Classification of Fruit Crops

In this chapter, a detailed discussion will be made on the classification of fruit into different groups based on their specific parameters.

1.      Botanical classification of fruit crops:  (find details of fruit-and-plantation crops)

The angiosperms or flowering plants are divided into monocotyledon and dicotyledon. 

a.      Monocots:

The monocotyledonous embryos have a single cotyledon. They have a fibrous root system. Leaves in monocots have parallel venation. In monocot flowers, the count of parts of the flower is a multiple of three or equal to three. The roots and stems of monocotyledons do not possess a cambium and cannot increase in diameter.

Examples: Pineapple, banana, coconut, areca nut, palmyra palm, date palm and oil palm.

b.      Dicots:

The dicotyledonous embryos have a pair of cotyledons. They have a tap root system. Leaves in dicots have reticulate venation. The count of parts in a dicot flower is a multiple of four or five or equal to four or five. The roots and stems of dicotyledons possess a cambium and have the ability to increase in diameter.

Examples: Mango, cashew nut, apple, pear, aonla, avocado etc.

2.      Classification of fruit crops based on climate:

a)      Tropical fruits: Mango, banana, Citrus, papaya, sapota, guava, grapes, pineapple, jackfruit

b)      Subtropical fruits: Mangosteen, avocado, litchi, rambutan, loquat, durian, persimmon, passion fruit

c)      Temperate fruits: Apple, pear, quince, peach, plum, pear, almond, apricot, cherry, walnut and pecanut

d)      Arid and semi-arid fruits: Ber, aonla, annonaceous fruits, pomegranate, date palm, fig, bael, phalsa, jamun Pomology

3.      Classification of fruit crops based on woody plants and herbaceous plants:

A.    Fruits borne on woody plants

a.      Tree fruits

i.                    Deciduous fruit:

1.      Pome: Apple, pear, quince

2.      Drupe: Peach, plum, apricot

ii.                  Evergreen fruit: Mango, sapota, guava, mangosteen, litchi, sweet orange

b.      Small fruits

i.                    Deciduous fruit: Raspberry, blackberry

ii.                  Evergreen: West Indian Cherry

B.     Fruits borne on herbaceous perennial plants

a.       Prostrate growth: Strawberry

b.      Upright growth: Banana, pineapple

 4. Classification of fruits based on photoperiodic response:

Photoperiodism:

a.  Long day plant (LDP): Passion fruit, apple

b.  Short day plant (SDP): Strawberry, pineapple cv. Smooth Cayenne

c.  Day-neutral plant (DNP): Papaya, guava, banana

5. Classification of fruits based on fruit bearing habits:

A. Terminal bearing habit:

a. Old season growth: Mango, banana, pineapple, litchi

b. Current season growth: Jackfruit, Loquat, Peacanut

B. Axillary bearing habit:

a.       Old season growth: Apple, pear, peach, plum, custard apple

b.      Current season growth: Guava, papaya, orange, passion fruit, coconut

C.     Mixed bearing habit: Pomegranate, Citrus, carambola

6. Classification of fruits based on position of flower bud and kind of flower bearing shoots:

	Fruit buds borne	Inflorescence	Fruit crops
Group 1	Terminal	Without leaves	Mango
Group 2	Terminal	with leafy shoots	Apple, pear
Group 3	Terminal	with leafy shoots in the leaf axils	Guava
Group 4	Lateral	Without leaves	Citrus, papaya, coffee, coconut
Group 5	Lateral	with leafy shoots	Grapes
Group 6	Lateral	with leafy shoots in the leaf axils	Fig, avocado
Group 7	Both terminal and lateral	Mixed bearing	Walnut
Group 8	Adventitious in the old trunk	Cauliflory	Jack, cocoa, Indian star goose berry

7. Classification of fruits on the basis of flowering habit (Kozlowski, 1971):

Flowering habit	Examples
Ever flowering	Fig, papaya
Non-seasonal flowering	Mango
Gregarious flowering	Quince
Seasonal flowering	Guava, litchi, apple, pear

 

8. Classification of fruits based on types of inflorescence:

Types inflorescence	Fruit crops
A. Raceme
a. Solitary	Guava, peach, quince, apricot, almond, trifoliate orange
b. Raceme	Blackberry, gooseberry, raspberry
c. Catkins	Peacanut, walnut, chestnut, mulberry
d. Corymbose	Pear
B. Cymose
a.       Panicle	Grapes, litchi, mango, loquat, pistachio nut
b.      Solitary	Papaya, sapota, Citrus, phalsa, persimmon, strawberry
c.       Fascicle	Sweet orange, ber, plum, cherry
C. Spadix	Banana, arecanut, coconut, date palm
D. Hypanthodium	Fig, pomegranate

9. Classification of fruits based on type of breeding system (which promotes autogamy/allogamy):

A.  Self-pollination (Autogamous)

a. Cleistogamy: e.g. Papaya, Grape

b. Homogamy: e.g. Apricot, Citrus, peach, phalsa, dwarf coconut

B. Cross pollination (Allogamous)

a. Monoecious e.g. Muscadine grape

b. Dioecious e.g. Papaya, kiwi, pistachio nut

c. Andromonoecious e.g. Mango

d. Gynodioecious e.g. Fig

e. Dichogamy

                                                        i.            Protandry e.g. Walnut, Annona

                                                      ii.            Protogyny: e.g. Sapota, Annona spp. banana, fig, muricata pomegranate, plum

