In agricultural research, the challenge is rarely the generation of knowledge—it is ensuring that knowledge circulates freely, affordably, and sustainably. Subscription barriers, APCs, and restrictive publishing models continue to distance research from researchers, practitioners, and farmers. At ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (ICAR-IIHR), one scholarly society has demonstrated that rigour and openness are not opposing forces.
The Society for Promotion of Horticulture (SPH) has steadily emerged as a credible exemplar of Diamond Open Access, proving that high-quality horticultural science can be published, preserved, and shared globally—without charging authors or readers.
The Journal of Horticultural Sciences: Excellence Without Barriers
Since its launch in June 2006, the Journal of Horticultural Sciences (JHS) has been the flagship publication of SPH. Published biannually, JHS is a fully realised Global Diamond Open Access journal, grounded in academic stewardship rather than commercial imperatives.
What “Diamond” means at JHS:
- Free to read – no subscriptions or paywalls
- Free to publish – no article processing charges
- Ethical reuse – content licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, supporting sharing and adaptation for public benefit
This is not an experimental model. It is a stable, long-standing publishing practice aligned with the realities of publicly funded agricultural research.
Global Visibility, Without Commercial Compromise
SPH recognises that openness without visibility is insufficient. JHS has therefore invested systematically in discoverability, standards, and preservation. Today, the journal is indexed across major national and international platforms, ensuring that research published through SPH reaches a truly global audience.
JHS is indexed in:
- Scopus
- Clarivate Web of Science – ESCI
- BIOSIS Previews & Biological Abstracts
- CABI, AGRICOLA, FSTA, EBSCO
- DOAJ, ROAD, Sherpa Romeo
- AmeliCA / Redalyc (Global South–led scholarly infrastructure)
In parallel, JHS has adopted AmeliCA XML workflows, strengthening metadata interoperability and long-term sustainability. All archival issues are preserved through Internet Archive Scholar, reinforcing SPH’s role as a custodian of the horticultural scholarly record.
Hosting the Global Conversation: Bengaluru 2026
SPH’s sustained commitment to community-governed, non-commercial publishing has naturally extended into global leadership. The Society is proud to be among the lead organising institutions of the 3rd Global Summit on Diamond Open Access, to be held in Bengaluru from 2–6 February 2026.
Under the theme “Collaboration for Equitable Digital Infrastructures and Knowledge Commons,” the Summit will convene researchers, policymakers, librarians, funders, and publishers to move beyond advocacy toward implementable Diamond OA pathways.
Collaborating and Supporting Institutions
The Summit is strengthened by the collective engagement of a wide network of national and international institutions committed to open, publicly governed knowledge systems.
National
- DST-CPR, IISc
- IndiaBioscience
- Open Access India
- UPES University, Dehradun
International
- Science Europe
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- AmeliCA/Redalyc
- COL-CEMCA
- CLACSO
- cOAlition S
- DOAJ
- OPERAS
- CEFIPRA
- DWIH New Delhi
- UOR
This breadth of collaboration underscores a shared recognition: Diamond Open Access is not a regional experiment, but a global necessity.
Beyond Publishing: Building a Knowledge Commons
By publishing JHS and hosting IndiaRxiv, SPH is doing more than managing platforms. It is building a knowledge commons—one that respects academic labour, preserves institutional sovereignty, and serves researchers, students, farmers, and policymakers alike.
In an era of accelerating commercialisation of scholarly communication, SPH offers a grounded, experience-based counterpoint:
Openness, quality, and sustainability can coexist—when communities remain in control.
The Society for Promotion of Horticulture stands not merely as a publisher or host, but as a long-term steward of a scholarly tradition where science serves society first.