Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 3
Vegetable Crops: Linking Production, Breeding
and Marketing
Daniel I. Leskovar, Kevin M. Crosby, Marco A. Palma
and Menahem Edelstein
Abstract
Vegetable production has been a major and dynamic activity devised by
diverse human cultures to sustain their livelihood for centuries. Vegetables, being
several times more productive per unit area than cereals, can play a vital role in
facing food security and nutrition challenges in the coming decades. However, the
predicted climate change and increased demand on limited land and water resources
makes water conservation a key component of vegetable production systems. At the
same time, there is an increased global demand for healthy and nutritious vegeta-
bles. Dramatic improvements have been achieved through breeding for important
abiotic stresses and quality traits in many vegetables. Thus, successful emerging
small or large commercial farmers now apply integrated strategies from farm to
table, including planting, grafting, irrigation, use of modern cultivars and innova-
tive marketing tools. In this chapter we highlight some technological advances in
vegetable production, with emphasis on stand establishment and irrigation manage-
ment for water-limited areas. We discuss the impact of breeding and genetics on
the improvement of abiotic stress tolerance and provide evidences on the use of
improved germplasm and cultivars to enhance the quality of vegetables. Finally, we
discuss the critical role of marketing and consumer trends for vegetable products.
