Classification of Crops

- Crops are classified for order and organization. Agricultural crops are
diverse in nature hence classification of a crop is very helpful.

- Crops are classified for logical naming. A crop can be identified by its
common name.

- A crop can be identified by its common name which varies from one locality to another or by its name which is
constant worldwide.

A. System of Classification
a. Artificial system – Based on convenience in which a structure or feature serves as a basis of grouping
b. Natural system – uses the most prominent and most peculiar morphological structure of the plant with the
intention of grouping together those crops which are familiar in number of structures.
c. Phylogenetic system – plants are classified according to their evolutionary status.

B. General Classification

CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO GROWTH HABIT

a. HERBS- succulent seed plants possessing self-supporting soft stems. Example; most vegetables crops
b. VINE – a plant that requires support for upright growth; it can be trailing or climbing plant. Example: cucurbits
(squash, cucumber, gourd)
c. LIANA- a woody plant that requires support for upright growth
d. SHRUBS- plant with self-supporting upright woody stems. Example gumamela, San Francisco, rose
e. TREES – a self-supporting woody plant characterized as having a central axis or main trunk. Examples: most fruit
trees and ornamental trees.
Tree fruits: pomes apples, pear, quince, stone or drupe fruits: cherry, peach, plum, apricot, nuts: walnut, filbert.

CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO LIFE CYCLE (LIFE SPAN)

a. ANNUAL PLANTS – these are plants that completer their life cycle during a single growing season these plants usually
die after flowering. Example: spinach, lettuce, petunia, peas.
b. BIENNIAL PLANTS – these are plants that complete their entire life cycle during a period of two growing seasons.
First, their growth is entirely vegetative and the plants show a rosette form. The cold months following the first
growing season provide low temperature necessary for this type of plants to ‘bolt’ (send up seeds stalks) during the
second growing season, and to flower and set fruit.
c. PERENNIAL PLANTS – these are plants that grow year after year taking many years to mature (to bear flowers
and fruits) Example: perennial plants, asparagus, shrubs, and some bulb crops.
Exception to this classification: Raspberries where roots are perennial but the shoots are biennial.

CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO MODE OF REPRODUCTION (METHOD OF PROPAGATION)

a. Sexual propagated plants
- Crops that propagated through the use of the true seed.
- Plants that develop after undergoing processes of meiosis and fertilization in the flower to produce a viable seed.
b. Asexual propagated plants
- multiplied through the use of plant parts.
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- plants that are produced by any vegetative means not involving meiosis and the union of gametes

CLASSIFICATION CROPS BASED ON PURPOSE

1. Cereals/ Grain crops – grown for their grains
Example: Rice, Corn, Wheat, sorghum
2. Legumes – grown for pods and seeds
Example: cowpea, mungbean, sitao, peanut
3. Roots crops – grown for their enlarged roots/ tuberous roots
Example: Cassava, Ube, arrow root,
4. Tuber and Root Crops
Example: radish, beet, carrot, cassava, sweet potato, turnip, potato, Jerusalem artichoke, Taro, yam
5. Bulb and corm Crops
Example: onion, garlic, shallot
6. Fiber crops – grown for their fibers used in textile, cordage, twines, sacks, bags and others.
Example: Cotton, ramie, kenaf, Jute
7. Oil crops – grown for their oil content
Example: soybean, Peanut, sunflower, castor, coconut
8. Sugar crops–grown for their sugar content
Examples: sugarcane, sugar beets
9. Pasture / Forage crops – used for roughage source for animals
Examples: Paragrass, napier grass, ipil-ipil, Stylosanthes
10. Beverage crops – used for brewing non-alcoholic drinks
Examples: Coffee, cacao, tea
11. Spices, condiments, essences – used to provide special flavor, scent, and color to food, perfumes, soaps and body
dressing.
Examples: Black Pepper, vanilla, citronella, ilang-ilang, annatto
12. Latex and resins – used for extracting sap from the trunk/ stem
Examples: rubber, chico, pili, rimas, papaya
13. Medicinal and poison crops – with curative, laxative and pesticidal properties
Examples: lagundi, sambong, tobacco
14. Vegetables - Usaully eaten with staple crops, further classified according to similarities in the method of culture.
a. Root – radish
b. Leafy – spinach
c. Stem – Celery, asparagus
d. Flowers – squash, katuray
e. Fruit- Okra, tomato, eggplant
15. Fruits
- edible botanical fruits usually used for dessert which may be eaten raw, cooked or in processed form.
- are plant from which a more or less succulent fruit or closely related structure is commonly eaten as
dessert or snack.
Example: pineapple, cashew, mango
16. Ornamentals - Plants cultivated mainly for their aesthetic value, further classified according to their special uses.
a. Annuals; Petunia, Zinnia, Snapdragon
b. Biennials: Evening Primrose, Hollyhock, Sweet Williams
c. Perennials: Tulip, Peony, Chrysanthemum, Philodendron
d. Cut Flower Crops: Chrysanthemum, Rose, Anthurium, Statice
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 e. Cut Foliage Crops: Fern, Palms, Cypress
f. Foliage and Greens: Scefleras, Philodendrons, Dieffanbachias
g. Woody Perennials: Flowering Trees, Coniferous Trees, Flowering Shrubs, Palms, Shrubby
h. Lawn and Turf Plants- used in lawns or greens
Examples: Bermuda, Korean Grass, Mondo Grass, Chlorophytum
i. Bedding Plants: Balsam Fir, Scotch pine Nor Folk Pine

