Classification according to uses and types 

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TOPIC: CLASSIFICATION OF CROPS ACCORDING TO USES AND TYPES

There are many classes of crops depending on their types and uses. These are cereals, legumes, tubers, vegetables, fruits, beverages, oils, drugs, spices, latex and sugar crops.

Cereals: These are plants that are grown to produce grains used for food by man and animals. They are mostly in the form of grasses. Examples of cereals are maize, rice, millet, guinea corn, sorghum and wheat.

Uses

1. For making flour used in baking bread and producing biscuits, e.g. wheat.
2. Cooked as food, e.g. rice.
3. Roasted, boiled, and eaten, e.g. maize.
4. Made as pap for meal, especially breakfast.
5. For making starch.
6. For feeding domestic animals.
7. Used As raw materials for industries.

 

Legumes: These are plants of the beans family. They produce pods that bear seeds in rows. The pods are split into two along their lengths when dry to bring out the seeds. Examples are cowpea, soya bean, green beans and pigeon pea.

Uses

1. Legumes can be boiled, eaten alone or eaten with other food items.
2. Some can be ground and fried as balls, e.g. akara balls.
3. Some can be prepared into flour for baking bread.
4. Some are used for preparing babies’ food.
5. Some are used for making animal feed.

 

Tubers: Tubers are the roots of some crops, e.g. cassava, and the stems of other crops, e.g. yam. They grow inside the soil.

Uses

1. Yam and cassava can be boiled or roasted for food.
2. Some can be pounded and eaten with soup.
3. Some can be prepared into flour meal, e.g. amala (yam) and foofoo (cassava).
4. Some can be fried as chips for food.
5. Cassava can be processed into garri for food.
6. Some can be processed into starch for use in industries.

 

Vegetables: Vegetables are mostly annual crops that we eat their leaves, fruits or roots as food. Examples are amaranthus, cabbage, tomato, okro, pepper, carrot and onion.

 

 

Uses

1. Their leaves and fruits are used for preparing soup.
2. They can be eaten raw or used in making salad.

 

Fruit crops: These are crops grown for the purpose of producing fruits for man and animals. Examples of such fruit crops are citrus, mango, guava, pear, banana, plantain, pineapple and pawpaw.

Uses

1. Their fruits can be eaten fresh and raw, e.g. orange, mango, pineapple and banana.
2.  They can be processed into fruit juices and drinks

 

Beverages: These are crops grown for the purpose of producing food drinks as their end product. Examples are tea, coffee and cocoa.

Uses

1. Beverage crops are used for preparing food drinks.
2. Some beverage crops are used for making chocolate

 

Oil crops: These are crops grown for the purpose of producing oil for man’s use. Examples of oil crops are oil palm, castor oil plant, groundnut and coconut.

Uses

1. They are used for cooking different kinds of food.
2. Some are used for making margarine and butter.
3. Some types of oil are used as fuel.
4. Some are used for preparing local pomade. Oil can be used for preserving metal   tools against rust.

 

Drugs and spices: These are crops grown for the purpose of preparing stimulants. A stimulant is a substance that makes one feel more active or full of energy. A very good example of drugs is tobacco. Examples of spices are ginger, pepper and alligator pepper.

Uses

1. Some people take tobacco to make them feel active or full of energy. This is not good and you should not take tobacco for any reason.
2. Some are used as medicine, e.g. ginger.
3. Some spices are used to improve the taste of food

 

Latex crops These are crops grown for the purpose of producing liquids that can be processed into rubber and gum. Examples are rubber and gum arabic.

 

Sugar crops: These are crops grown for producing sweet-tasting liquids which can be processed into sugar. Examples are sugarcane and sugar beet.

Uses:

1. Sugar is used for sweetening things, e.g. tea.
2. Sugar is used in baking.
3. It is also used in industries.

 

EVALUATION

1. Crops can be classified according to their uses: based on this classification, mention five groups of crops.
2. What are the uses of legume crops?

 

ASSIGNMENT

1.  Name three ways by which we can classify crops.
2. What are perennial crops? Give two examples.
3. Classify these crops according to their forms: maize, beans, water-leaf, soya beans, cassava, pepper and cocoa.
4. Classify the crops in (3) above according to their uses.
5. Classify the crops in (3) above according to their lifespan

 

 

 

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