Agriculture for Engineers 4 (3+1)

Lesson 19. Classification of Crops

19.2  ACCORDING TO BOTANICAL ASPECTS

(A) Monocotyledons : A plant having only one seed leaf or cotyledon in each of its seed. Such plants have a shallow roots, narrow leaves and tillering ability. e.g., Families:

                 (1) Poaceae:  e.g. Cereals i.e. paddy, wheat, sorghum, pearl millet, maize, sugarcane, etc.

                 (2) Zingiberaceae: e.g. Ginger

                 (3) Liliaceae  : e.g. Onion

(B) Dicotyledons : A plant having two seed leaf or cotyledons in each of its seed. Such plants have a deep taproots, broad leaves and branching ability. e.g., Families

                 (1) Malvaceae: e.g. cotton, okra

                 (2) Cruciferae : e.g. cabbage, mustard

                 (3) Solanaceae: e.g. tobacco, potato, brinjal

                 (4)Leguminoceae: e.g. groundnut, pigeon pea, gram, pea, mung bean, urd bean

                 (5) Tiliaceae: e.g. jute, sun hemp

                 (6) Linaceae: eg. linseed

                 (7) Euphorbiaceae : e.g. castor

                 (8) Composite : e.g. sunflower

                 (9) chenopodiaceae: e.g. sugar beet

 19.3 ACCORDING TO SEASON OF GROWTH

(A) Kharif or Monsoon: Crops are grown in the month of June - July. e.g. Paddy, pigeon pea, groundnut, sorghum, etc.

(B) Rabi or Winter: Crops are grown in the month of October - November. e.g. wheat, gram, mustard, cumin, fenugreek, onion etc.                                    

(C) Summer or Hot weather: Crops are grown in the month of February - June. e.g., paddy, green gram, black gram, cowpea, etc.

 19.4 ACCORDING TO LIFE PERIOD

(A) Annuals: A plant which grows from seed, complete its life cycle and dies during the season or same year. e.g. cereal crops.

(B) Biennials: A plant which completes its life cycle in two season or year. During first season/year, they completes it's vegetative growth and during second season/year they completes it's reproductive growth. eg. sugarcane, sugar beet, banana, onion.

(C) Perennial: A plant which completes its life cycle in more than two seasons/years. e.g., agave,  elephant foot.

19.5 ACCORDING TO CULTURAL PRACTICES

(A) Irrigated crops: e.g. Sugarcane, paddy, banana etc.

(B) Dry farming crops; The crop which are grown under natural precipitation. e.g. sorghum, bajra, groundnut, nagli, etc.

(C) Sole crops: One crop variety grown alone in pure stands at normal density.

(D) Monocroping: The repetitive growing of the same crops on the same piece of land. e.g. groundnut in Saurastra region.

(E) Intercropping: Growing two or more crops simultaneously on the same piece of land in different rows e.g., sorghum + black gram, pigeon pea + ground nut, sugarcane + onion, etc.

(F) Mixed cropping: Growing two or more crops simultaneously on the same land without/ irrespective to definite row pattern. e.g. sorghum + green gram+ black gram.

 19.6 ACCORDING TO AGRONOMICAL OR ECONOMICAL   ASPECTS

(A) Food crops

 (i) Cereals : e.g. paddy, wheat, maize, sorghum, bajra, nagli,etc.

(ii)  Pulses : e.g. gram, green gram, black gram, pigeon pea, cowpea, indian bean, moth bean, etc.

(iii) Legumes : e.g. groundnut, soybean, cluster bean

(iv) Edible oil seeds : e.g. groundnut, seasamum, sunflower, mustard, safflower

 (v) Fruit crops : mango, banana, sapota, guava, papaya, ber, grape citrus crop, etc.

 (vi) Vegetable crops :

 (a) Leafy : cabbage, fenugreek, palak

 (b) Fruit : tomato, okra, brinjal

 (c) Root : radish, carrot

 (d) Tuber/Stem : potato, sweet potato, ginger, turmeric

 (e) Bulb : onion, garlic

 (f) Flower : cauliflower

 (g) Pod : French bean, pigeon pea, cowpea, Indian bean

(B) Non-food crops

 (i) Forage/fodder : lucerne, berseem, hybrid nappier grass

 (ii)  Fibre crop : cotton, jute, sun hemp

 (iii) Non edible oilseeds : castor, linseed

 (iv) Sugar crop : sugarcane, sugar beet

  (v) Dyes : safflower, indigo

  (vi) Narcotics : tobacco, coffee, tea, opium, poppy, chicory

  (vii) Drugs/ Medicinal : isabgul, jethimadh, senna, kariyatu

  (viii) Spices & condiments: cardamom, cumin, black pepper, coriander, fennel, fenugreek

(C)  Special purpose crops

    (i) Row crops: Crops which are grown in rows with uniform spacing throughout the field. e. g.  cotton,  castor, sorghum, etc.

    (ii) Support crops: certain fast growing crops work as supporter to vine crops. e.g. castor, shevri in betel vine, sorghum in cowpea/bean.

    (iii) Wind break crops: Crops which are grown on boundaries to protect the field crops from wind.

   (iv)  Cover crops: Cover crops are grown primarily to cover the soil and to reduce the lost of moisture and erosion by wind and water. e.g. groundnut, kidney bean, cowpea, mung bean.

   (v)  Silage crops: Crop which are preserved in a succulent condition by partial fermentation in a tight silo pit. e.g. maize, sorghum, bajra.

   (vi) Cash crops: crop grown for sale and brings money immediately. e.g. cotton, tobacco, potato, sugarcane.

   (vii) Green manure crops: Any crop which are grown and buried into the soil for improving the soil condition by the addition of organic matter. e.g. sun hemp, dhaincha, glyricidia.

  (viii) Pasture crops: Different types of vegetation found on pastures or grassland area which usually grow. e.g. dharo, zinzvo.

   (ix) Catch crops: Crop which is grown as substitute for the main crop that has failed on account of unfavorable condition. e.g. cowpea, sesame, green gram.

   (x) Trap crops: Crop which is grown on boundary of the field for protection against pest, insect, disease.

  (xi) Nurse crops: Crop which is used to protect or nurse the other crops in their young stage. e.g. cluster bean in ginger, sun hemp in sugarcane.

 (xii) Companion crops: Two crops are taken together with the aim that they are benefited to each other. e.g. maize and green gram.

 (xiii) Mixed crops : Two or more than two crops are grown together on the same piece of land at the same time. e.g. bajra + cowpea + green gram.