C. HORTICULTURAL CLASSIFICATION
a. Cole crops, (like cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli)
b. Legumes or pulse crops. (like peas, soybean, yard long bean, and cowpea)
c. CUCURBIT FRUIT CROPS – crops belonging to solanaceous crops or night shade family example are: cucumber,
squash, chayote, melons, and bitter gourd.
d. LEAFY VEGETABLE - crops that are mainly grown for their leaves examples are: tree vegetables: malunggay
(drum stick tree), spinach, chard, dandelion, lettuce, celery, parsley, endive.
e. MISCELLANEOUS CROPS- corn, asparagus, okra, mushroom

D. DESCRIPTIVE CLASSIFICATION

CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO HABITAT

1. Terrestrial crops – grow productively in land
2. Aquatic crop – grow productively in bodies of water
3. Aerial grow productively above the soil and usually clings to support
4. Semi-aquatic – crops grow productively either in soil or water condition of both.
Ex. Swamp cabbage

Classification according to temperature requirements

1. Cold requiring crops (15-24 °C) highland crops
2. Warm requiring crops (25-30 °C) Lowland Crops

Classification according to saturation light intensity

1. Shade crops – crops that grown productively under shade condition (<5,000 foot candles) light saturation
2. Sun-loving crop – (>5,000 foot candles) grows productively in open field.

Classification according to day length sensitivity

1. Short- day crop – crops that will initiate flowering when exposed to less than twelve (12) hours day length.
2. Long day crops- crop that produce flower when exposed to greater than 12hrs day length.
3. Day neutral crop – crops that produce flower regardless of daylength.

Classification according to leaf retention

1. DECIDOUS
– plant that are leafless during a portion of the year which maybe unfavorable for the growth of the plant; thus
the leaves abciss and fall. This is practically true in temperate regions of the world which have four distinct seasons.
Example some apple cultivars, birches, willows, dap-dap, and banaba.

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 2. EVERGREEN
– plants with leaves that persist the whole year round. Actually evergreen lose their leaves annually but not until
new set of leaves have developed. Example: pine, cedar, most tropical fruits trees, citrus trees.

Classification according to cropping system

1. Monocrop – planting one kind of crop on the same area for at least three years.
2. Diversified cultured crop- planting of more than one kind of crop on the same area at the same time.
3. Intercultured crops- crops that are usually grown in enclosed growing structure.
4. Outdoor crops – crops grown in open areas
5. Intensive cultured crops- requires high input and technology and usually grown in small or limited areas.
6. Extensive cultured crops – crops that requires lesser input and technology and are usually grown in wide areas.

