Topic 2 Classification of Vegetables

Horticulture Guruji

Classification of Vegetables

Vegetable Science
हिन्दी में पढ़ें

There are more than 240 plants in the world that are used as vegetables. Hence, their classification is essential to understand the nature of vegetable crops and their commonness or distinctness requirement for commercial production. The classification is mainly to show the relationship between the individual vegetables and to avoid repetition while describing their cultural operations.

Watch Lecture Video

1.  Botanical classification                         

Monocotyledonae (one seed half):  
1)Amaryllidaceae (Alliaceae)  
Onion
Garlic      
Leek   		 Allium cepa
A. sativum    
A. porrum
2) Araceae  
Colocasia  Colocasia esculenta   
3) Liliaceae  
Asparagus Asparagus officinalis
4) Dioscorecaeae  
Yam Dioscorea alata
Dicotyledonae (Two seed half):  
1) Chenopodiaceae  
Beet Beta vulgaris
Spinach Spinacia oleracea
Palak Beta vulgaris var.bengalensis 
2) Convolvulaceae  
Sweet potato    Ipomoea batatas
3) Cruciferae ( Brassicacaeae)  
Cabbage Brassica oleraceae var. capitata
Cauliflower Brassica oleraceae var. botrytis
Knol khol Brassica oleraceae var. gongylodes
Brussels sprout Brassica oleraceae var. Gemmifera
Chinese cabbage B. Campestris var.pekinensis
Turnip  B.campestris var. rapa
Mustard B. juncea
Raddish Raphanus sativus
4) Cucurbitaceae  
Pumpkin Cucurbita moschata
Summer squash Cucurbita pepo
Cucumber Cucumis sativus
Ridge gourd Luffa acutangula
Sponge gourd Luffa cylindrica
Snake gourd Trichosanthes cucumerina
Bottle gourd  Lagenaria siceraria
Watermelon Citrullus lanatus
Winter squash Cucurbita maxima
Bitter gourd Momordica charantia
Pointed gourd Trichosanthes dioica
5) Compositae (Asteraceae)  
Lettuce                       
Globe artichoke
Jerusalem artichoke 		 Lactuca sativa
Cynara scolymus
Helianthus tuberosus
6) Euphorbiaceae  
Tapioca/cassava   Manihot esculenta
7) Leguminosae (Fabaceae)  
Cluster bean   
Indian bean/Hyacinth bean   
Lima bean		 Cyamopsis tetragonoloba
Dolichos lablab
Phaseolus lunatus
Kidney/snap/French bean 
Cowpea
Winged bean/Goa bean  
Methi/fenugreek		 P.vulgaris
Vigna sinensis
Psophocarpus tetragonolobus
Trigonella foenum graecum
8) Malvaceae  
Okra  Abelmoschus esculentus
9) Solanaceae  
Potato 
Tomato		 Solanum tuberosum 
Solanum lycopersicum
Sweet pepper Capsicum annuum var grossum
Chili
Brinjal  		 Capsicum annuum var annuum
Solanum melongena
10) Umbelliferae  
Carrot
Coriander          
Celery		 Daucus carota
Coriandrum sativum
Apium graveolens

 

2. Parts used:

  • Stem: Asparagus, Potato, Kholrabi (Knol-Khol)
  • Leaves: Methi, Palak, Coriander, Amaranthus, Spinach, Cabbage
  • Fruits: Tomato, Brinjal, Okra, Peas, Beans, Watermelon, Pumpkin, Chilies
  • Flower: Cauliflower, Broccoli, Globe artichoke
  • Immature seed: Peas, Beans
  • Underground portions:
    • Roots: Beetroot, Radish, Carrot
    • Tuber: Potato
    • Bulb: Onion, Garlic
    • Corm: Yam
    • Rhizome: Turmeric, Ginger

 

3. Method of culture:

By this method, it is possible to generalize the cultivation practices based on their culture and climatic requirements.

Sr.no

Group

Vegetables

1

Perennial vegetables

Asparagus, Artichoke, Chow chow, Moringa, Ivy guard, Pointed gourd, Spine gourd

2

Greens

Spinach, New Zealand spinach, Kale, Chard, Mustard, Collards, Amaranthus

3

Salad crops

Celery, Lettuce, Cress, Parsley

4

Cole crops

Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Brussel’s sprout Chinese cabbage, Knol-khol

5

Root crops

Beetroot, Carrot, Parsnip, Turnip, Radish

6

Bulb crops

Onion, Leek, Garlic, Shallot, Welsh Onion, Chive

7

Tuber crops

Potato, Sweet potato, Cassava, Elephant foot yam

8

Peas and beans

Pea, Bean, Broad bean, Lima bean, Winged bean, Cowpea

9

Solanaceous crops

Tomato, Brinjal, Chili, Pepper

10

Cucurbits

Cucumber, Watermelon, Pumpkin, Gourds

 

4. Life cycle:

  1. Annuals: Vegetables that complete their life cycle in one season.

               Eg: Broad bean, Lima bean, Watermelon, Musk melon, Indian spinach, Chinese cabbage, tomato brinjal, etc.

