Classification of Horticultural Crops

1. Chapter 1
Classification
of
Horticultural
Crops
CHS 2502
Horticultural Crops Production

2. Definition of Horticulture
• The growing of flowers, fruits
and vegetables, and of plants for
ornament and fancy (Liberty
Hyde Bailey, American Scholars
of Horticulture.)
• The art and science of plant
production for both beauty and
utility.

3. • The descriptors of horticulture:
1. Horticulture differs from agronomy in many ways but some
crops can be classified as both horticultural and agronomic
depending on use (e.g. sweet corn is horticultural, grain or forage
corn is agronomic).

4. 2. Horticulture deals with high-value crops which are
intensively cultivated with high infusion of capital in terms of
production inputs, labor and technology per land area.

5. 3. Protected cultivation, as in glasshouses and
plastic tunnels, and irrigation are common.

6. 4. The production units for horticultural crops: gardens, orchards,
groves, vineyards, greenhouses, nurseries, and some plantations.

7. 5. Horticulture supports environmental enhancement through a special
branch of horticulture called environmental or urban horticulture which
includes home gardening, landscaping, arboriculture (growing of trees), and
interior decorating with the use of plants. These activities have been applied in
horticultural therapy in which horticultural plants are used as therapeutic tools.

8. • The main divisions or branches of horticulture are:
1. Olericulture - the production of vegetables including storage,
processing, and marketing. Vegetable crops are grown for their
succulent and edible parts such as the roots, stems, leaves, young
tops, flowers, fruits, or seeds for use in culinary preparations either
fresh or preserved in the fresh state.

9. 2. Pomology - the branch of horticulture which
deals with fruit crop production.
• Fruit crops are grown for their edible fruits
which, as a rule, are consumed raw

10. 3. Floriculture - the cultivation and management of cut flowers,
flowering plants, and foliage plants (Louisiana State University
2011) including their use in ornamental construct such as flower
arrangement (ISHS 2011).

11. 4. Plant Propagation/Nursery Crop Culture - the propagation
and production of seedlings, young trees, shrubs and vines, as well
as ground covers, turf, ornamental plants and other crops in
nurseries for landscaping, interior plantscaping, or outplanting.

12. 5. Landscape horticulture - the branch of horticulture which
includes the design, construction and care of landscapes taking into
consideration proper choice of plants and aesthetic effects for
homes, businesses and public places.

13. Crops for horticulture:
• Perennial bush and tree nuts; and aromatic and medicinal foliage,
seeds and roots (ISHS 2011).
• Trees, shrubs, turf and ornamental grasses propagated and
produced in nurseries for use in landscaping or for establishing fruit
orchards or other crop production units.

14. • Horticultural plants also used by animals to produce the end
product.
▫ Honey is a good example and is often considered to be a
horticultural product.

15. ▫ Raw silk is produced by silkworms feeding on mulberry trees
(which also produce an edible fruit) but silk is not a horticultural
crop.
▫ Cultivated or gathered mushrooms (edible fungi) are most often
classed as horticultural crops.

16. Agronomic Classification of
Crops

17. Classification according to use
• Cereal (Grain)
▫ A cereal crop may be defined as a crop that is grown for its edible
seed.

18. • Forage Crop
▫ A forage crop is one grown for the vegetative matter that is produced
and is in turn fed to livestock.
▫ The reproductive structures will be harvested with the vegetative
matter and then fed to the animal.
▫ There are several uses or subdivisions of forage crops depending
upon how the vegetative matter is used or fed to livestock.

19. a. Silage Crop
• Crop stored in a green and succulent condition, allowed to ferment,
and is used for livestock feed.
• In this particular case, the green vegetative material would be
harvested and put in a silo for storage and then removed
periodically for feeding to livestock.
• For example, corn in which harvested during the soft dough to hard
dough stage, chopped up, and then stored in a silo.

20. b. Pasture Crop
• Crop grown and grazed by livestock.
• A pasture crop is one that is grown to be grazed by livestock.

21. c. Hay Crop
• A crop that is cut, allowed to dry and the vegetative matter fed
dry to the livestock usually after forming into bales.

22. • Soiling Crop
▫ A soiling crop is one that is cut and its vegetative material fed
green and succulent to livestock.
▫ In some cases this may be referred to as "green crop".
▫ The main difference between this type of crop and a pasture crop
is that the material is harvested and then fed to the livestock
whereas in a pasture crop the livestock would be allowed to free-
graze and harvest the vegetative material themselves.

23. • Green Manure Crop
▫ A green manure crop is one that is grown and ploughed under or
into the soil while in a green and succulent condition for the
improvement of the soil.
▫ In this particular case, when the vegetative material is turned
under the soil and begins to decompose it returns not only
nutrients to the soil but also increases the organic matter content
of the soil and increases the desirability of the soil for growing
other crops.

24. • Companion Crop
▫ A crop, usually a small grain crop such as wheat, oats, rye, or
barley, that is planted and grown with a seedling such as alfalfa to
obtain a return from the land and/or to prevent soil erosion while
the forage or other seedling is becoming established.
▫ A good example of a companion crop would be the interseeding
of rye, which is a cold hardy crop, with alfalfa during the fall of the
year.
▫ In many cases the establishment of an alfalfa pasture is very
desirable, however, the alfalfa seeded in the fall may not be hardy
enough to over-winter that first winter season.

