Container culture is a cultivation technology in a confined space where the root system is kept in a limited volume of substrate. Such cultivation makes plants vulnerable to overheating, desiccation, and soil exhaustion, which requires the agronomist to have full control over nutrition and moisture.
When selecting varieties for such culture, the plant habit is of key importance: preference is given to compact, dwarf, or columnar forms, as well as varieties with a root system adapted to development in limited containers. For vegetable crops, an important trait is the ability to self-pollinate, and for ornamental crops, it is the type of branching suitable for hanging basket compositions.
Success of cultivation depends on the genetic resistance of the selected variety to diseases and pests, as the microclimate in a container is harder to control than in open ground. Plants must have high responsiveness to an intensive fertilization regime, and in the case of thermophilic species, good tolerance to moving indoors.