Classification according to growing season

1. Dry season crops – crops that are grown under dry condition provided water is supplied.
2. Wet/ rainy season crops– crops that can tolerate excess moisture during their growing period.
3. Off-season crops – this are crops that are grown in enclosed growing structure during unfavorable condition (grown
out of season)

Classification according to purpose

1. Cover crops – crops that are planted to provide cover for the soil to prevent soil erosion and to increase the
organic content of the soil.
3 factors that causes soil erosion
i. wind
ii. water
iii. pull of gravity
2. Green Manure – a crop that is plowed under while green and growing to improve soil (e.g. sesbania)
3. Companion Crop – crop sown with another crop and harvested separately. the combination benefits either or both
of the crops (e.g. ipilipil planted with black pepper)
4. Trap crop – a crop which is planted to protect the main crop from pest by attracting the pest to the crop
itself and later destroying it.
– Crops that are planted to attract certain insects or parasite and are removed or destroyed one they served
their purpose
5. Catch crop – this are substitute crops that are planted when regular crop has failed.
6. Soilage – grasses that are grown, cut and directly fed to animals
7. Silage – grasses grown, cut, fermented, and preserved before being fed to animals
8. Cash crop – crops that are planted in between the main crop while waiting for the main crop to be harvested.

Botanical Classification

The botanical system has scientific basis. The science that deals with the classification of plants is called systematic
Botany or Plant systematic. It can be divided into two (1) taxonomy – finding the smallest plant category or taxon to
which the plant belongs, and the placement of the taxon in a sequence relative to the other taxa in the system and (2)
nomenclature – which deals with the selection of the correct scientific name for the plant placed in a particular in
conformity with specific rules.

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 This classification formulated by botanist all over the world is known as the international Code of Nomenclature.

The sequence of taxa from the greatest to the least magnitude is below with mango as an example:

Kingdom…………………………………………………… Plantae
Division……………………………………………………… Spermatophyta (plants with seed)
Class………………………………………………………… Angiosperm (enclosed seed)
Order ………………………………………………………… Dicotyledon (with two cotyledon)
Family……………………………………………………… Anacardiaceae
Genus……………………………………………………… Mangifera
Species ……………………………………………………… indica
Variety……………………………………………………… Carabao

Of interest to horticulturist are the categories from the order downwards.

ORDER – often determine the suitability to asexual method of propagation such as budding and graftage
FAMILY – compatibility in an asexual propagation is often confined to member of Family
SPECIES/VARIETY – development of new variety depends heavily on hybridization of species and /or varieties. The closer
the relationship, the better is the chance to produce hybrid. The variety is the category the horticulturist is most
interested in.
CLONE OR CLONAL CULTIVAR – a group of plants originating from a single individual and is reproduced asexually
LINE CULTIVAR – is a group of self-fertilizing plants that maintain their genetic indentity naturally through generations
Ex. Marilag’ Tomato

The genus plus the species make up the scientific name. The abbreviation or name that follows the genus and
species is that of a person who named and described that species. The scientific name is Latinized and it is an
internationally accepted name, as opposed to the common name, which varies from locality to locality, from country to
country.

In writing the genus and species of plants, the genus should start with capital letter andthe species with small
letter , however, both should be italized. For example, the scientific name for spinach, Spinaceae oleracea Linnaeous. If not
italized then it should be underline (SpinaceaeoleraceaLinnaeous).

CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO ORIGIN OF CULTIVARS

Exotic cultivars – plant that were introduced to our country from other countries
Endemic cultivars – plants that are native or original plants in our country or region
Sports – horticultural plants that were introduced from some genetic recombination or chance mutation. These can be
perpetuated by vegetative means resulting in the creation of clones.
Clones – is a group which arose from a single individual called ramet.
Example: ‘ Redhaven’ peach, ‘Delicious’ apple, ‘Russer Burbank’ potato, ‘Thompson Seedless’grape

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 Apomict (abbreviated ap) – plants developed from diploid ovular tissue, by passing the usual mitotic cell division
Examples: citrus, mango, some species of grass

CLASSIFICATION BASED ON VARIETAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Clonal varieties – cultivars perpetuated by vegetative propagation. Example: potato, strawberry, anjou’ apple

Self-pollinated, inbred or pure line cultivar – refer to plant populations that bred true, naturally. Examples: peas and
beans.
1. Open or cross pollinated – refer to plant populations distinguished by some morphological or physiological basis and
maintained by selection and isolation. Examples: cabbage.
2. Cultigens- horticultural plants have been bred true and selected by man for so many centuries that their wild origins
have become obscure. Examples: cabbage and maize