Floriculture: A Great Source of Income for Farmers

Floriculture, or flower farming, is the study of growing and promoting flowers and foliage plants. Horticulture includes the cultivation of flowering and decorative plants for direct sale or to be used as raw materials in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical sectors.

In today’s time, farmers are choosing to cultivate cash crops. Due to this, they are getting a good income. Flowers are also a kind of cash crop, and they are also a major source of income for farmers. Farmers are also preferring floriculture due to less labor and a lower cost as compared to traditional crop cultivation.

The fertile soil of our country also helps the farmers cultivate all kinds of flowers. In India today, flowers are being cultivated on 3 lakh hectares and a large number of farmers are making their livelihood from floriculture alone.

Basically, flowers need lesser land and water for production, and this is the greatest advantage when compared to the cultivation of rice and wheat. Floriculture offers a great opportunity to farmers in terms of income generation and empowerment, and it is for both small and big farmers. They can use their land for raising all kinds of flowers and ornamental crops.

Types of floriculture

There are many types of floriculture, but the most common types are potted plants, cut flowers, and bedding plants.

Potted plants: These plants are suitable for indoor use as well as for home and small gardens. They are mainly grown in pots, such as chrysanthemums, peace lily, golden pothos, snake plant, mums, cyclamen.

Cut flowers: Cut flowers are basically blossoming flowers that are cut together with roots, branches, and leaves for use in bouquets or decorations, such as roses, carnations, orchids, gerberas, and other fresh cut flowers.

Bedding plants: These plants are grown for use in flower beds and landscaping. The main purpose of using bedding plants in the landscape is to provide bright colour throughout the growing season. Bedding plants can be annual, biennial or perennial plants. Such important bedding plants are marigolds, impatiens, pansies, and petunias.

Importance of Flowers in Nature

Flowers are botanically essential sources of food for many organisms and also an important means of attracting pollinators to a plant. Flowers also protect seeds as they develop, ensuring the successful transfer of genetic material to the next generation. Plants that make flowers are called angiosperms, and they are a group that has evolved to encompass a wide range of diversity in size, form, and color.

Popular flowers used in the perfume industry

Flowers are used for making perfume in the perfume industry, Because of their fragrance and they are widely used in the production of perfumes and cosmetics.

• The perfume industry generally uses two types of roses, such as May rose and the Damask rose. It is the most commonly used rose in perfume. Damask rose has a deep red colour, and it is widely used in creams, lipsticks, lotions, and powders.

• Jasmine - Jasmine is a very important flower in the perfume industry and it is also called "the flower of flowers."