Introduction to field crops

• Field crops


  Crops grown on a vast scale under field condition. They are mostly seasonal such as rice, wheat, cotton etc.
• Classifications of field crops

  • According to range of cultivation
  • According to the place of origin
  • Botanical classification
  • Commercial classification
  • Economic/Agricultural/Agrarian classification
  • Seasonal classification
  • Classification based on ontogeny
  • According to cultural requirement
• Garden crop


  • Grown on a small scale in gardens. e.g., Onion, Brinjal etc.
• Plantation crop


  • Grown on a large scale in estates and perennial in nature. e.g., Tea, Coffee, etc.
• Field crop


  • Grown on a vast scale under field condition. They are mostly seasonal such as rice, wheat, cotton etc.
• Native


  Crops grown within the geographical limits of their origin, for e.g., rice, sugarcane and cotton, grown in India, are native to India.
• Exotic or Introduced


  Crops introduced from other countries, such as tobacco, potato, jute,maize, apple, etc.
• Botanical/Taxonomical classification


  • Poaceae (Graminae): Cereals, millets and grasses
  • Papilionaceae (Legumes): Pulses, legume fodders, vegetables, groundnut, berseem,green manures etc.
  • Cruciferae: Mustard, Indian rape seed, radish cabbage, cauliflower etc.
  • Cucurbitaceae: All gourds, cucumber, pumpkin etc.
  • Malvaceae: Cotton, lady's finger, Roselle etc.
  • Solanaceae: Potato, tomato, tobacco, chillies, brinjal
  • Tiliaceae: Jute
  • Asteraceae (Compositae): Sunflower, safflower, niger
  • Chenopodiaceae: Spinach, sugar beet
  • Pedeliaceae: Sesame
  • Euphorbiaceae: Castor, tapioca
• Commercial classification


  • Food crops: Rice, wheat, green gram, soybean, groundnut, etc.
  • Food crops/Forage crops: All fodders, oats, sorghum, maize, napier grass, stylo, Lucerne etc.
  • Industrial/Commercial crops: Cotton, sugarcane, sugar beet, tobacco, jute, etc.
  • Food adjuvunts: Turmeric, garlic, cumin, etc.
• Cereals


  They are cultivated grasses grown for their edible starchy grains. Larger grains used as staple food are cereals–rice, wheat, maize, barley, oats etc.
• Ceres


  The word cereal was derived from the word which denotes a goddess who was believed as the giver of grains by Romans.
• Millets


  • Major - Sorghum, pearl Millet or cumbu and finger millet or ragi.
  • Minor - Fox tail millet, little millet, common millet, barnyard millet and kodomillet
• Oilseeds


  Crops that yield seeds rich in fatty acids, are used to extract vegetable oils. e.g., groundnut or peanut, sesamum or gingelly, sunflower, castor, and cotton.
• Feed/Forage


  It refers to vegetative matter, fresh or preserved, utilized as feed for animals. It includes hay, silage, and fodder. e.g., bajra napier grass.
• Sugar and starch crops


  • Sugarcane, sugar beet, potato, sweet potato, tapioca and asparagus.
• Spices and condiments


  • Ginger, garlic, chillies, onion
• Drug crops/medicinal plants


  • Ampalaya, bawang, akapulko, lagundi, etc.
• Narcotics, fumitories and masticatories


  • Tobacco, ganja, opium poppy.
• Beverages


  • Tea, coffee, cocoa.
• Seasonal classification


  • South West Monsoon season crops
  • Post monsoon crops
  • Summer crops
• According to Ontogeny


  • Annual crops
  • Biennial crops
  • Perennial crops
• According to Cultural Requirement of Crops


  • Irrigated crops
  • Rainfed crops
• According to the suitability of the textural groups of soils

  • Crops suitable to sandy to sandy loam soils
  • Crops suitable to silty loam soils
  • Crop suitable to clay loam soils
• According to tillage requirement

  • Arable crops
• According to the depth of root system

  • Shallow rooted crops
  • Moderately deep rooted
  • Deep rooted
  • Very deep rooted
• According to method of sowing/planting


  • Direct seeded crop
  • Planted crops
  • Transplanted crops
• According to inter-tillage requirement specially earthing up

  • Intertilled crops
  • Non-intertilled crops
• According to length of field duration of crops

  • Very short duration crops (upto 75 days)
  • Short duration crops (75–100 days)
  • Medium duration crops (100–125 days)
  • Long duration crops (125–150 days)
  • Very long duration crops: above 150 days
• According to the method of harvesting

  • Reaping
  • Uprooting by pulling
  • Uprooting by digging
  • Picking
  • Priming
  • Cutting
• Based on crops growing soil condition

  • Psammophytes (Sandy soil)
  • Lithophytes (Rock surface)
  • Chasmophytes (Rock crack)
  • Acedophytes (Acid soil)
  • Basophytes (Alkali soil)
  • Calciphytes (Basic soil)
  • Halophytes (Saline soil)