Principles of Crop Science

LESSON 3. Descriptive Classification

Plants can also be grouped based on their growth characteristics or features
and environmental adaptations. This classification includes the mode of reproduction,
mode of pollination, growth cycle, leaf retention, stem type, growth habit, moisture
and light requirement, ecological adaptation and habitat.

3.1. According to Mode of Reproduction

1. Sexual - plants that develop from a seed or spore e.g. grain crops, legumes,
some vegetables like okra, pechay, ampalaya
2. Asexual - plants which reproduced by any vegetative means (use of stem,
leaves, roots) e.g. breadfruit, ornamental plants

3.2. According to Mode of Pollination

1. Self-pollinated - plants is predominantly self-pollinated wherein both the male
and females reproductive parts are in the same floral structure e.g. rice,
legumes, okra, tobacco, tomato
2. Cross-pollinated – male and female flower usually on a separate plant. Pollen
transfer from the anther of one flower to the stigma of another flower of a
separate plant e.g. corn, avocado, grape, mango
3. Both self and cross-pollinated – plants that are largely self-pollinated but
varying amounts of cross-pollination occur e.g. cotton, sorghum

3.3. According to Growth Cycle

1. Annuals - plants completing its life cycle for one growing season. The duration
of may be a few weeks to several months depending on the species e.g. rice,
corn, cowpea, mungbean, squash.
2. Biennials - plants that completes its life cycle in two growing seasons. First
season for vegetative growth and accumulation of food reserves, and the
second season for the production of reproductive parts e.g. onions cabbage,
carrot, celery, raddish.
3. Perennials- plants continue growing and produce seeds year after year e.g.
trees, shrubs, and many herbaceous plants with underground stems (e.g. corm,
rhizome, tuber) like banana

3.4. According to leaf retention

1. Deciduous – plants shed their leaves at the same time during one of the seasons
of the year. New leaves are developed from dormant buds upon the return if
favorable growing conditions. Some plants do not lose all their leaves are
called semideciduous e.g. siniguelas, narra, gliceridia.

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2. Evergreen – plants that maintain green leaves year-round e.g. pines, citrus
banana, papaya, palms

3.5 According to kind of stem

1. Herbs – plants with soft, non-woody stems e.g corn, aglaonema, banana,
sugarcane, and many of the vegetables. This term is also associated with spices
(aromatic plants used to flavor foods or beverages)
2. Vines- herbaceous climbing or twining plants without self-supporting stems e.g.
ampalaya, cucumber, luffa (patola), pole sitao, yam.
3. Lianas- woody climbing or twining plants which needs vertical support e.g.
grapes, Jade vine, rattans, passion fruit.
4. Shrubs – plants with no main trunk. Woody branches arise from the ground level.
They are perennial and usually smaller than trees (less than 5 meters) e.g.
hagonoy, santan, Lantana
5. Trees – plants characterized by one main trunk and branch on the upper part of
the plant e.g. durian, mango, molave, narra, tamarind.

3.6. According to growth habit

1. Erect – plants is without artificial support stands upright e.g. trees
2. Decumbent – plants are extremely inclined, with the tips raised e.g. peanut
3. Creeping – plants that crawls on the ground producing adventitious roots at
specific points on the stem e.g. strawberry
4. Climbing – plants that will creep on the with or without support e.g. sweet
potato, ampalaya, garden pea

3.7. According to moisture requirement

1. Hydrophytes - plants adapted to growing in water or waterlogged soil. It may
grow entirely submerged, partly submerge, floating, or anchored to swamps or
beside the edges of ponds, lakes, streams e.g. lowland rice, azolla, kangkong,
lotus, water lily, mangrove species
2. Mesophytes - plant which is adapted to moderate conditions (not too dry and
not too wet) e.g. corn and most commercially-grown crops
3. Xerophytes - plant which is adapted to conditions with little or no water e.g.
adelfa, bromyliads, euphorbias, cacti and many succulents

3.8 According to habitat

1. Terrestrial - plant which grows on land, rooting in the soil e.g. most
agricultural crops
2. Epiphytes - plants that grows aboveground on another plant but is not parasitic.
It is also called air plant or tree dweller e.g. orchid, fern families

