crop production 5

Chapter 4: Classifying and Naming Crops

Commitment to Reaffirmation

  • Acknowledgement of lands and nations to denote a commitment to action, relationships, respect, and reciprocity.

Chapter Outline

  • Agronomic crop categories

  • Bioenergy crops

  • Nutritional use categories

  • Medicinal and psychoactive crops

  • Toxic plants

  • Naming plants

Key Concepts

  • Crops are classified based on multiple criteria:

    • Agronomic use

    • Nutritional use

    • Life cycle

    • Adaptation

  • Four primary categories of crop classification:

    • Agronomic crops

    • Bioenergy crops

    • Nutritional crops

    • Medicinal crops

  • Plants have a scientific naming system that includes two-part names (binomial nomenclature).

  • Taxonomy is the method used to organize plants into categories based on shared characteristics.

Agronomy

  • Origin of the term:

    • Greek roots: "Agros" meaning field and "Nomos" meaning to manage.

  • Usage of field crops extends beyond food production; crops may serve multiple purposes, including:

    • Agronomic uses

    • Industrial applications

    • Nutritional benefits

Agronomic Crop Categories

  • Major categories include:

    • Cereal crops

    • Pseudocereals

    • Oilseeds

    • Pulses

    • Forages

    • Fiber crops

    • Root and tuber crops

    • Cover crops

    • Companion crops

    • Green manure crops

    • Recreational turf crops

    • Stimulant or beverage crops

    • Narcotic or medicinal crops

    • Sugar crops

Grain Crops

  • Definition: Plants harvested for seeds.

  • Types: Can be either grass or legume, including:

    • Corn

    • Soybeans

    • Field beans

    • Flax

    • Buckwheat

    • Wheat

    • Oat

    • Barley

    • Rye

  • Small grains specifically refer to:

    • Wheat, oat, barley, and rye.

Cereal Crops

  • Definition: Grasses producing edible grain.

  • Historical reference: Named for Ceres, the Roman goddess of grain.

  • Important examples include:

    • Wheat

    • Rice

    • Corn

    • Barley

    • Sorghum

  • Nutritional composition:

    • 75% starch

    • 12% protein

    • 2% fat

    • Vitamins and minerals.

Pseudocereal Crops

  • Definition: Non-grass plants producing seeds used similarly to cereals.

  • Examples:

    • Quinoa

    • Amaranth

    • Buckwheat

    • Chia

  • Unique characteristics:

    • Higher protein content (12-18%) than cereals.

    • Lipid levels ranging from 3-8%, with Chia having approximately 30% fat and rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

    • Higher fiber content and lower carbohydrates (40-65%).

    • Generally, higher nutrient density compared to cereals.

Oilseeds

  • Definition: Grown primarily for oil extraction, edible or industrial.

  • Typical oil content: 20-45%.

  • Example: Canada canola with an average oil content of 41-45% (8.5% moisture).

  • Cultivated crops include:

    • Canola

    • Sunflower

    • Flax

    • Mustard

    • Safflower

    • Camelina

    • Soybean

  • Applications range from food and feed to biofuels and industrial products.

Pulses

  • Definition: Leguminous crops grown for edible, high-protein seeds contained in pods.

  • Common examples:

    • Soybean

    • Edible field beans

    • Field peas

    • Lentils

    • Peanuts

    • Chickpeas

    • Cow peas

  • Nutritional composition:

    • One-third of their weight is protein; energy primarily stored as carbohydrate or oil.

Forages

  • Definition: Crops utilized for livestock feed.

  • Types of delivery:

    • Grazing directly from pastures.

    • Harvested as hay or silage.

  • Important characteristics:

    • Economic yield potential from less productive soils.

    • Predominantly perennial crops.

  • Common examples:

    • Alfalfa

    • Smooth brome

    • Crested wheatgrass.

Fiber Crops

  • Definition: Crops harvested for their fibrous material to create textiles, paper, etc.

  • Notable crops include:

    • Cotton (most widely used fiber crop)

    • Flax

    • Hemp

    • Ramie.

Root and Tuber Crops

  • Definition: Grown primarily for their underground storage organs rich in starch.

  • Leading examples:

    • Potato

    • Sweet potato

    • Cassava

    • Jerusalem artichoke.

  • Classification:

    • Potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes are categorized as tubers, while sweet potatoes and cassava qualify as enlarged roots.

Cover Crops

  • Purpose: Prevent soil erosion during off-season periods.