26. • Small Grain Crop
▫ The small grain crop classification refers to any grain crop in
which the seed are smaller than corn and would be used for the
edible seed.
▫ Examples: wheat, oats, barley, rye, and other crops of this nature.

27. • Oil Crop
▫ Another crop based upon use is that of an oil crop.
▫ As the name implies, an oil crop would be one that is grown for its
oil.
▫ Examples of oil crops would be sunflower, sesame, soybean,
peanut, and other crops of this nature.

28. • Fiber Crop
▫ A fiber crop would be grown for its fiber and probably the most
outstanding example of a fiber crop would be cotton.

29. • Root Crop
▫ A root crop is one that is grown for its edible root.
• Tuber Crop
▫ It is grown specially for its tubers.

30. • Medicinal Crop
▫ Another crop based upon use is that of the drug crop and is one
that is grown for the drugs that it produces.
▫ An example of a drug removed from plants would be belladonna
and digitalis.
▫ The belladonna is primarily a circulatory stimulant while the
digitalis is primarily a heart stimulant and pulse regulator.

31. • Cover Crop
▫ A cover crop is one that is grown to prevent water or wind erosion
of the soil.
▫ In other words it is planted in areas to hold the soil in place
instead of allowing it to be moved away - by either wind or water.

32. Classification according to life span
• Based upon life span, we have three categories of plants. These are
the annuals, the biennials, and the perennial type plants.
a. Annuals
▫ An annual plant is one that completes its entire life cycle in less
than one year and are usually perpetuated by the seed.
▫ Can be classified as winter annuals and summer annuals.
 A winter annual type plant would be one that is planted and
germinates in the fall and lives in the vegetative state over the
winter and then produces seed the following spring or early
summer.

33. b. Biennials
▫ A biennial would be a plant that lives more that one year but not
over two years.
▫ Usually during the first year the plants store food reserves and
the second year they flower and set seed.
▫ Examples of biennial type plants would be sugar beets, carrots,
and onions.
c. Perennial
▫ Defined as plants that live for more that two years.

34. Classification according to growth habit
• In this particular category there are basically two types: those being
the woody and herbaceous type of plants.
a. Woody
▫ Woody type plants are those that develop extensive secondary
stem tissue.
▫ Within the woody classification, there are two basic sub-types;
those being the evergreen and deciduous type plants.
 Evergreen type plants keep or retain their leaves throughout
the year.
 Deciduous plants drop their leaves sometime during the year
and usually this is during the winter season.

35. Woody plants and deciduous plants

36. b. Herbaceous
 A herbaceous plant is one that is succulent and has very
little secondary tissue.
 Many of these plants are use as herbs (medicinal use).

37. Classification according to climatic
adaptation
• Tropical plants
▫ These are the plants that grow in the tropical areas or warm
climates where freezing occurs very rarely, if ever.
▫ In general, the tropical area runs from approximately 20° south
latitude to 20° north latitude.
▫ In most cases, tropical plants do shed their leaves for a portion
of the season, however, it is usually only for a very brief period
of time.

38. Tropical plants in Malaysia

39. • Temperate plants
▫ These are the plants that grow in the temperate climates or in
climates where there is a very distinct winter season. This region
runs from approximately 20° N. latitude to 60° N. latitude. Hence,
most of the crops grown in this area would be the temperate type.
▫ Can be further subdivided into three different regions:
 Sub-tropical areas and are those areas that border on the
tropical areas.
 Freezing does occur but is usually for very short periods of time
and the temperatures do not go much below freezing.

40. Temperate plants

41. • Arctic plants
▫ Plants that grow in areas where most of the season is cold to very
cold.
▫ The arctic area runs from approximately 60° ' N. latitude to 80° N.
latitude.

42. Classification according to
water requirement
• Hydrophytes
▫ These are the plants that grow where water is very abundant.
▫ Examples of hydrophytes would be cattails, water lilies, and other
plants that grow in and around water.

43. • Mesophytes
▫ These would be the plants that grow where the amounts of water
are intermediate.
▫ Most agronomic crops like cotton, grain sorghum, and corn would
be indicative or representative of the mesophyte type of plants.

44. • Xerophytes
▫ These are the plants that grow in very dry areas.
▫ Many of the desert plants, such as cactus etc.,
would be representative of the xerophytes.

45. Agronomic vs Horticultural Crops
• Agronomic crops consist of cereal or grain crops, grain legumes or
pulses and oilseed crops for food, feed or industrial use, pasture and
forage crops, fiber crops, sugar crops, and starchy root and tuber
crops.
• Horticultural crops consist of the olericultural or vegetable crops,
pomological or fruit crops and edible nuts, ornamental crops, and
nursery crops. In addition, the aromatic crops and the medicinal
crops are generally included. The ornamental crops are further
grouped into flowering and foliage plants which are grown for special
purposes such as for cutflowers, potted plants, landscaping, interior
decoration, or floral arrangement.