Department of Horticulture

Department of Horticulture

With one of the major economic objectives “Development of agriculture as a base and all-round development of other sectors of the economy”, food safety and food security for increasing population is a major concern. Sustainable crop production with good agricultural practices and production of safe and healthy foods is a need indeed. In this regard, horticulture plays a major role in producing foods of nutritional security today.

Hence, the Department of Horticulture, with the mission “Horticulture as a major discipline for today food and nutritional security and horticulturists as safe and healthy food producers and nature maintainers”, is targeting to fulfill the following missions:

• To produce graduates well equipped with theoretical and technical expertise
• To provide production technology of clean horticultural crops of high nutritive and economic value
• To participate in preserving the nature and beautifying the world using plants and flowers

In implementing the above-mentioned missions, the department goes in line with university’s education policies laid down by the state.

To disseminate agricultural technology, teaching (theory and practices), demonstration plots, research works and extension services have been being implemented.

1. Teaching

Horticulture subject, with a credit system, was started to offer for first year student as of 2017-18 academic years. The department offers the following subjects for second year, third year and fourth year students:

1. Vegetable science
2. Fruit science
3. Floriculture
4. Postharvest physiology and technology
5. Food science

Besides horticulture subjects, the following courses on agricultural biotechnology are also offered:

1. Plant tissue culture
2. Laboratory design and management
3. Basic molecular biology

2. Field and laboratory practices

The department trained the students individually or by group in growing fruits and vegetables in the university farm lands in order to expose them with hands-on experiences in the fields.

Crops grown during 2017-2018 fiscal year were

1. Tomato
2. Cauliflower
3. Cabbage
4. Mustard
5. Sweet corn
6. Groundnut and
7. Vegetable soybean.

Practical works on biochar making and desuckering in banana were carried out with second year students. Protocols for plant tissue culture, molecular marker technology, DNA extraction and measurements are learned and performed practically in the laboratory by students.

Biochar making	Desuckering in banana
Laboratory practices on plant tissue culture	Laboratory practices on plant tissue culture

3. Demonstration plots
The following demonstration plots were conducted with the purpose for the greening of university compound and to demonstrate the cultivation techniques to students and farmers from neighboring villages.

1. Second year students’ vegetable demonstration plots
2. Fourth year students’ paddy seed production demonstration plots
3. Sweet corn demonstration plots
4. Groundnut demonstration plots

Sweet corn demonstration plot	Groundnut demonstration plot
Tomato demonstration plot	Mustard demonstration plot

4. Research works
In order to transform the university’s visions into reality, the department is conducting field and laboratory researches in line with the university’ policies and instructions. A field trial on effects of different fertilizers application on quality and yield of cabbage and cauliflower was conducted by undergraduate students in collaboration with Yara International Company.

Cabbage harvesting	Data collection
Cauliflower harvesting	Leaf area measurement

5. Extension services

The department is arranging the agriculture technology training jointly organized by international universities and organizations for university students and staff from other departments. During 2017-2018 fiscal years, training on “Project for Human Resource Development in Food Related Areas through Partnership with Universities in ASEAN Region (MAFF, Japan)” could be opened.

6. Capacity building and study trips

As a capacity building program, training on laboratory equipment and machines was conducted for faculties and laboratory staff. Trips to coffee plantations at ThanDaungGyi Region, horticultural crop production at the department of agricultural research (Yezin) and GAP farm at Pyinmana were made to study commercial crop production by farmers and research and extension service activities of government farms.