Advances in Vegetable Science and Smart Technologies

Vegetable crops are fundamental to global food and nutritional security, providing essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, dietary fibre and bioactive compounds. However, vegetable production is increasingly challenged by climate variability, water scarcity, soil degradation, emerging pests and diseases, rising production costs, labour shortages and the need to produce safe and nutritious food with fewer environmental impacts. Addressing these challenges requires a transition from conventional production systems toward knowledge-intensive, resource-efficient and technology-enabled vegetable production.

The book Advances in Vegetable Science and Smart Technologies brings together recent developments in vegetable science and emerging technologies that are reshaping the production, protection, quality management and value addition of vegetable crops. It provides a comprehensive perspective on how advances in genetics, breeding, physiology, biotechnology, precision agriculture, artificial intelligence, remote sensing, Internet of Things, automation and digital decision-support systems can contribute to sustainable and profitable vegetable production. Particular emphasis is placed on modern approaches for crop improvement, including molecular breeding, genomics, genome editing, high-throughput phenotyping and speed breeding. The book also explores smart approaches to crop nutrition, irrigation, protected cultivation, pest and disease management, and postharvest handling. Technologies such as sensors, drones, robotics, computer vision, machine learning and AI-enabled decision-support systems are discussed in the context of real-time monitoring and site-specific management.

Beyond technological advancement, the book recognizes that successful innovation must be economically viable, environmentally responsible and accessible to farmers. Therefore, attention is also given to resource-use efficiency, climate-smart production, digital agriculture, smart greenhouse systems, soil and water management, food quality and sustainable value chains. The integration of traditional scientific knowledge with emerging digital technologies offers considerable opportunities to improve productivity while reducing resource consumption and production risks. This book is intended for students, researchers, teachers, agricultural professionals, extension workers, policymakers and progressive farmers seeking an updated understanding of contemporary vegetable science and smart technologies. It is also expected to serve as a useful reference for researchers working at the interface of horticulture, plant science, biotechnology, precision agriculture and digital agriculture. The future of vegetable production will depend not simply on producing more vegetables, but on producing better-quality food with greater precision, efficiency, resilience and sustainability. It is hoped that this book will contribute to that transition by bringing together scientific advances and practical technological perspectives, while inspiring further research and innovation for the next generation of vegetable production systems.