CLASSIFICATION OF CROPS

IMPORTANCE
• To get acquainted with crops.
• To understand the requirement of soil & water different crops.
• To know the growing habit of crops.
• To understand climatic requirement of different crops.
• To know the economic produce of the crop plant & its use.
• To know the growing season of the crop
Overall to know the actual condition required
to the cultivation of plant.
CLASSIFICATION
• According to range of cultivation
• According to the place of origin
• Botanical classification
• Commercial classification
• Economic/Agricultural/Agrarian classification
• Seasonal classification
• Classification based on ontogeny
• According to cultural requirement
• According to important uses
Range of Cultivation
• Garden crop –
• Grown on a small scale in gardens. e.g., Onion, Brinjal
etc.
• Plantation crop –
• Grown on a large scale in estates and perennial in
nature. e.g., Tea, Coffee, Cacao, Rubber etc.
• Field crop –
• Grown on a vast scale under field condition. They are
mostly seasonal such as rice, wheat, cotton etc.
Place of Origin
• Native –
• Crops grown within the geographical limits of their
origin, for e.g., rice, barely, black gram, green gram,
mustard, castor, sugarcane and cotton, grown in
India, are native to India.
• Exotic or Introduced –
• Crops introduced from other countries, such as
tobacco, potato, jute, maize, apple, etc
 Botanical Classification
(a) Poaceae (Graminae): Cereals, millets and grasses
(b) Papilionaceae (Legumes): Pulses, legume fodders, vegetables,
groundnut, berseem, green manures etc.
(c) Cruciferae: Mustard, Indian rape seed, radish cabbage, cauliflower
etc.
(d) Cucurbitaceae: All gourds, cucumber, pumpkin etc.
(e) Malvaceae: Cotton, lady’s finger, Roselle etc.
(f) Solanaceae: Potato, tomato, tobacco, chillies, brinjal
(g) Tiliaceae: Jute
(h) Asteraceae (Compositae): Sunflower, safflower, niger
(i) Chenopodiaceae: Spinach, sugar beet
(j) Pedeliaceae: Sesame
(k) Euphorbiaceae: Castor, tapioca
(l) Convolvulaceae: Sweet potato
(m) Umbelliferae: Coriander, cumin, carrot, anise
(n) Liliaceae: Onion, garlic
(o) Zingiberaceae: Ginger, turmeric
Commercial Classification
• Food crops:
• Which provide food for human consumption,
• cultivated by man by agriculture.
• they mainly constitute of Cereals, Legumes, vegetables, tubers
and fruits. Rice, wheat, green gram, soybean, groundnut, etc.
• Food crops/Forage crops:
• Forage crops are crops grown specifically to be grazed by
livestock or conserved as hay or silage
• All fodders, oats, sorghum, maize, napier grass, Lucerne(Alfalfa )
etc.
Commercial Classification
• Industrial/Commercial crops:
• A commercial crop is an agricultural crop which is grown for
sale to return a profit.
• Cotton, sugarcane, sugar beet, tobacco, jute, etc.
• Food adjuvant:
• Turmeric, garlic, cumin, etc.
Economic/Agricultural/Agrarian Classification

