2. What are the so-called horticultural crops? Why
are they called as such?
Many families have benefitted much from horticultural crops, for
these crops have become a source of joy and a source of income.
Besides, through these crops, family members work as one where
they get to bond together and be closer with one another.
3. Plants can be classified according to the
following criteria:
(1)botanical, (2) descriptive, and (3) agricultural. Botanical
classification is based on the morphological characteristics of
plants as well as on their anatomy, physiology, and DNA sequences.
Descriptive classification is based on the environmental
adaptation, growth habit, and other observable features. In
agriculture, plants can be broadly classified as either useful or not
useful. Those which are useful are called crops while those which
are not useful are called weeds.
6. According to Mode of Reproduction
1.Sexual. These are plants that develop
from a seed or spore after undergoing
union of male and female gametes.
Examples: palms and ferns.
2. Asexual. These are plants which
reproduce by any vegetative means without
the union of the sexual gametes. Examples:
red mombin (sineguelas), ginger, etc.
7. According to Mode of Pollination
1. Naturally self-pollinated crops. The
predominant mode of pollination in
these plants is self-pollination in which
both pollen and embryo sac are
produced in the same floral structure or
in different flowers but within the same
plant. Examples: rice, okra, tobacco,
tomato, etc.
8. 2. Naturally cross-pollinated crops. Pollen
transfer in these plants is from the anther
of one flower to the stigma of another
flower in a separate plant, although self
pollination may reach 5 percent or more.
Examples: corn and many grasses,
mango, sunflower, most plants with
unisexual or imperfect flowers.
3. Both self-and cross-pollinated crops.
These plants are largely self-pollinated but
varying amounts of cross pollination
occur. Examples: cotton and sorghum.
9. According to Life Span
1. Annual. These are plants which live
within a short period of time, for a
few weeks or months perpetuated by
seed, and which die soon after
producing seeds; a plant which
germinate, grow, flower, produce
seed, and die all in one season.
Examples: rice, corn, cowpea,
mungbean, squash.
10. 2. Biennial. These are plants which require two
growing seasons to complete its life cycle. The first
is for vegetative growth and accumulation of food
reserves, and the second is for the produc tion of
reproductive parts. It grows from a seed, produces
flower and seed and then dies in two growing
seasons. Examples: bulb onion, cabbage, carrot,
celery,etc.
3. Perennial. These are plants that lives indefinitely,
including all trees and shrubs and many herbaceous
plants with underground stems (e.g. corn) like
banana. Perennial plants continue growing and
produce seeds year after year, either from a single
plant or, in herbaceous plants, from succeeding
regrowth.
11. According to Stem Structure
1.Herbs. These are succulent plants with self-supporting
stems. Examples: banana, sugarcane, etc.
2. Vines. These are herbaceous climbing or twining
plants without self-supporting stems. Examples:
cucumber, bittergourd (ampa laya), pole sitao, etc.
3. Lianas. These are woody climbing or twining plants
which depend on other plants for vertical support to
climb up to the top of the canopy. Examples: Climbing
bamboo, passion fruit, etc.
12. 4. Shrubs. These are small trees or tree-like
plants, generally less than 5 meters in height
but other varieties are restricted to small,
erect, woody plants which produce several
trunks from the base. Examples: Barbados
cherry, pinkjasmine (kamuning), siam weed
(hagonoy), santan, etc.
5. Trees. These are plants having erect and
continuous growth with a large development
of woody tissue, with a single distinct stem
or trunk, reaching a height of 5 meters or
more. Examples: durian, mango, molave,
narra, tamarind, etc.
13. According to Leaf Retention
1.Evergreen. These are plants that maintain their leaves
through out the year. Old leaves are continually replaced by
new flushes. Examples: pines, banana, palms, etc.
2. Deciduous. These are plants which naturally shed off or
lose leaves annually for extended periods, Natural leaf
shedding is pronounced in deciduous trees of temperate
regions. In the Philippines, defoliation occurs during summer
month in Fire Tree (Delonix regia) and red mombin or
sineguelas, Many other plants exhibit partial defoliation
during drought.
14. According to Habitat
1. Aquatic or hydrophytic plant. A
plant that grows in water or
waterlogged soil. Examples:
Kangkong (Ipomea aquatica) bulrush
(Cyperus spp.), lotus (Nelumbo
nucifera), water lily (Nymphaea spp.),
mangrove species.
15. 2. Epiphytic plant. A plant that grows
aboveground on another plant but it is
not parasitic, usually deriving only physical
support from the host and obtaining
nourishment from the air and other
sources. Examples; orchid, fern, etc.
3. Halophytic plant. A plant that is able to
grow in habitats excessively rich in salts or
under saline conditions. Examples: nipa,
talisay, bakawan and other mangrove
species. Coconut, cashew and tamarind
have varying levels of tolerance to saline
conditions.
16. 4. Lithophytic plant. A plant adapted
to growing on rocks or in rocky
terrain with little humus, absorbing
nutrients from the atmosphere, rain,
and decaying matter which
accumulate on the rocks.
5. Mesophytic plant. A terrestrial plant
which is adapted to moderate
conditions for growth, i.e. not too dry
and not too wet e.g. corn
17. 6. Parasitic plant. A plant which grows
on another plant from which it takes
part or all nourishment e.g. Cassytha,
Loranthaceae (mistletoe family),
Rafflesia, etc.
7. Saprophytic crop. This grows on
decaying organic matter and has no
green tissue. This classification applies
to the mushroom, which are fungi.
18. 8. Sciophytes plant. A plant that is
adapted to lowlight intensity or shade, e.g.
most ferns and mosses, black pepper,
cacao, coffee, lanzones, mangosteen hot
pepper, ginger, etc.
9. Terrestrial. A plant which grows on
land. Most agricultural crops are
terrestrial and are further classified into
various groups such as halophytes,
mesophytes, sciophytes and xerophytes
depending on climatic and special
adaptations.
19. 10. Xerophytic plant. A plant which is
adapted to conditions which little or
no water. Examples: Adelfa,
euphorbias, cacti, bromyliads, etc.