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3. Aquatic – plants that live on water as their primary habitat e.g water lily,
azolla, lotus

3.9. According to ecological adaptation

1. Halophytes - plants that is able to grow in habitats excessively rich in salts or
under saline conditions e.g. nipa, talisay, bakawan, and other mangrove
species, coconut, cashew and tamarind
2. Lithophytes - plants adapted to growing on rocks or in rocky terrain with little
humus e.g. Vanda, Ascocenda, Ascocentrum, and Trudelia orchids, Dendrobium
3. Parasitic- plants which grows on another plant from which it takes part or all
nourishment e.g. Cassytha, Loranthaceae (mistletoe family), Rafflesia, Neottia
and Corallorhiza orchids
4. Saprophytes - grows on decaying organic matter and has no green tissue. This
classification applies to mushrooms, which are fungi

3.10. According to light intensity requirement

1. Sciophytes - plants that is adapted to low light intensity or shade. They often
called shade-loving plants e.g. most ferns and mosses, black pepper, cacao,
coffee, lanzones, mangosteen, hot pepper, gingers, and many orchids
2. Heliophytes – plants that is adapted to high light intensity and also known as
sun-loving plants e.g. banana, chrysanthemum, corn, cotton, cowpea, cucurbits,
eggplant, papaya, peanut, sugarcane

3.11. According to photoperiod requirements

1. Short-day plants - plant flowers if the daylength is shorter than the critical
daylength e.g. coffee, lima bean, rice, sesame, soybean, winged bean but for
cassava, sweet potato, taro and yambean, short-day condition is required for
tuber formation
2. Long-day plants - plant flowers if the daylength is longer than the critical
daylength e.g. aster, castor oil, onion, radish
3. Day-neutral plants – plant flowers regardless of daylength e.g. banana, citrus,
coconut, corn, tomato

3.12. According to climatic adaptation

1. Tropical crops – plants that are native in warm climate which are practically
evergreen
2. Sub-tropical crops – plants that are grown in regions bordering the tropical
zones like Florida, USA
3. Temperate crops – crops that are grown in regions marked with winter season
like in Arctic to Northern Florida.

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LESSON 4. Agricultural Classification

Under this classification, crops are grouped based on their uses or purpose. the
classifications are as follows:

4.1. Crop vs. weed

1. Crop - is any useful plant, or a plant which is grown for any purpose such as for
food, spices, fiber, clothing, beverages, medicines, oils, rubber, ornamentation,
fuels, construction materials, soil improvement, organic farming, landscaping
and many more
2. Weed - an unintended plant or any plant which grows where it is not wanted. It
competes with the intended crop for space, soil water, nutrients and light or
becomes a nuisance in any manner.

4.2. Agronomic crops vs horticultural Crops

1. Agronomic crops are also called “field crops”. They are mostly annual
herbaceous plants that are grown under extensive or large-scale culture
2. Horticultural crops have been referred to as “garden crops” which are grown
under an intensive system of culture.

4.3. Based on primary uses

4.3.1. Under Agronomic Classification
1. Cereals or grain crops – mainly annual, herbaceous plants belonging to grass
family which are grown for its seeds or grains. Grain is the collective term for
the fruit of cereals. The six (6) great cereals of the world are: wheat, rice,
corn, barley, rye and oats.
2. Legumes or pulses– those plants belonging to the Fabaceae family which
produces pods containing edible, protein-rich seeds e.g. mungbean, soybean,
cowpea, lima bean
3. Forage crops – include all grasses that are cut for hay, legumes cut for forage,
sorghum and corn for fodder. The term “forage” is defined as vegetable
matter, fresh or preserved and utilized as feeds for animals.
4. Root crops - crops grown for its enlarged roots which are rich sources of
carbohydrates used as staple, feed, and raw material for industrial purposes
like starch production e.g. cassava, sweet potato
5. Tuber crops – crops grown for their thickened underground stems like white
potato.
6. Fiber Crops – crops grown for their fiber which is used in making textiles, ropes,
twines, and similar materials e.g. cotton, ramie, abaca
7. Sugar Crops – crops grown as the major source of sugars e.g. sugar cane, sugar
beets

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8. Drug Crops – crops grown as source of drugs and stimulants e.g. tobacco, tea,
coffee
9. Oil Crops – crops grown as major source of oil e.g. soybean, corn, peanut,
sunflower, sesame
10.Rubber Crops – crops grown as the major source of latex and resins or rubber
e.g rubber trees.

