CLASSIFICATION OF CROPS BASED ON LIFE CYCLE AND MORPHOLOGY.

Classification of Crops based on Life Cycle

Life cycle means a period from germination to harvesting. Based on these, crops are classified into three groups

  1. Annual Crops

These are crops that complete their life cycle within one year e.g Rice, Cowpea, Millet, Groundnut, Maize etc.

  • Biennial Crops

These are crops which complete their life cycle within two years e.g Carrot, Pineapple , Ginger, etc.

  • Perennial Crops

These are crops which complete their life cycle in more than two years e.g Mango, Rubber, Citrus, Oil palm etc.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

  1. Explain the term life cycle.
  2. State the classes of crops based on life cycle with three examples each.

Classification of Crops based on Morphology.

Based on their structure, crops can be classified into two groups as follows

  1. Monocotyledonous Crops

These are crops that have only one seed leaf (cotyledon). Examples are rice, maize, oil palm, coconut, wheat, barley, sorghum etc.

  • Dicotyledonous Crops

These are crops that have two seed leaves. Examples are cocoa, cowpea, groundnut, mango, Citrus, Soybeans, etc.

Differences between Monocot and Dicot Plants

S/NMonocotyledonous PlantDicotyledonous Plant
1It has one seed leafIt  has two seed leaves
2It has parallel veinIt has net vein
3Germination is hypogealGermination is epigeal
4It has fibrous root systemIt has tap root system
5Absence of petiolePetiole is present
6It  has single erect stem without branchesIt has single stem with branches
7It has narrow thin leavesIt has broad leaves
8Pollination is windPollination is insects

REVIEW QUESTIONS

  1. Explain the term life cycle
  2. State the classes of crops based on life cycle with three examples each.