(a) Cereals - They are cultivated grasses grown for their edible starchy
grains (one seeded fruit–caryopsis). Larger grains used as staple food are
cereals– rice, wheat, maize, barley, oats etc. The word cereal was derived
from the word ceres, which denotes a goddess who was believed as the
giver of grains by Romans. e.g. rice, wheat, maize, barley and oats
(b) Millets - Small grained cereals, which form the staple food in drier
regions of the developing countries, are called millets. e.g.
Major - Sorghum, pearl Millet or cumbu and finger millet or ragi.
Minor - Fox tail millet, little millet, common millet, barnyard millet and
kodomillet
(c) Oil seeds - Crops that yield seeds rich in fatty acids, are used to extract
vegetable oils. e.g., groundnut or peanut, sesamum or gingelly, sunflower,
castor, linseed or flax, niger, safflower, mustard and cotton.
(d) Pulses - Seeds of leguminous plants used as food. They produce dal rich in
protein. e.g., red gram, black gram, green gram, cowpea, bengal gram,
horse gram, dew gram, soybean, peas or garden pea and garden-bean.
(e) Feed/Forage - It refers to vegetative matter, fresh or preserved, utilized as
feed for animals. It includes hay, silage, pasturage and fodder. e.g., bajra
napier grass, guinea grass, fodder-sorghum, fodder-maize, lucerne,
desmanthus, etc.
(f) Fibre crops - Plants grown for their fibre yield. There are different kinds of
fibre. They are: (i) seed fibre–cotton, (ii) stem fibre-jute, mesta, (iii) leaf
fibre–agave, pineapple.
(g) Sugar and starch crops - Crops grown for production of sugar and starch.
e.g., sugarcane, sugar beet, potato, sweet potato, tapioca and asparagus.
(h) Spices and condiments - Crop plants or their products used to season,
flavour, taste, and add colour to the fresh or preserved food. e.g., ginger, garlic,
fenugreek, cumin, turmeric, chillies, onion, coriander, anise and asafetida.
(i) Drug crops/medicinal plants - Crops used for preparation of medicines.
e.g., tobacco, mint etc.
(j) Narcotics, fumitories and masticatories - Plants/products used for
stimulating, numbing, drowsing or relishing effects. e.g., tobacco, ganja, opium
poppy.
(k) Beverages - Products of crops used for preparation of mild, agreeable and
stimulating drinking. e.g., tea, coffee, cocoa.
Seasonal Classification
• Kharif or South West Monsoon season crops –
• Grown during June–July to September– October,
• which require a warm wet weather during their major period of growth and
shorter day length for flowering. e.g., rice, maize, castor and groundnut.
• Rabi crops/post monsoon crops –
• Crops grown during October–November to January–February,
• require cold dry weather for their major growth period and longer day
length for flowering. e.g., wheat, mustard, barley, oats, potato, Bengal
gram, berseem, cabbage and cauliflower.
• Zaid or summer crops –
• Crops grown during February–March to May–June
• which requires warm dry weather for growth and longer day–length for
flowering. e.g., green gram, sesame, cowpea etc
According to Ontogeny
• Ontogeny
Ontogeny is about the development of an individual.
Phylogeny is about the evolutionary history of a population, and
how it is related to others
• Annual crops –
• Crop plants that complete life cycle within a season or year.
They produce seed and die within the season. e.g., wheat, rice,
maize, mustard
Ontogeny
• Biennial crops –
• Plants that have life span of two consecutive seasons or years.
• First year/Season these plants have purely vegetative growth usually
confined to rosette of leaves.
• The tap root is often fleshy and serves as a food storage organ.
• During the second year/season they produce flower stocks from the crown
and after producing seeds the plants die.
• e.g., onion, cauliflower, sugar beet, beet root, cabbage, radish, carrot, etc.
• Perennial crops –
• They live for three or more years. They may be seed bearing or non-seed
bearing. e.g., sugarcane, napier grass.
• In general perennial crops occupy land for more than 30 months.
Cultural Requirement of Crops
• Certain group of plants is alike in cultural requirements due to their
similar agro-botanical or morpho agronomical characters.
• Source of water
• Irrigated crops –
• The crop cultivation primarily depends upon the irrigation water
for a part/ entire growth period of the crop.
• All crops irrespective seasons are possible to be raised in this
category.
• Rainfed crops –
• The crop cultivation entirely depends upon the rainfall received.
Crop varieties depend upon the season and the rainfall pattern
• Maize, millet, sorgum in in sub-Saharan Africa
Suitability of Toposequence
• Crops grown on upland –
• Leveled elevated land with drain all around or unbunded levelled land
with drains or drops. Crops that cannot tolerant water stagnation come
under this group.
• e.g., red gram, groundnut, maize, sorghum, cotton, sesame, napier etc.
Crops that require sufficient soil moisture but cannot tolerate water
stagnation. e.g., Potato, sugarcane, upland rice, ragi, wheat, black
gram, Bengal gram.
• Crops grown on lowland –
• These lands are provided with dikes or bunds all around to stagnate
water. Crops that require abundant supply of water and can withstand
prolonged water logged conditions. e.g., rice, Para grass and jute.
• Moisture Availability the soil
• Wet lands –
• The soil moisture is allowed to occupy both macro and microspores. Anaerobic
field condition prevails here. Crops suitable are those crops, which tolerate
water stagnation. e.g., green manures like sesbania group, grasses etc.
• Dry lands –
• The soil moisture is allowed only on to microspores. Macro pores are filled
with air. Magnitude of soil moisture varies according to the crop.
• Crops tolerant to drought and temporary stagnation, sorghum are cultivated
in this type of field condition
Textural groups of soils
• Crops suitable to sandy to sandy loam (light) soils –
• Sorghum, green gram, sunflower, potato, onion, carrot etc.

