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Horticultural Classification of Vegetables in Agriculture (Part 2)

Vegetable Classification Based on Edible and Economic Part Features

This is an interesting base of classification. In this, vegetables are classified on the basis of the parts of plants. These parts are either cultivated or harvested for the purpose of food or may be for other uses. Additional information is given in the coming lines.

In this class, vegetables are further sub-classed into Root Vegetables, Bulb Vegetables, Tuber Vegetables, Green Vegetables, and Pod Vegetables.

Root Vegetables or Roots: Vegetables in which the edible part is root are known as Root Vegetables or Roots. In this case, root, which is the primary part of a plant like stem and leave, become enlarge and modified into a specialized storage organ to store or accumulate extra food made by the plant. The roots are then dug from the soil and used as food item. Notable examples of Root Vegetables are Potato, Ginger, Turnip and Radish.

Bulb Vegetables or Bulbs: Vegetables, in which stem and leaves perform the function of roots like in Root Vegetables are known as Bulb Vegetables or Bulbs. In Bulb Vegetables, the stem is modified into highly compressed form known as Basal while the leaves act as the storage organs. Onion is one of the best examples of Bulb Vegetables. Other examples are Kohlrabi and Scallion.  

Tuber Vegetables or Tubers: Underground growths that contain plant’s nutrient reserves in the stem are known as Tuber Vegetables or Tubers. Tuber Vegetables have same resemblance like roots. The difference is that in Root Vegetables, the storage organ is root, while in Tubers; the storage organ is swollen stem. Irish Potato and Parsnip are common examples of Tuber Vegetables.

Green Vegetables or Greens: Vegetables, in which leaves are consumed as food item, are known as Green Vegetables or Greens. In this case, leaves are picked when they are at tender stage. After picking, leaves are cooked in variety of ways before use as food. Spinach and Fenugreek are important examples of Green Vegetables.

Pod Vegetables or Pods: Vegetables in which pods are consumed as food item are known as Pod Vegetables or Pods. These are harvested prematurely for cooking purpose. Pod Vegetables are eaten while the seeds are inside the pods. If harvesting is delayed, majority of Pod Vegetables become unfit to consume as food especially in fresh form. Usually the Pod Vegetables are consumed when they are green. Okra, Lotus and Green Beans are important examples of Pod Vegetables.

Cite this Article in APA Style as:

[box type=”note” align=”aligncenter” ]Rahman, M. A. (2017, October 07). Horticultural Classification of Vegetables in Agriculture (Part 2) [Blog Post]. Retrieved from http://aridagriculture.com/2017/10/07/vegetable-classification-in-agriculture-2[/box]

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