Horticulture Guruji

Classification of Vegetables

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.

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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:

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.

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

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

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:

Short day vegetables: Sweet potato
Long day vegetables: Flowering is induced by periods longer than critical units. eg; Spinach, beet, Chinese cabbage, Lettuce, Radish, etc.
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. 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:

Direct sown crops: Okra, Carrot, Radish, Beans, Peas, Garlic.
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:

Cool forcing vegetables: Asparagus, Beetroot, Cauliflower, Celery, Lettuce, Onion, Pea, Radish, Spinach
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