Classification of Crops: Agriculture, Horticulture and Agro-forestry Plant-Crops

Classification of Crops – Classification of Hgricultural and Horticultural Crops are based on different factors eg. climate and family. This classification is different from biological classification of crop. There are thousands of economically important crops.

Classification Of Crops

(A). Classification Based on Group

Agricultural crops.
Horticulture crops.
Agro-forestry plant crops.

Agricultural Plant-crops

Agricultural crops include– Rice, wheat, millets, pulses, oilseeds etc.

Tabl 01– Crops of agriculture crops.

S. N.	Name	Sc. Name
1.	Millets	Different spp., eg. – Finger millet, Kodo millet etc.
2.	Oil seeds	Different spp., eg. – Soybean, peanut, rapeseed etc.

Horticultural Plant-crops

Horticultural crop includes– Mango, citrus, apple, peach, plum, flowers, vegetables etc.

Agro-forestry Plant-crops

Agro-forestry plant-crops are equally important to forestry and agriculture.

(B). Classification Based on Climate

Tropical crops.
Subtropical crops.
Temperate crops.

Tropical Crops

Tropical crop can tolerate high temperature. These plant-crops require hot and humid weather for flowering and fruiting.

Example– Rice, coconut etc.

Sub Tropical Crops

Sub Tropical plant-crops are similar to tropical crops. Crops require long dry spells and clean weather.

Example– Rice, pulses, millets, lychee etc.

Temperate Crops

Temperate crops loves relatively low temperature.

Example– Apple, plum, peach winter wheat etc.

Classification Based on Season

These crops are known as seasonal crops. Both flowering and fruiting are completed within 4 months.

Rainy season crops
Winter season crops
Summer crops

Rainy Season Crops

Agronomically, it is known as Kharif crops. Kharif season starts with rainy season. In India it starts from June-July with the onset of Mansoon.

Example– Rice, maize, pulses, peanut etc.

Winter Season Crops

Another name for winter season crop is Rabi crop. It starts with winter season from October.

Example– Wheat, maize, potato etc.

Summer Crops

This is also called Zaid crops. These can tolerate high temperature. Starts from March-April.

Example– Cucumber, water melon, maize, Summer rice etc.

Classification Based on Family

Poaceae– Family Poaceae is also known as gramineae. This include grass crops.

Table 02. Plant-crops of family Poaceae.

S. N.	Name	Sc. Name
1.	Rice	Oryza sativa
2.	Wheat	Tritucum spp.
3.	Bamboo	Bambusa spp.
4.	Doob grass	Cynodon dactylon

Malvaceae– Family malvaceae is one of the most economically important agronomical group of crop.

Table 03. Plant-crops of family malvaceae.

S. N.	Name	Sc. Name
1.	Cotton	Gossypium spp.
2.	Jute	Corchorus spp.
3.	Okra	Abelmoschus esculentus

Fabaceae– The family is also known as leguminoceae. These crops are known to fix nitrogen in soil. Nitrogen fixing nodules are found on roots.

Table 03. Plant-crops of family fabaceae.

S. N.	Name	Sc. Name
1.	Red gram	Cajanus cajan
2.	Black gram	Vigna mungo
3.	Chickpea	Cicer erietinum
4.	Pea	Pisum sativum

Classification Based on Life Cycle

Seasonal crops
Annual crops
Perennial

Seasonal– The life cycle of seasonal crop is completed within 4 months.

Annual crops– Flowering and fruiting in annual crop is completed in a year. Annual crop can take more than 2 season to complete its life cycle. Some seasonal crops like brinjal and chili can be annual if not uprooted.

Example– Seed producing onion and cauliflower etc.

Perennial– Perennial crops take more than a year for flowering and fruiting. First or few years are taken for vegetative growth. They can bear flower and fruits for many years.

Example– Edge, hedge, fruit trees, cotton, lemon grass, Doob grass etc.