  1. Biennial: Those vegetables which complete their life cycle in two seasons.

               Eg. Cabbage, cauliflower, turnip, carrot, potato, etc.,

  1. Perennial: Those vegetables which complete their life cycle in more than two seasons.

               Eg. Artichoke, asparagus, chow chow, drumstick, etc.,

 

5. Thermo classification:

On the basis of temperature, vegetable crops may be grouped into cool and warm-season crops. The cool season crops grow well when the monthly mean temperature does not exceed 210 C. They thrive best if the monthly mean temperature is 15-170 C. The warm season crops on the other hand grow best when the monthly mean and average maximum temperature is 50 to 60C higher than for the cool season crops. The average monthly minimum temperature should not be below 90C to 100C for the warm season crops.

Cool-season vegetable crops

Warm-season vegetable crops

Cole crops

Beans(mostly)

Root crops

Brinjal, tomato, chilli

Bulb crops

Gourds

Lettuce

Okra

Methi

Cassava

Pea

Summer squash

Potato

Sweet potato

Winter squash

Yam

 

6. Photoperiod:

  1. Short day vegetables: Sweet potato
  2. Long day vegetables: Flowering is induced by periods longer than critical units. eg; Spinach, beet, Chinese cabbage, Lettuce, Radish, etc.
  3. Day-neutral vegetables: Flowerings induced by a period of 10-18 hours of even continuous illumination. eg: Tomato, Squash, Pumpkin, Asparagus, Pepper, etc.

 

7. Growing season:

      1. Kharif: Cucurbitaceous vegetables which complete their life cycle during the rainy season.
      2. Rabi: Root crops, Cole crops, Potato, Lettuce, etc., which grow from October to February
      3. Summer: watermelon, muskmelon, etc. which grow from February to May.

 

8. Methods of raising:

  1. Direct sown crops: Okra, Carrot, Radish, Beans, Peas, Garlic.
  2. Transplanted crops: Tomato, Brinjal, Chilies, Cabbage, Cauliflower.

 

9. Rate of respiration:

  • After harvest, the rate of respiration of the parts harvested enhanced depending on the climatic conditions. The vegetable having the lowest rate of respiration possess the longest storage ability.

Respiration rate of vegetables

Very high

High

Moderate

Low

Very low

Asparagus

Bean

Beet

Cabbage

Onion

Broccoli

Lettuce

Carrot

Sweet potato

Potato

Pea

Lima bean

Celery

Turnip

Pumpkin

Spinach

 

Cucumber 

 

Ash gourd

 

10. Forcing:

  1. Cool forcing vegetables: Asparagus, Beetroot, Cauliflower, Celery, Lettuce, Onion, Pea, Radish, Spinach
  2. Warm forcing vegetables: Bean, Cucumber, Brinjal, Muskmelon, Pepper, Tomato

 

11. Soil reaction (pH):

Slightly tolerant
(6.0-6.8 pH)

Moderately tolerant
(5.5-6.0pH)

Highly tolerant
(5.0-5.5pH)

Asparagus

Carrot

Potato

Onion, Cauliflower

Cucumber

Sweet potato

Broccoli, Leek

Brinjal, Garlic

Watermelon

Cabbage,

Pea, Chili, Radish

Chicory

Lettuce, Muskmelon

Pumpkin, Tomato

Rhubarb

Celery

Turnip,

 

 

12. Rooting depth:

Shallow rooted
(30-40 cm)

Moderately deep-rooted
(50-60 cm)

Deep-rooted
(80-100 cm and above)

Broccoli

Beet

Artichoke

Brussels sprout

Carrot

Asparagus

Cabbage

Cucumber

Cluster bean

Cauliflower

Brinjal

Cow pea

Garlic, Leek, Lettuce

Muskmelon

French bean

Onion, Potato, Radish

Pea, Pepper

Lima bean

Spinach

Summer squash, Turnip

Pumpkin, Sweet-potato, Tomato, Watermelon

 

Objective Questions of Vegetable Science

All Types of Horticultural Crops

Visit Us