  • Characteristics:

    • In northern climates, winter cover crops are sown in the fall for soil protection through the winter.

    • Primarily grown for soil cover rather than for market harvest.

Companion Crops

  • Definition: Planted alongside another crop to enhance growth through mutual benefits.

  • Functions include:

    • Erosion control

    • Weed suppression

    • Generating supplementary income.

  • Example: Wheat or oat grown with alfalfa; can be harvested either as seed or greenfeed.

  • Sometimes referred to as nurse crops.

Intercropping

  • Definition: A form of companion cropping where multiple crops grow together in a single field, also known as polycropping.

  • Land Equivalent Ratio (LER): Measures success of intercropping compared to monoculture; calculated using:
    LER = \frac{Intercrop \, Yield \, A}{Monoculture \, Yield \, A} + \frac{Intercrop \, Yield \, B}{Monoculture \ , Yield \ , B}

  • Interpretation of LER:

    • LER > 1.0: Favorable intercropping increases productivity over monoculture.

    • LER = 1.0: Neutral effect; intercropping yields equivalent to monocultures.

    • LER < 1.0: Unfavorable; monoculture is more productive.

  • Income Equivalence Ratio (IER): Quantifying income from intercropping.

Green Manure Crops

  • Definition: Crops incorporated back into the soil while still in a vegetative state to enhance nutrient content or soil quality.

  • Common examples:

    • Sweet clover

    • Alfalfa

    • Hairy vetch

    • Crimson clover

    • Fall rye.

Recreational Turf Crops

  • Definition: Perennial grasses cultivated for lawns and athletic fields.

  • Examples:

    • Kentucky bluegrass

    • Perennial ryegrass

    • Bent grass.

Bioenergy Crops

  • Definition: Crops producing energy from biological systems; renewable energy source.

  • Types of bioenergy crops:

    • Biomass: Crops burned for heat and electricity.

    • Biofuel: Crops specifically grown for generating liquid fuels.

    • Examples include ethanol (gasoline alternative) and biodiesel (diesel alternative).

Nutritional Use Categories

  • Classification of crops by their primary nutritional components:

    • Sugar crops

    • Oil crops

    • Protein crops

    • Starchy seed crops

    • Starchy root and tuber crops.

Sugar Crops

  • Definition: Crops from which sugar is extracted.

  • Common species:

    • Sugar beets

    • Sugarcane

    • Corn

    • Sweet sorghum.

  • Sugar extraction process for sugar beets:

    • Slicing to release sugar juice, purifying it to a syrup, then crystallizing to produce sugar.

  • Corn is a source for high fructose corn syrup, primarily derived from the conversion of corn starch into a fructose-glucose mixture.

Oil Crops

  • Definition: Crops with high oil content processed for their extracted oils.

  • Common crops:

    • Soybean

    • Flax

    • Sunflower

    • Canola

    • Peanuts

    • Cotton.

Protein/Pulse Crops

  • Definition: Crops yielding seeds with naturally high protein content.

  • Important sources include:

    • Soybean

    • Peas

    • Chickpeas

    • Faba beans

    • Lentils.

  • Vital protein resources particularly for many global cultures.

Starchy Seed Crops

  • Definition: Crops possessing seeds naturally abundant in starch, sourced from either grasses or non-grasses.

  • Examples:

    • Corn

    • Wheat

    • Oat

    • Barley

    • Rye

    • Millet

    • Sorghum

    • Buckwheat.

Starchy Root and Tuber Crops

  • Definition: Storage organs in these crops primarily consist of starch, convertible to energy for human consumption.

Medicinal Crops

  • Grown primarily for unique chemical compounds beneficial in disease management or pain relief.

  • Notable compounds and their sources:

    • Alkaloids and glycosides known for various effects including medical benefits and hallucinogenic properties.

  • Examples:

    • Aspirin sourced from willows

    • Quinine from fever bark tree

    • Vincristine from Madagascar periwinkle.

  • Remarkable fact: Nearly half of all pharmaceuticals utilized today originate from plants, indicating an ongoing search for new medicinal properties in flora.

Specific Medicinal Examples

  • Senega Snakeroot (Polygala senega): Used in the treatment of respiratory diseases.

Psychoactive Crops

  • Grown for their psychological and euphoric effects.

  • Examples contain:

    • Tobacco

    • Opium poppy

    • Coca plant

    • Marijuana.

  • Note: Several of these crops are restricted or illegal, but some have medicinal applications.

