Agriculture and Crop Science

• Plant


  Any organism belonging to the Kingdom Plantae, typically lacking active locomotion or obvious nervous system or sensory organs and has photosynthetic ability
• Crop


  Domesticated/cultivated plants grown for profit. It usually connotes a group or population of cultivated plants
• Crop Science


  • Concerned with the observation and classification of knowledge concerning economically cultivated crops and the establishment of verifiable principles regarding their growth and development for the purpose of deriving the optimum benefit from them
• Areas of Crop Science

  • Agronomy - deals with the principles and practices of managing field crops and soils
  • Horticulture - deals with gardens and plants within an enclosure, including Pomology (fruits), Olericulture (vegetables), Floriculture (flowers), Nursery management, Landscape gardening
• Crop Production


  • Its science is derived from the adoption or application of the basic sciences of chemistry, mathematics, physics, and from various applied sciences like physiology, meteorology, anatomy, plant breeding etc.
  • It requires skills to produce crops even with little or no scientific training
  • Plants are not grown simply to satisfy the needs of man but to realize some profit in the process of production
• Agricultural research in the Philippines

  • State colleges and universities offering degrees in agriculture
  • Department of Agriculture Research Networks
  • National commodity research centers (FIDA, NTA, PhilRice, PCA, SRA, PRCRTC, NPRCRTC, NARC)
  • Special and discipline-oriented research centers (IPB, NCPC, NPGRL, PHTRC, BIOTECH)
  • Private seed companies (East West, Monsanto, Pioneer, Syngenta, Allied Botanicals)
• Major international research organizations

  • IRRI - International Rice Research Institute (Philippines)
  • CIMMYT - Centro International de Mejoramiente de Maize y Trigo (Mexico)
  • CIP - Centro International de Patatas (Peru)
  • ICRISAT - International Center for Semi Arid Tropics (India)
  • CIAT - Centro de International de Agricultural Tropical (Colombia)
  • ICARDA - International Center for Agricultural Research for Dry Areas (Syria)
  • IITA - International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (Nigeria)
  • ICRAF - International Center for Research on Agroforestry (Kenya)
  • AVRDC - Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (Taiwan)
  • Biodiversity International - for International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (Italy)
• Crops are classified for order and organization as agricultural crops are diverse in nature
• Crops can be identified by their common name which varies from one locality to another or by their scientific name which is constant worldwide
• Systems of Classification


  • Artificial system- based on convenience in which a structure or feature serves as a basis of grouping
  • Natural system- uses the most prominent and most peculiar morphological structure of the plant with the intention of grouping together those crops which are most closely related in a number of structures
  • Phylogenetic system- plants are classified according to their evolutionary status
• General Classification of Crops - According to growth habit


  • Herbs succulent plants with self-supporting stems, with soft stems
  • Vines succulent or woody plants without self-supporting stems
  • Shrubs may have several main branches with no trunk and rarely grows higher than 5 meters
  • Trees with single central stem to which branches are attached, usually taller than shrub
• General Classification of Crops - According to life cycle


  • Annuals- complete their cycle in 1 year or less
  • Biennials- plants ordinarily require 2 years or at least part of 2 growing seasons with a dormant period between growth stages to complete their life cycle
  • Perennials- plants that do not die after flowering but live from year to year
• General Classification of Crops - According to mode of reproduction

  • Sexual- plants that develop after undergoing processes of meiosis and fertilization in the flower to produce a viable embryo in the seed
  • Asexual plants that are produced by any vegetative means not involving meiosis and the union of gametes
• Special types of plants

  • Parasites- parasitic, sucking roots
  • Epiphytes grow upon other plants (orchids) but not parasitic
• Saprophytes

  Grow in places rich in decaying organic substances
• Classification of Crops

  • Cereals/grain crops
  • Legumes
  • Root crops
  • Fiber crops
  • Oil crops
  • Sugar crops
  • Pasture/Forage crops
  • Beverage crops
  • Spices, condiments, essences
  • Latex and resins
  • Medicinal and herbal crops
  • Vegetables
  • Fruits
  • Ornamentals
• Green manure


  A crop that is plowed under while still green and growing to improve the soil
• Cover crop


  A crop grown to provide soil cover, prevent soil erosion by wind or water, and suppress weeds
• Companion crop


  A crop grown together with another and harvested partly. The combination benefits both of the crops
• Trap crop


  A crop that is planted to protect the main crop from pests by attracting the pest to the crop before and later destroying it
• Catch crop


  A short-seasoned crop grown immediately after the failure of the main crop to fill the gap
• The plant body is composed of three organs: leaf -for photosynthesis, stem -for support and transport, and root -for anchoring and absorption of water and minerals
• Flowering plants (angiosperms) are the most successful group of plants, with about 250,000 species
• The plant body contains embryo and cotyledon (endowed with food reserves) which are protected with a seed coat
• The plant body develops under favorable conditions of water, oxygen, and sometimes light, and the root and shoot develop from the embryo
• The plant grows due to cell division in the meristematic regions
• At a certain stage, the plant produces flowers and fruits that complete the life cycle of the plant
• Tissue is composed of cells of the same type and function
• Organ is composed of various tissues with different functions and structures
• System is composed of interacting organs that coordinates functional complexes in the life of the organism
• Meristematic tissues are the parts of the plant where cell division takes place to give rise to primary meristems that contribute to the growth of the plant
• Apical meristems are located at the tips of shoots and roots and give rise to primary growth
• Intercalary meristems are located between mature tissues and bases of young leaves and stems and contribute to secondary growth
• Epidermis is the outermost layer of cells of the primary plant body
• Parenchyma is the most common and versatile tissue, found in the pith, cortex, and pericycle of roots and stems, and in the mesophyll of leaves
• Collenchyma is a thickened tissue found in the cortex of stems and petioles or along the veins of leaves
• Tissue


  Composed of cells that are structurally and functionally related
• Organ


  Composed of various tissues with different functions that work together
• System


  Composed of interacting organs that coordinates functional processes in the life of the organism
• Meristem

  • Part of plant where cell division occurs
  • Gives rise to primary growth (root or shoot)
  • Contains cells that are capable of dividing