Classification of
Crops
RJGRosales
CAFSD-MMSU
Crop Science
concerned with the observation and
classification of knowledge concerning
economically cultivated crops and the
establishment of verifiable principles
regarding their growth and development
for the purpose of deriving the optimum
benefit from them.
Agronomy
derives from the Greek word “agros” meaning
field and “nomos” meaning to manage
thus agronomy deals with the principles and
practices of managing field crops and soils
Horticulture
derives from the Latin words “hortus”, which means a
garden (a term derived from the Anglo-saxon word
“grydan” which means to enclose), and “colere” to
cultivate.
concept of gardens or plants within an enclosure is
distinct from the culture of field crops, a medieval
concept.
also implies a more intensive cultivation of crops as
contrasted from the extensive cultivation of field
crops.
Importance of Classifying Crops
1. For order and it would be similarly difficult to find
organization information about a certain
organism if organisms are not
grouped based on similarities.
common names are not adequate
because common names vary from
country to country, even from region
2. Logical naming to region; classification of plants led
to the introduction of the so-called
binomial nomenclature
Carolus Linnaeus (Swedish scientist)
in the 18th century whereby a plant is
given a two-word Latin name.
Carolus Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus, also
known as Carl von
Linné or Carolus
Linnaeus, and Swedish
botanist, naturalist,
physician and zoologist
he was the first person to lay down the principles to
determine the natural genera and species of organisms,
and to form a uniform system for naming them (also
known as binomial nomenclature)
Linnaeus is considered to be the founding father of
modern taxonomy as well as ecology
Binomial Nomenclature
the system of nomenclature in which two terms are
used to denote a species of living organism, the
first one indicating the genus and the second the
specific epithet (in biology)
it is a system of nomenclature in which each
species of animal or plant receives a name of two
terms of which the first identifies the genus to
which it belongs and the second the species itself
(Merriam Dictionary)
Based on Scientific Name
botanical names are not only convenient in
communicating about plants
they are also useful in plant identification because they
can often tell you something which should be obvious
about the plant being referred to
the Latin names may describe the plant’s growth habit,
color, texture, size, or other characteristics
this system of classifying plants or crops utilizes
7 categories (Kingdom, Division, Class, Order,
family, genus, and Specie); in many instances,
an additional category (variety) is needed.
Bases for Classification
Based on structure and size
Aristotle classified crops based on their structure
and size. Example is herbs, shrubs, and trees.
Bases for Classification
Based on structure
Linnaeus classified plants based on structure
only. Examples, different species with similar
structural features were classified together in a
broader group.
Bases for Classification
Based on phylogeny
In modern classification of plants is based on
phylogeny (i.e., the evolution of plants)
therefore relies largely on evolutionary relationships,
thus modern genetics has become a very important tool
of taxonomy; modern classification of plants/crops –
plant characters such as size, shape, color, flower
characteristics and kind of food reserves.
Bases for Classification
Horticultural
Agronomic Classification
Classification
Mainly the use or Based on cultural
purpose for growing the requirement and the
crop regardless of scale ultimate use of the crop,
of production within each group
subgroupings are
created based on nature,
culture, use and growth
habit of the plants.
Agronomic Classification
cereals (rice, corn, wheat, oats, rye, barley)
legumes (mungbean, peanut, soybean)
root crops (sweet potato, cassava)
annual fiber crops (cotton, jute, kenaf)
Agronomic Classification
industrial crops (sugarcane, tobacco, sweet
sorghum, sugarbeet)
special-purpose crops (green manure crops,
cover crops)
pasture crops (Napier crops, paragrass,
Stylosanthes sp.)
oil crops (soybean, coconut).
