Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
mal given the very small proportion of populations that are involved with food pro-
duction—for example, in 1950 approximately 71 % of the world's population lived
in rural locations while in 2010 this had declined to 50 % (or as low as 10, 18 and
22 % for the UK, the USA and France, respectively) and is projected to be as low as
30 % globally by 2050 (Anon
2007a
). Convincing politicians and policy makers to
invest in horticultural science is, therefore, becoming increasingly difficult.
Nonetheless, the reasons for investment in research and development in horticul-
ture are compelling. The advantages to human health and wellbeing of diets balanced
with a high intake of fruits and vegetables is widely accepted (Anon
2006
). This
emphasises the need to have such produce available to households year-round and at
affordable prices—neither of which can be taken for granted. The need to deliver safe
food free from human pathogens and other contaminants is also paramount but again
cannot be taken for granted given the food safety compromises that have occurred
globally over the past decade (Anon
2007b
). Furthermore, the increase in the oc-
currence of significant climatic events, such as major droughts and storms, threaten
many elements in the supply chain of horticultural crops some of which can be mod-
erated through the application of research findings aimed at improving factors such
as water use by crops. Finally, demands from modern societies for sustainable pro-
duction practices and pesticide-free produce will be critically dependent on soundly-
based research and development programmes. Continuing investment in research
and development for horticultural crops and production practices will be essential
if these continuing challenges are to be addressed in meaningful and timely ways.
There have been a number of studies into the returns achieved from investment
in research and development in horticultural science. The examples provided here
are drawn from experience within major horticultural sectors in New Zealand but
they are directly relevant to other horticultural production areas around the world.
Breeding Kiwifruit
The New Zealand horticultural industry first began exporting kiwifruit in 1952
(Earp
1990
). For the following 50 years the industry was based on only one culti-
var—'Hayward'—and on only one of over 70 different species (
Actinidia
deliciosa
(A. Chev.) C.F. Liang et A.R. Ferguson) within the genus. The potential to introduce
many new and different selections showing varying flesh and skin colours, fruit
shapes, taste and nutritional characteristics, and skin hairiness was considerable.
Government scientists (working within the then Department of Scientific and In-
dustrial Research, subsequently The Horticulture and Food Research Institute of
New Zealand Ltd, now The Plant and Food Research Institute of New Zealand Ltd.)
introduced seeds of different species and selections from China in both 1977 and
1981 forming the basis of a modern fruit breeding programme. Within a decade,
advanced progeny were available for initial selection and, from within the popula-
tions available, 'Hort16A' was selected. It had high yields, a novel golden flesh co-
lour, a tropical “fruit salad” taste and fewer hairs than the green-fleshed 'Hayward'.