• Crops suitable to silty loam (medium) soils –

• Jute, sugarcane, maize, cotton, mustard, tobacco,, cowpea, etc.

• Crop suitable to clay loam (heavy) soils –

• Rice, wheat, barley, linseed, lentil, grass, marvel grass etc.
Based on Crops Growing Soil Condition
• Psammophytes (Sandy soil) : castor
• Lithophytes (Rock surface) : ferns
• Chasmophytes (Rock crack) : potato
• Acedophytes (Acid soil) : potato
• Basophytes (Alkali soil) : rice
• Calciphytes (Lime soil) : asparagus
• Halophytes (salt soil) : sugar beet, alfalfa
According to tillage requirement
• Arable crops –
• Require preparatory tillage. e.g., Potato, tobacco, rice, maize.

• Non-arable crops –
• May not require preparatory cultivation/tillage. e.g., para grass.
According to the depth of root system
• Shallow rooted crops –
• Rice, potato, and onion.

• Moderately deep rooted –

• Wheat, groundnut, castor, and tobacco.

• Deep rooted –
• Maize, cotton, and sorghum.

• Very deep rooted –

• Sugarcane, safflower, red gram.
According to the tolerance to hazardous
weather condition
• Frost tolerant –
• Sugar beet, beet root.

• Cold tolerant –
• Potato, cabbage, and mustard.

• Drought tolerant –
• Bajra, sorghum, barley, safflower, castor.
According to method of sowing/planting
• Direct seeded crop –
• Where the seeds are sown directly either dry or sprouted.
• upland rice, wheat, jowar, bajra, groundnut etc.

• Planted crops –
• Where plant parts are planted directly.
• Sugarcane, potato, sweet potato, Guinea grass.

• Transplanted crops –
• Where seedlings are raised in the nursery, pulled out and planted in the
field
• Rice, tomatoes, peppers, brinjal.
According to inter-tillage requirement

• Inter-tilled crops –
• Potato, sweet potato, groundnut, maize, sugarcane, and turmeric.

• Non-inter-tilled crops –
• Fodder sorghum, deenanath grass, para grass etc.
According to length of field duration of
crops
• Very short duration crops (upto 75 days) : pulses
• Short duration crops (75–100 days) : sunflower, cauliflower, upland rice
• Medium duration crops (100–125 days ) : wheat, jowar, bajra, groundnut,
sesame, jute
• Long duration crops (125–150 days) : mustard, tobacco, cotton
• Very long duration crops: above 150 days : sugarcane, red gram, castor
According to the method of harvesting
• Reaping : rice, wheat,
• Uprooting by pulling : bengal gram, black gram, lentil, rapeseed
• Uprooting by digging : potato, sweet potato, groundnut, carrot etc
• Picking : cotton, vegetables, brinjal, bhendi, chillies
• Priming : tobacco
• Cutting : berseem, napier, amaranthus
• Grazing : para grass, kolukkattai grass, and stylo
According to Post Harvest Requirement
• Curing : tobacco, mustard
• Stripping : jute, sunnhemp
• Shelling : groundnut
• Ginning : cotton
• Seasoning : turmeric, chillies
• Grading and sorting : potato, rice, wheat, fiber crops etc.
Based on Climatic Condition
• Tropical crop : coconut, sugarcane
• Sub-tropical crop : rice, cotton
• Temperate crop : wheat, barley
• Polar crop : all pines, pasture grasses
 According to Important Uses
• Catch crops/contingent crops
• Those crops cultivated to catch the forth coming season.
• It replaces the main crop that has failed due to biotic or climatic or management hazards.
• Generally, they are of very short duration, quick growing, harvestable or usable at any time of their
field duration and adaptable to the season, soil and management practices.
• They provide feed, check weed growth, conserve soil, utilized added fertilizer and moisture. e.g., black
gram, cowpea, onion, coriander and bajra.