Horticultural Classification
group has about 7 subgroups (leafy vegetables,
cole or crucifers, root and bulb crops, legumes or
pulses, solanaceous crops, cucurbits, tree
vegetables)
fruit crop have subgroups (tree fruits, nut fruits,
small fruits)
plantation crops are sub-grouped (oil crops, fiber
crops, beverage crops, spices, condiments and
essences, latexes and resins, medicinal and
botanical pesticides)
Based on Growth Habit
refers to the genetic tendency of a plant to grow in a certain shape and
to attain a certain mature height and spread
Vine - have a climbing, Herb - succulent plants
clasping, or self- with self-supporting
clinging growth habit stems
Based on Growth Habit
refers to the genetic tendency of a plant to grow in a certain shape and
to attain a certain mature height and spread
Shrub - typically have Tree - typically have
multiple-branches from the a single trunk and
ground and a mature height mature height over 12
less than 12 feet. feet
Based on Habitat
Where they live and grows
Epiphyte
Terrestrial Grows on another plant but
land not parasitic
Aquatic
Aquatic
environments
Based on Life Cycle
how crop will live
Epiphyte
Terrestrial Grows on another plant but
land not parasitic
Aquatic
Aquatic
environments
AGRONOMIC AND HORTICULTURAL
CLASSIFICATIONS
AGRONOMIC CLASSIFICATIONS
Agronomic
Special Purpose
Classification
Cereals Green manure legumes
Seed legumes (pulses) Silage
Forage Green crop
Fiber Catch/emergency crop
Drug and beverage Cover crop
Sugar Supplement crop
Oil Companion crop
AGRONOMIC
CLASSIFICATIONS
CEREALS
RICE CORN BARLEY
OATS RYE WHEAT
AGRONOMIC
CLASSIFICATIONS
SEED LEGUMES (PULSES)
MUNGBEAN SOYBEAN PIGEON PEA
LIMA BEAN
AGRONOMIC
CLASSIFICATIONS
FIBER
COTTON ABACA
PINEAPPLE
AGRONOMIC
CLASSIFICATIONS
BEVERAGE
TEA COFFEE
CACAO
AGRONOMIC
CLASSIFICATIONS
SUGAR
SWEET
SUGARCANE SORGHUM
STEVIA SUGAR BEET
Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni Beta vulgaris
AGRONOMIC
CLASSIFICATIONS
OIL
PALM
SUNFLOWER SOYBEAN
CANOLA
Brassica napus
HORTICULTURAL
CLASSIFICATIONS
VEGETABLES
crops usually grown for culinary purposes
VEGETABLE CROP
Leafy Pechay, kangkong, mustard, malunggay
Cole crop or Cabbage, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower,
crucifers broccoli
Root and bulb Sweet potato, Irish potato, onions, garlic
Legumes or pulses Sitao, bush sitao, pole sitao
Solanaceous Eggplant, pepper, tomato
Cucurbits Cucumber, muskmelon, watermelon,
squash, ampalaya, upo
IRISH POTATO SWEET POTATO
MUSKMELON
HORTICULTURAL
CLASSIFICATIONS
PLANTATION CROPS
loosely defined as crops, usually perennial and require
minor changes in the structure of the product (primary
processing) before utilization
PLANTATION CROP
Oil crops Coconut, African oil palm, castor bean
Beverage Coffee, cacao
Spice Black pepper, vanilla
Fiber crops Abaca, buri, kapok, cotton, maguey,
ramie, kenaf
Medicinal crops Tsaang-gubat, niyog-niyogan,
sambong
Latex or resin Pili, rubber, almaciga
PLANTATION CROPS
TSAANG-GUBAT CASTOR BEAN
BURI KAPOK SAMBONG
Corypha Ceiba pentandra Blumea balsamifera
HORTICULTURAL
CLASSIFICATIONS
PLANTATION CROPS
RAMIE KENAF
(Boehmeria nivea) (Hibiscus cannabinus)
ALMACIGA
(Agathis philippinensis)
HORTICULTURAL
CLASSIFICATIONS
FRUITS
consists of those tissues which support the ovules of a plant -
-- whose development is dependent upon physiological
changes occurring in these ovules
FRUIT CROP
Tree (borne on trees) Mango, durian, lanzones, santol, rimas,
jackfruit
Nut (borne on trees Pili, cashew
which are enclosed by
structure)
Small (not borne on Strawberry, grapes, passion fruit
trees)
FRUITS
BREADFRUIT PASSION FRUIT
(Artocarpus altilis) (Passiflora edulis)
Major Fruit Types
Simple Fruit
Aggregate Fruit
Multiple Fruit
Fruit Type Description Crop
Simple A single ovary from a single tomato, grape,
fruits flower papaya,
pomegranate, guava
Aggregate A cluster or aggregation of Blackberry,
fruits many ripened ovaries raspberry,
(fruits) produced from a strawberry, sugar
single flower apple, cherimoya,
From a single flower with custard apple,
several to many pistils soursop
Multiple a cluster of many ripened Mulberry,
fruits ovaries (fruits) produced by pineapple,
the coalescence of many breadfruit, jackfruit,
flowers crowded together in fig
the same inflorescence,
typically surrounding a
fleshy stem axis.