Toxic Plants

  • Definition: Plants that are harmful or poisonous upon consumption.

  • Notable examples include:

    • Water hemlock

    • Seaside arrowgrass

    • Death camas.

Plant Life Cycles

  • Major types include:

    • Annual plants

    • Biennial plants

    • Perennial plants.

Annual Plants

  • Complete their life cycle within a single growing season.

  • Characteristics:

    • Flowering occurs within the same season.

    • Dormant seeds are the only surviving part through to the next season.

  • Subcategories:

    • Summer Annuals: Germinate in spring, set seed by late summer or early fall (e.g., canola, oats, barley).

    • Winter Annuals: Germinate late summer or early fall, flowering the following summer (e.g., winter wheat, fall rye).

Biennial Plants

  • Life cycle spans two growing periods:

    • First season focuses on developing roots, stems, and leaves.

    • Second season is dedicated to flowering, fruiting, and seed production.

Perennial Plants

  • Last for multiple years:

    • Above-ground parts die back annually, surviving through winter via underground structures (bulbs, crowns, corms, tubers, or rhizomes).

    • Notable examples include:

    • Alfalfa

    • Smooth brome

    • Crested wheatgrass.

Botanical Nomenclature

  • Definition: Formal scientific process for naming plants.

  • Binomial System: Each plant has a two-part name:

    • First part designates the genus.

    • Second part designates the species.

  • Purpose: To organize and classify plant varieties systematically.

Taxonomy Overview

  • Overview of plant organization based on characteristics:

    • Focus on genetically or morphologically similar species.

    • Agronomically important plants largely fall into the category of Angiosperms (flowering plants).

    • Classification examples:

    • Corn (Zea mays) and Soybean (Glycine max)

Classification Examples for Corn and Soybean

  • Taxonomy for Corn:

    • Kingdom: Plantae

    • Division: Magnoliophyta

    • Class: Liliopsida

    • Order: Cyperales

    • Family: Poaceae

    • Genus: Zea

    • Species: mays

  • Taxonomy for Soybean:

    • Kingdom: Plantae

    • Division: Magnoliophyta

    • Class: Magnoliopsida

    • Order: Fabales

    • Family: Fabaceae

    • Genus: Glycine

    • Species: max

Types of Plant Classification

  • Monocots:

    • Characteristics include:

    • One cotyledon.

    • Leaves with parallel veins.

    • Vascular bundles in stems dispersed.

    • Flower parts typically in three.

    • Lifestyle example crops: wheat, barley, oats, rye.

  • Dicots:

    • Characteristics include:

    • Two cotyledons.

    • Leaves exhibiting net veined patterns.

    • Vascular bundles arranged circularly in stems.

    • Flower parts usually in fours or fives.

    • Lifestyle example crops: legumes, canola, mustard.

Comparison Table: Monocots vs. Dicots

Feature

Monocots

Dicots

Cotyledons

One

Two

Leaf Structure

Parallel veins

Net veined

Vascular Bundle Arrangement

Scattered

Arranged in a circle

Flower Parts

In threes

In fours or fives

Seed Chambers in Fruit

In threes or multiples

In fours or fives or multiples

Root System

Fibrous root system

Tap root system

Binomial Nomenclature

  • Plants identified using a two-part Latin naming system, representing the lowest level of taxonomic classification.

  • Importance of scientific names:

    • Provides a consistent and universal naming system across different languages and cultures.

    • Comparison of common names can vary widely, e.g., alfalfa vs lucerne, corn vs maize.

Scientific Names vs. Common Names Example List

  • Wheat (HRS & CPS)

    • Cotyledons: Monocot

    • Scientific Name: Triticum Aestivum

  • Durum Wheat

    • Cotyledons: Monocot

    • Scientific Name: Triticum turgidum

  • Barley

    • Cotyledons: Monocot

    • Scientific Name: Hordeum Vulgare

  • Oats – Common

    • Cotyledons: Monocot

    • Scientific Name: Avena sativa

  • Corn

    • Cotyledons: Monocot

    • Scientific Name: Zea Mays

  • Flax

    • Cotyledons: Dicot

    • Scientific Name: Linum usitatissimum

  • Canola – Argentine

    • Cotyledons: Dicot

    • Scientific Name: Brassica napus

  • Lentils

    • Cotyledons: Dicot

    • Scientific Name: Lens culinaris

Chapter References

  • Illustrated studies and academic references used throughout the chapter.