Institute
IARI (Indian Agricultural Research Institute) is one of the best colleges in India for studying horticulture. The institute offers a two-year postgraduate course in horticulture. You must have a bachelor’s degree in agriculture or related fields with a minimum of 60% marks to apply for this job and an overall GPA of 8.5.
2. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University offers two bachelor’s degree courses in horticulture- B.Sc., (Hons.) Horticulture and B.Tech.(Horticulture). This course teaches the fundamentals of microbiology, plant chemistry, principles of horticulture, nursery management, soil science, botany, crop physiology, yoga, soil, and water conservation engineering, and other essential subjects.
3. Punjab Agricultural University
This university offers undergraduate, postgraduate as well as Ph.D. courses in horticulture. For master’s and Ph.D. courses, students have an option to choose a specialization in one of the four categories- fruit science, vegetable science, floriculture and landscaping, and forestry. The floriculture and landscaping department teaches subjects like nursery production and management, landscape design, and breeding of ornamental plants.
4. Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology
This university also offers masters and Ph.D. courses in horticulture and floriculture and landscaping. The university also offers undergraduate courses in related areas like fruit and plantation crops, fundamentals of horticulture, ornamental horticulture, nursery management, and more. The horticulture courses offer knowledge of tropical and dry land fruit production, biodiversity and conservation of fruit crops, production technology of cool-season vegetable crops, animal husbandry, and ornamental landscaping.
5. Banaras Hindu University
Banaras HindunUniversity is one of the most ancient and prestigious institutes in India that offer quality education. The university provides both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in horticulture – B.Sc. (Ag.), and M. Sc. (Ag) Horticulture (Vegetable Science). Students who have completed their degree in horticulture from BHU have secured jobs at prestigious institutions like the Agricultural Research Services of ICAR and State Agricultural Universities. The university imparts horticulture training to students, farmers as well as government officials.
Career Options in Horticulture
There are plenty of career options in the field of horticulture. You can get into the field of art and design and become a florist, ornamental horticulturist, and plant videographer. After completing a degree in horticulture, you can also become an entrepreneur and set up your business. You can offer horticultural finance services or farming services. You can also work as a horticultural product manager or interiorscape designer. Here are some of the most popular options for a career in horticulture.
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1. Horticulturist
This is the most popular career choice after completing a degree in horticulture. Horticulturists are professionals who have expert knowledge in growing plants, cultivating fruits and vegetables, managing crops, pest management, and irrigation. They inspect soil samples and guide which crop will grow the best in it. Horticulturists decided on different agricultural strategies, do seed mixing, monitored fertilizers, and do other relevant jobs. Horticulturists can also take up consultant jobs at companies that do organic farming.
2. Research and Development
If you do not want to become a horticulturist, you can get into the field of research and development and become a horticulture scientist. You can research different types of soils, seeds, and crops and develop different farming or agricultural techniques to improve the quality of agricultural produce.
3. Writing About Horticulture
Another flourishing career in the field of horticulture is to become a horticulture writer. You can write blogs, books, and guides on horticulture. You can pursue writing as a full-time or part-time career alongside your Horticulturist job.
4. Landscape Design
You can also become a landscape designer after pursuing horticulture if you have a knack for designing coupled with a great aesthetic sense. Landscape designing job involves creating aesthetic landscapes for companies, residential or commercial buildings.
5. Plant Breeder
Plant breeding is also an interesting career option in horticulture. They not only grow plants but also do research and analysis to implement better techniques for breeding plants. Plant breeders also examine crop varieties and find ways to enhance the quality of yield.
Conclusion
Horticulture is not restricted to growing plants. It has a broad scope. You can use your skills and knowledge to make a career in genetic engineering, seed analysis, soil science, and more. You can also do interior landscaping with flowers. The best part about doing horticulture is that you get to stay close to nature and earn money. If you are unsure about how to pursue a career in horticulture, which courses to choose or take admission to which university, you can get career counseling online with Mindler. Career counselors at Mindler do a comprehensive career assessment and help you choose the right career path.