when both type of flowers
occur in same plant –
There are four whorls in a flower: monoecious,
they occur in different
1. The calyx is made up of sepals. plants - dioecious
2. The corolla is made up of petals.
3. The androecium is made up of stamens.
4. The gynoecium is made up of carpels.
Stamen Pistil
Androecium Carpel
the third and Gynoecium
male whorl of from Ancient
the flower Greek gyne,
"woman"
Calyx Corolla
Older term
thalamus or Parts of a Flower
torus
Source: [Link]
Simple Fruits
1. Fleshy fruits – all of most of the ovary wall
(pericarp) is soft or fleshy at maturity
berry, pepo, hesperidium, drupe, pome
2. Dry fruits – pericarp dry at maturity
dehiscent dry fruits (legume, silique,
capsule, follicle) indehiscent dry fruits
(achene, anthocarp, grain or caryopsis,
schizocarp, samara, nut [acorn, chestnut,
hazelnut, walnut, utricle])
Fleshy Fruit: Berry
entire pericarp is fleshy, although skin is
sometimes tough; may be one or many seeded
tomato, papaya, grape,
persimmon, guava,
banana, avocado
Fleshy Fruit: Pepo
berry with a hard thick rind; typical fruit of the
gourd family (Cucuribitaceae)
cucumber, watermelon,
squash, pumpkin,
cantaloupe
Fleshy Fruit: Hesperidium
berry with a leathery rind and parchment-like
partitions between sections; typical fruit of the
citrus family (Rutaceae)
orange, lemon,
grapefruit,
kumquat, tangelo
kumquat
tangelo
Fleshy Fruit: Drupe
fleshy fruit with hard inner layer (endocarp or
stone) surrounding the seed
peach, plum,, apricot,
cherry, olive, mango,
almond
Dry Fruit: Legume
an elongate “bean pod” splitting along two
seams; typical fruit of the third largest plant
family (Leguminosae or Fabaceae)
pea pod
Dry Fruit: Silique
a slender, dry, dehiscent fruit that superficially
resemble as legume
Brassicaceae,
cabbage, turnip
Dry Fruit: Capsule
seed pod splits open is various ways and
usually along several definite seams;
examples: kapok, castor bean
Floss silk tree Castor bean
Ceiba speciosa
Dry Fruit: Capsule
single ripened ovary (representing a single
modified leaf or carpel) that splits open along
one seam
milkweed pod (may
occur in single or in
lcusters)
Indehiscent Dry Fruit: Achene
very small, one-seeded fruit usually produced
in clusters; at maturity the pericarp is dry and
free from the internal seed, except at the
placental attachment; from largest plant family
(Asteraceae or Compositae)
sunflower Sycamore
Platanus occidentalis
Indehiscent Dry Fruit: Anthocarp
individual apetalous flowers ( no petals) have a
tubular, petaloid calyx that resembles a
sympetalous (one can distinguish different
parts: the floral tube, the throat, and the lobes)
corolla
Pisonia
Pisonia spp
Indehiscent Dry Fruit: Caryopsis
a very small, one-seede, indehiscent fruit in
which the actual seed coat is completely fused
to the ovary wall or pericarp
the outer pericarp layer or husk is referred to
as the bran, while the inner, seed layer is germ
rice, corn, rye,
amaranth, sorghum,
oat, wheat, Bermuda
grass, barley
Indehiscent Dry Fruit: Samara
small, winged, one-seeded fruit usually
produced in clusters on trees
Maple
(Acer)
Elm
(Ulmus)
Indehiscent Dry Fruit: Nut
larger, one-seeded fruit with very hard
pericarp, usually enclosed in a husk or cup-
like involucre
Acorn of Oak (Quercus) – actual nut sits in
cup-shaped involucre of imbricate
(overlapping) scales
Chestnut (Castanea) - one or more nuts sits in a
spiny, cup-shaped involucre
Indehiscent Dry Fruit: Nut
Filbert or hazelnut
(Corylus maxima) –
nut sits in a leafy or
tubular involucre
Walnut (Juglans)
Indehiscent Dry Fruit: Nut
World’s smallest
flowering plant
Utricle – small, bladderlike, thin-
walled, one-seeded, indehiscent
fruit
HORTICULTURAL
CLASSIFICATIONS
ORNAMENTALS
Include all plants that are used for their aesthetic qualities or
for decorative purposes
CATEGORY CROP
Cutflowers Rose, chrysanthemum, anthurium, gladiolus,
carnation
Flowering pot plants Roses especially miniature type
Foliage (both potted Fern, asparagus, cordyline, palmera,
and as cut foliage) pepperomia, deiffenbachia, aglaonema, etc.
Landscape plants Usually consisting of trees (flowering and
evergreens) and shrubs
Turf grass Lawn grass as well as other species used in
recreational areas
SPECIAL PURPOSE CLASSIFICATION
Green manure crop – a crop that is plowed
under while still green and growing to improve
the soil. e.g. sesbania.
Cover crops – a close growing crop grown
primarily for the purpose of protecting or
improving soil between periods or regular crop
production or between trees and vines, orchards
and vineyards, e.g. centrosema.
Companion crops – a crop sown with another
crop and harvested separately. Small-grain cereal
crops are often sown with forage crops (grasses or
legumes) and harvested in the early summer,
allowing the forage crop to continue to grow. Ipil-
ipil is planted with black pepper.
Trap crop – a crop which is
planted to protect the main
crop from pests. E.g. cassava,
ipil-ipil.
Catch crop – short-
seasoned crops grown
immediately after the
failure of the main crop to
utilize residual resources.
[Link], mustard.
Soilage crops – grasses that
are grown cut and directly
fed to animals.
Silage – grasses grown, cut
and fermented and
preserved before being fed
to animals.
REFERENCES
Rosales, R. 2017. Lecture on Pomology and Orchard
Management. CAFSD-MMSU
Sta. Cruz, P. and B. M. Salazar. ____. Crop Science.
College of Agriculture-Crop Science Cluster. UPLB
[Link]
[Link]