CLASSIFICATION OF CROPS

WHY CLASSIFY CROPS?
For order and organization because agricultural crops are diverse in nature
For logical naming. The use of common name is not adequate because it varies from one locality to another, whereas the scientific name is constant worldwide.
Artificial system – based on convenience in which a structure or feature serves as a basis of grouping
Natural system – uses the most prominent and most peculiar morphological structure of the plant
with the intention of grouping together those that are most familiar in a number of structures
Phylogenetic system – classifies plants according to their evolutionary status
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION OF CROPS
ACCORDING TO GROWTH HABIT
Herbs – succulent plants with soft but self-supporting stems
Vines – succulent or woody plants without self-supporting stems
Shrubs – with no trunk and may have several main branches; rarely grows higher than five
meters
Trees – with single central stem to which branches are attached, usually taller than shrub
ACCORDING TO LIFE CYCLE
Annuals – complete their cycle in 1 year or less e.g. squash
Biennials – require 2 years or at least part of 2 growing seasons and a dormant period
between growth stages to complete their life cycle e.g. carrot, cabbage, celery
Perennials – do not die after flowering but live from year to year e.g. asparagus
ACCORDING TO MODE OF REPRODUCTION
Sexual – develops after undergoing meiosis and fertilization in the flower to produce a viable embryo in the seed
Asexual – produced by any vegetative means not involving meiosis and fertilization
BASED ON TEMPERATURE TOLERANCE
Tropical – grown in the tropics and could not withstand chilling
Subtropical or semi-temperate crops – can withstand slight chilling and relatively high
temperature
Temperate – can withstand chilling or low temperature
BASED ON PHOTOPERIODIC RESPONSE
Long-day – requires about 14 or more hours for the formation of inflorescence; remain in
vegetative stage if daylight is shorter
Short-day – requires less than 14 hours to initiate flowering
SPECIAL TYPES
Parasites – parasitic, sucking roots
Epiphytes – grow upon other plants (orchids) but not parasitic
Saprophytes – grow in places rich in decaying organic substances
BASED ON PURPOSE
1. Cereals/Grain crops – grown for their grains
e.g. rice, corn, wheat, sorghum
2. Legumes – grown for pods and seeds
e.g. cowpea, mungbean, sitao, peanut
3. Root crops – grown for enlarged roots/tuberous roots
e.g. cassava, ube, arrow root
4. Fiber crops – grown for their fibers used in textile, cordage, twines, sacks, bags, etc.
e.g. cotton, ramie, kenaf, jute
5. Oil crops – grown for their oil content
e.g. soybean, peanut, sunflower, castor, coconut
6. Sugar crops – grown for their sugar content
e.g. sugarcane, sugar beet
7. Pasture/Forage crops – used for roughage source for animals
e.g. Para grass, napier grass, ipil-ipil, Stylosanthes
8. Beverage crops – used for brewing non-alcoholic drinks
e.g. coffee, cacao, tea
9. Spices, condiments, essences – used to provide special flavor, scent, and color to food,
perfumes, soaps, and body dressing
e.g. black pepper, vanilla, citronella, ilang-ilang, annatto
10. Latex and resins – used for extracting sap from the trunk/stem
e.g. rubber, chico, pili, rimas, papaya
11. Medicinal and poison crops – with curative, laxative and pesticidal properties
e.g. lagundi, sambong, tobacco
12. Vegetables – usually eaten with staple crops and further classified based on similarities in the
method of culture
A. Root – radish, carrot
B. Leafy – spinach, lettuce
C. Stem – celery, asparagus
D. Flowers – squash, katuray
E. Fruit – okra, tomato, eggplant
13. Fruits – edible botanical fruits used for dessert and may be eaten raw, cooked or in processed
form e.g. pineapple, cashew, mango
14. Ornamentals – cultivated mainly for aesthetic value, further classified according to special
uses
A. Cutflowers – grown for their flowers
e.g. roses, orchids
B. Flowering pot plants – grown in containers for their flowers, usually for display
e.g. poinsettia
C. Landscape plants – for landscaping purposes
e.g. blue palm, white grass, song of India
D. Foliage plants – for attractive foliage, grown indoor or outdoor for decoration
e.g. begonia, philondendron
E. Cut-foliage – foliage used to provide background in floral arrangement
e.g. ferns, fortune plant, palmera
F. Turf – used in lawns or greens
e.g. bermuda grass, carabao grass, blue grass
SPECIAL GROUPS
1. Green manure – crop plowed under while still green and growing to improve the soil
e.g. sesbania
2. Companion crop – crop sown with another crop and harvested separately. The combination
benefits either or both crops
e.g. Ipil-ipil planted with black pepper
3. Cover crop – any crop grown to provide soil cover, prevent soil erosion by wind or water,
improve soil and control weeds
e.g. centrosema
4. Catch crop – short season crop grown immediately after the failure of the main crop to utilize
residual resources e.g. rice as the main crop may have been destroyed by typhoon therefore
pechay or mustard is planted immediately
5. Trap crop – crop planted to protect the main crop from pests by attracting the pest and later
destroying it
e.g. main crop is rice and sweet potato is planted to trap some rats
6. Soilage – grass grown, cut and directly fed to animals
7. Silage – grass grown, cut, fermented and preserved before being fed to animals