Vegetable plants - a rather capacious concept that has very blurred boundaries. They have become so firmly established in our lives that we do not even think about what exactly can be attributed to them and where they came from. In horticulture, the main purpose of their cultivation is to obtain vegetables in the end.
Classification of vegetable plants
There are a great many signs by which vegetable plants can be classified. They can be distinguished not only by morphological features, but also by the duration of the life cycle, as well as growing conditions, harvesting dates, and many other features. However, all of the above makes more sense for farmers, but the average consumer is more interested in the classification according to the part that can be eaten.
Despite the fact that vegetable plants at first glance seem completely different, they have a number of common features that make it possible to identify them in groups. The classification of vegetables is important not only for farmers, but also for cooks, merchandisers, and botanists.
Botanical classification
Cultivated plants (vegetables), examples of which many of us can cite in abundance from daily practice, can be classified according to belonging to a particular family or botanical class. In our country, mainly vegetables belonging to the nightshade, pumpkin and legume families are grown. You can also meet representatives of cruciferous, amaryllis, celery and haze.
The advantage of botanical classification is that it allows cultivated plants (vegetables) in all their diversity to be attributed to related crops, which is important when growing them. However, for consumers, this distribution is very inconvenient, as well as for ordinary gardeners.
Classification by lifespan
This classification is most convenient for ordinary amateur gardeners who do not have in-depth knowledge of botany. According to this division, the type of vegetable plant is defined as annual, biennial and perennial.
Annuals differ in that they have a life cycle that begins with sowing and ends with the formation of seeds, takes place within one year. These include: melons, eggplants, watermelons, cucumbers, zucchini, radishes, etc. Most of them are familiar to us since childhood and are present on our table almost daily.
In biennial plants, in the first year only a rosette of leaves can be formed, as well as productive organs in whicha certain amount of nutrients. Then, when external climatic conditions become unfavorable, they enter the so-called dormant period. But already in the second year of life, the plant already begins to form a stem and bloom, after which the fruits form and ripen. These include: beets, onions, cabbage, carrots, parsley and other familiar and familiar vegetables.
Perennials are not so common in our country and are grown mainly in small quantities. Vegetable plants of this species in the first year of life form only the root system, leaves and buds. But they form their productive organs mainly in the second or third year of life. Many of them are ways to live for three to five years. Perennials are similar to biennials in that they enter a dormant period by winter and begin to redistribute nutrients.
Perennials include: garlic, Jerusalem artichoke, horseradish, asparagus, sorrel, batun and many others. Interestingly, many annuals can also be grown as perennials. For example, if you use growing in greenhouses. The reverse is also possible. For example, with a long and cold spring, carrots and beets can begin to bear fruit in the first year.
Classification by growing season and growing method
Vegetable plants, examples of which are given in this article, can also be classified according to the length of their growing season. In this regard, we can distinguish early, middle andlate varieties. But according to the method of growth, two main types can be distinguished: soil and greenhouse-greenhouse.
Soil vegetable plants are intended for cultivation in open ground, but greenhouse-greenhouse plants are exclusively for growing in greenhouses or in greenhouses. At the same time, only undersized vegetables can be grown in a greenhouse. However, at present, soil is less and less used for growing plants in greenhouses. Most often, the roots of the plant are placed in a special solution, which consists of a mixture of essential nutrients. But there is an opinion that vegetables grown in this way are not only not useful, but even vice versa - they can harm the human body. The most valuable are still ground vegetables.
Classification by keeping quality and part used in food
Storage quality determines the ability of a vegetable to be stored. In this regard, it is possible to single out vegetable plants that tend to go into a dormant state, and those that do not have such a property.
According to what part of the plant can be eaten, two large groups can be distinguished: fruit, or generative vegetables, and vegetative. The first group includes vegetable grain plants, pumpkin and nightshade. But the second includes root, tuber, bulbous, deciduous and shoot crops familiar to all of us.
This classification is the most convenient for both ordinary consumers and distributorsvegetables.
Fruit vegetable plants
The distinctive characteristic of these vegetables is the fact that their vegetable is a fruit. Some of them may give it in the botanical ripeness phase, others in the technical ripeness phase. This includes beloved by all watermelons, tomatoes, melons, squash and many others. These plants need to create such conditions so that they begin to bloom and form fruits as soon as possible. At the same time, it is worth doing this regardless of the degree of ripeness of their fruits.
Features of growing vegetable plants
Cultivated plants (vegetables), examples of which can be found in this article, also have some growing features. First of all, it is worth noting that the layout of the site is not the last place here. Before you implement it, you need to try to study the agricultural technology of those vegetables that you plan to cultivate on your site.
The biological characteristics of certain plants also contribute to the fact that it is necessary to select natural and climatic conditions for a particular vegetable. Vegetable plants have one general requirement in their cultivation: the same or related plant cannot be planted in the same place for several years. The rest of the growing requirements are selected purely individually, as well as the composition of the soil and the amount of fertilizer required.
Classification by V. I. Edelstein
Soviet scientist Edelstein developed a special classification that makes it possible to dividevegetable plants not only according to biological, but also according to agrotechnical conditions. According to this classification, our vegetables can be divided into: cabbage, root, tuber, bulb, fruit, leafy, perennial and mushrooms.
Families are also distinguished in each of these classes.
General classification
In general, this classification can hardly be called scientific, more it is intended specifically for consumers. In it, vegetables are not grouped on any basis, however, such types are distinguished as: tubers, root crops, rhizomatous plants, cabbage, leafy, spicy, bulbous, tomato, pumpkin, legumes, cereals, dessert. But pineapple, to everyone's surprise, scientists have not yet identified either vegetables or fruits.