4.3.2. Under Horticultural Classification

a. Vegetables – crops usually grown for culinary purposes
1. Leafy vegetables e.g. pechay, kangkong, mustard
2. Cole crops or crucifers e.g. cabbage, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower and
broccoli
3. Root and bulb crops e.g. sweet potato, white potato, onion, garlic
4. Legumes e.g. sitao, bush sitao, pole sitao, lima bean, hyacinth bean
5. Solanaceous vegetables e.g. eggplant, pepper, tomato
6. Cucurbits e.g. cucumber, musk melon, water melon, squash, ampalaya
b. Fruit crops
1. Tree fruit e.g. mango, durian, lanzones, santol
2. Nut fruits e.g. pili nuts, cashew
3. Small fruits e.g. strawberry, grapes
c. Floricultural crops –plants that are used for their aesthetic qualities or for
decorative purposes.
1. Cut flowers e.g. roses, crysanthemums, anthurium, gladiolus, carnation
2. Flowering pot plants e.g. roses specifically the miniature type,
chrysanthemums, poinsettia, bougainvillea.
3. Foliage (both potted and as cut foliage) e.g. ferns, asparagus, cordyline,
palmera, pepperonia, aglaonema
4. Landscape plants – usually consisting of trees (both flowering and
evergreens) and shrubs.
5. Turf grass – lawn grass as well as other species used in recreation areas
d. Plantation Crops – are loosely defined as crops, usually perennial and require
minor changes in the structure of the product (primary processing) before
utilization.
1. Oil crops e.g. coconut, oil palm, castor bean
2. Beverage crops – coffee, tea, cacao
3. Spice crops – black pepper, vanilla
4. Fiber crops – abaca, buri, kapok, cotton, maguey, kenaf, ramie, jute
5. Medicinal crops – sambong, tsang gubat, oregano, banaba, aloe vera
6. Latex or resin – pili, rubber trees, almaciga

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4.4. Based on special purpose

a. Cover Crops – crops seeded so as to make a growth to cover or protect the soil
e.g. squash, water melon, sweet potato.
b. Green Manure Crops – crops which are grown to be plowed under into the soil
to increase its productivity usually legumes e.g. sesbania, indigo, mungbean
c. Catch or Emergency Crops – crops that are grown as substitute for staple crops
that have failed on account of unfavorable environmental conditions.
d. Soiling Crops – crops that are grown and which are cut green and fed green
directly from the field.
e. Silage Crops – crops grown and preserved in succulent condition by partial
fermentation in a tight receptacle e.g. corn, sorghum, other forage grasses
f. Cash Crops – crops grown which are sold into the market for cash.
g. Companion Crops – sometimes known as nurse crops. They are grown with
some other crops that are harvested separately.
h. Trap Crops – crops planted to attract certain insects or other pests
i. Biofuel crops – crops grown for the production of fuel that is used as additive or
replacement for petroleum products e.g. sugarcane, corn, coconut, castor
bean, Jatropha

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LEARNING ACTIVITY (refer to Laboratory Exercise No. 1)

REFERENCES

Acquaah, George. 2009. Horticulture: Principles and Practices Fourth Edition.

Pearson Education, Inc., New Jersey. pp. 30-46.

Balasubramanian, A. 2014. Classification of Agricultural Crops. ResearchGate.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314205688_CLASSIFICATION_OF_AGR
ICULTURAL_CROPS

Bareja, Ben G. undated. Classifications of Agricultural Crops.

https://www.scribd.com/doc/51346095/CLASSIFICATIONS-OF-AGRICULTURAL-
CROPS-Ben-G-Bareja

Green Empire. Undated. Licensure Examination in Agriculture Reviewer (Lecture

Manual and Review Questions) in Crop Science. Green Empire PH

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