The history of the Karnataka State Department of Horticulture can be traced back to as far as 1856, the time when Lalbagh was made a Government Botanical Garden, a wholly government establishment. However, the Department of Horticulture came into existence as an independent department only in 1963. Recognizing the role of Horticulture in the development of the state, the erstwhile Government of Mysore elevated the department to the status of a major department of the government in 1965. Karnataka is thus the first state in the country to have a separate Department of Horticulture. The pioneering efforts of Karnataka state in focussing on horticultural development is evident in the fact that the 'All India Horticultural Development Conference' held at Simla in 1966 passed a resolution to emulate the pattern of the Department of Horticulture in Mysore state throughout India. Today the Department of Horticulture is engaged in the overall development of Horticulture in the state and is striving hard to help the growers of horticultural crops in the state to achieve the fullest yield potential and to maximize profits.