Vegetable cultivation in China has a very long history. Vegetable science was born at the beginning of the last century as an experimental science. From that time until the end of the 1940s, due to social unrest and the invasion of foreign enemies, the economy stagnated and people were in dire straits, making it even more difficult for the vegetable discipline to develop. After the early 1950s, with the recovery and development of the national economy, vegetable science also gained a new lease of life. Especially after the reform and opening up in the late 1970s, China's vegetable industry gradually took shape and developed vigorously. According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, the country's vegetable sown area reached 17.95 million hectares in 2003, with a total output of 540.32 million tons and a per capita annual share of 415 kilograms. The total vegetable output value ranked second after grain in the planting industry. In 2002, vegetable product exports Earning foreign exchange of 2.63 billion US dollars, it has become an important pillar industry for increasing agricultural income, making farmers rich, and agricultural products earning foreign exchange. The development of the vegetable industry has effectively laid a solid foundation for the development of vegetable science, making it quickly become a vital subject. At the same time, vegetable science has also played a major role in promoting the development of China's vegetable industry in theory and practice.

Vegetology is a discipline based on biology that studies the growth, development and genetic laws of vegetable crops. It also studies vegetable germplasm resources, genetic breeding, cultivation, pest and disease control, post-harvest processing, and storage. , processing and other comprehensive professional disciplines that apply technology and principles.