Types of Crops

The large population of our country mainly depends on the cultivation of crops for their livelihood. Our country's weather, soil and other environmental factors favour agricultural practices to a large extent. So, crop production sufficiently contributes to the economy of our country.

What Is Agriculture?

• The practice of crop production is called agriculture.
• The meaning of agriculture is the cultivation of soil to produce crops.

What are crops?

• A group of similar plants grown over a large area of land for a commercial purpose is called a crop.
• They can be classified based on their utility and the season in which they are grown.

• The crops which are grown to provide food to the human population all over the world are called food crops.

         Examples: Wheat, rice, millets, fruits, vegetables, etc.

• Wheat is the most grown crop worldwide, followed by rice.
• Food crops are either directly consumed or used to manufacture different processed food.

         Examples: Bread, pizza, and pastries are made from wheat as the base ingredient.

• The crops which are grown to produce food for the livestock are called feed crops.
• Livestock refers to a group of animals like cows, goats, buffalo, sheep, etc., which man rears to obtain different animal products like milk, eggs, animal fibres etc.
• The fodder for animals is generally obtained from the leaf and stem of the crops grown.
• The vegetative parts of food crops like wheat, rice and millets are also used to make livestock fodder.
• Various kinds of grasses and hay belong to this category.

• Fibres are obtained from either plants or animals.
• Fibre crops are the crops that are mainly grown to obtain the plant fibres.
• Different parts of fibre crops are used for making plant fibres.

         Examples of Fibre Crops:

1. Jute fibres are extracted out of the stem of the jute plant; similarly, the cotton flowers are picked to make cotton fibre.
2. Bamboo leaves and sticks are used to make different items, and their pulp is used to make paper.
3. Dry coconut parts are also used to make fibres.

• The crops which are grown to produce oil are called oil crops.
• Oil is collected by pressing the seeds of such crops.
• The waste collected while extracting oil is used as manure and animal feed.

          Examples: Groundnut, sunflower, mustard, sesamum, and olives.

• The crops that are cultivated to increase the scenic beauty of any landscape or garden are called ornamental crops.
• These crops produce flowers or possess coloured leaves of various shapes, making the plants look more attractive.

          Examples: Flower producing trees like Gulmohar, ornamental shrubs, grasses and climbers like 7 o’clock.

• The crops grown mainly for producing raw materials for different industries are called industrial crops.

         Examples:

1. Trees like rosewood, Sal, Arjun, and Mahogany for timber.
2. Hevea brasiliensis tree for the production of latex for manufacturing rubber.
3. Indigofera tinctoria for producing indigo, a blue dye.
4. Wood pulp from many trees is used for the production of paper.