Utilization of Exotic Introductions for Crop Improvement in Vegetables

Abstract

India has made a significant progress in vegetable production in last three decades. It is the second largest vegetable producer next to China. It ranks first in cauliflower production, second in onion and third in cabbage. NBPGR has made significant contribution towards introduction of vegetable germplasm with greater potential value. Exotic germplasm of different temperate, tropical and sub-tropical crops have been introduced by NBPGR from 40 countries. Moreover exotic introductions played an important role in the development of improved varieties in vegetable crops. Introduction in the form of wild species, breeding lines, primitive cultivars as well as commercial varieties have resulted in the development of indigenous varieties in introduced crops like tomato, chilli, capsicum, cauliflower, cabbage, carrot, turnip, pea (Chadha and Kalloo, 1993).