• Restorative crops
• Those crops, which provide a good yield along with enrichment or restoration of soil fertility
or amelioration of the soils.
• They fix atmospheric nitrogen in root nodules, shed their leaves during ripening and thus
restore soil conditions. e.g., legumes, alfalfa, clover
According to Important Uses
• Exhaustive crops
• Those crop plants, which on growing leave the field exhausted because of a
more aggressive nature.
• e.g., gingelly, brinjal, linseed, sunflower etc.

• Paira crop/residual crops

• Those crop plants which are sown a few days or weeks before the harvest of the
standing mature crops to utilize the residual moisture, without preparatory
tillage.
• e.g cultivation of pulses (lentil, chickpea etc.) in the paddy fields to conserve
moisture.
According to Important Uses
• Smother crops
• The word ‘smother’ means ‘to kill’. These crops are called so because of their
ability to check weed growth because of their quick growth, dense foliage and
heavy tillering or trailing habit
• e.g cowpea, mustard and barley.
• Cover crops
• Those crop plants, which are able to protect the soil surface from erosion
(wind, water or both) through their ground
• e.g groundnuts, chickpea and sweet potato.
According to Important Uses
• Nurse crops:
• A companion crop, which nourishes the main crop by way of nitrogen fixation
and or adding the organic matter into the soil.
• e.g., cowpea intercropped with cereals, tephrosia in tea.
• Guard/barrier crops
• Those crop plants, which help to protect another crop from trespassing or
restrict the speed of wind and thus prevent crop damage. Main crop in the
centre surrounded by hardy or thorny crop.
• e.g., mesta around sugarcane; sorghum around cotton; safflower around
gram.
According to Important Uses
• Trap crops
• Those crop plants grown to trap soil borne harmful parasitic weeds, pests and
nematodes.
• e.g., Nematodes are trapped by solanaceous crops (On uprooting crop plants,
nematodes are removed from the soil). Castor in cotton, groundnut act as crop
for army worm pest.
• Augmenting crops
• Those sub crops sown to supplement the yield of the main crop. e.g., Mustard
or cabbage with berseem to augment the forage yield of berseem
According to Important Uses
• Alley crops
• Those arable crops, which are grown in ‘alleys’ formed by trees or shrubs,
established mainly to hasten soil fertility restoration, enhance soil productivity
and reduce soil erosion.
• They are generally of non-trailing with shade tolerance capacity. For e.g.,
chestnut in sunflower.
 CROP ADAPTATION AND DISTRIBUTION
• Adaptation
• Adaptation may be defined as any feature of an organism, which has survival value under the
existing condition of its habitat.
• Such features or feature may allow the plants to make fuller use of nutrients, water,
temperature or light available or may give protection against adverse factors such as
temperature extremes, harmful insects and diseases.
• Adaptation may be morphological or physiological.
• Morphological adaptation
• such as growth habit, strength of stalk, rhizomes.

• Physiological adaptation
• which result in resistance to parasites, greater ability to compete for nutrients or ability to
withstand desiccation.
 Principles of Plant Distribution
These are principles of plant distribution
• Evolution
• Climatic factors like light, temperature, moisture, wind etc.
• Edaphic factors like soil, parent material, physiographic
• Dispersal of flora
• Plant migrations
• Relative distributions of land and sea (occurrence in geological time) and it exerts a high
degree of control over distribution of flora
• Biotic factors like obligate insect pollination, seed