                                                    iii.            Heterodichogamy e.g. Peacanut, Duodichogamy e.g. Chestnut, Pistachio

f. Heterostyly

i. Pine type e.g. Sapota, Litchi, Pomegranate

ii. Thrum type e.g. Almond, carambola

iii. Protogynous diurnally synchronous dichogamy (PDSD) e.g. Avocado

g. Self-Incompatibility

                                           i.             Sporophytic SI: Mango, aonla, cocoa

                                         ii.            Gametophytic SI: Ber, pineapple, apple, pear, apricot, almond, cherry, loquat

10. Classification of fruits based on mode of pollination:

a. Entomophilous: Citrus, Annona spp., apple, pear, peach, plum ber, cherry, fig

b. Anemophilous: Papaya, sapota, jack fruit, pomegranate, Datepalm, aonla, chestnut

c. Ornithophilous: (Humming birds): Banana, pineapple

11. Classification of fruits based on fruit bud: 

a. Simple bud:  Mango, date palm, coconut, apricot, plum, palm, cherry 

b. Mixed bud:  Guava, grapes, ber, pomegranate, apple, pear, cashew 

12. Classification of fruits based on hardiness of skin:

            a. Hard fruits: Wood apple, bael

            b. Soft fruits: Papaya, sapota 

13. Classification of fruits based on fruit morphology (Number of ovaries involved in fruit formation): 

A. Simple fruits

a. Berry: Banana, papaya, grape, sapota 

b. Modified berry: 

                                                        i.            Balausta: Pomegranate 

                                                      ii.            Amphisarica: Wood Apple, Bael 

                                                    iii.            Pome: Apple, Pear, Quince, Loquat 

                                                    iv.            Drupe (Stone): Mango, peach, plum, ber 

                                                      v.            Hesperidium: Citrus

                                                    vi.            Nut fruit: Litchi, Rambutan, Cashewnut

                                                  vii.            Capsule: Aonla 

B. Aggregate fruits (Develops from numerous ovaries of the same flower) 

1. Etaerio of berries: Custard apple 

2. Etaerio of drupelets: Blackberry, longan berry 

3. Etaerio of achenes: Strawberry 

C. Multiple/composite fruits 

1. Syconus: Fig 

2. Sorosis: Jackfruit, pineapple, breadfruit, mulberry 

14. Classification of fruits based on type of placentation:

a. Axil: Banana, Citrus

b. Marginal: Litchi

c. Parietal: Papaya

d. Basal: Ber

15. Classification of fruits based on growth pattern:

1.      Single sigmoid growth: Mango, apple, date palm, apple, pear, sweet orange, lemon, strawberry, papaya curve

2.      Double sigmoid growth: Stone fruits (peach, plum, nectarine, cherry, apricot), grapes, sweet growth curve cherries, fig, olive, raspberry, almond, pineapple, annona

3.      Triploid sigmoid growth: Kiwi fruit

 16. Classification of fruits based on tolerance to shade:

a.      Highly shade tolerant: Carambola, bilimbi (Cucumber tree)

b.      Moderately shade tolerant: Banana, mangosteen

c.       Highly shade sensitive: Citrus, mango, guava, coconut

17. Classification of fruits based on acid tolerant fruit crops:

a.      Slightly tolerant to acid soil: Mango, Citrus, banana, guava, papaya, apple, peach, kiwi

b.      Moderately tolerant to acid soil: Orange, pineapple, jack, avocado, litchi, loquat

c.       Highly tolerant to acid soil: Wood apple, bael, strawberry

d.      Tolerant to alkaline soil: Guava, date palm, aonla, custard apple, coconut

18. Classification of fruits based on relative salt tolerance fruit crops:

a.      Highly tolerance: Date palm, ber, aonla, guava, bael, coconut

b.      Medium tolerance: Pomegranate, cashew nut, jamun

c.       Highly sensitive: Mango, Citrus, apple, avocado, pear, strawberry

19. Classification of fruits based on their respiratory behaviour:

Sl. No.	Climacteric fruits	Non-climacteric fruits
1	Climacteric fruits are defined as fruits that enter the ‘climacteric phase’ after harvest i.e., they continue to ripen.	Non-climacteric fruits once harvested do not ripen further.
2	Climacteric fruits produce very high amounts of ethylene and do respond to external ethylene treatment.	Nonclimacteric fruits produce very small amounts of ethylene and do not respond to ethylene treatment.
3	These fruit show an increased rate of respiration (Climacteric peak) when harvested from the plant.	There is no characteristic increased rate of respiration or production of carbon dioxide.
4	Increased rate of sugar production during ripening.	No change in sugar production. A noticeable decline in sugar production is also observed.
5	Mango, banana, sapota, guava, papaya, apple, pear, peach, plum, nectarine, annona, fig, apricot, avocado, blueberry, feijoa, guava, passion fruit, cherimoya, kiwi, cranberry, raspberry durian, jack fruit	Citrus spp., grapes, pineapple, pomegranate, rambutan, litchi, ber, jamun, cashew, cherry, strawberry, aonla, phalsa, loquat, olive

20. Classification of fruits based on rate of respiration rate:

Level of respiration	Rate of respiration (mg of CO2/Kg/hr)	Fruit crops
Very low	<5	Nut, dried fruits
Low	5-10	Citrus, grapes, apple
Medium	10-20	Mango, banana, pear, peach, fig
High	20-40	Strawberry, avocado

21. Classification of fruits based on rate of ethylene rate:

Level of ethylene	Rate of ethylene (µl of C2H4/Kg/hr)	Fruit crops
Very low	<0.1	Grapes, Citrus
Low	0.1-1.0	Pineapple
Medium	1-10	Mango, banana, guava, fig
High	10-100	Apple, papaya, avocado, plum
Very High	100	Passion fruit, sapota, apple

22. Classification of fruit crops based on storage life: 

a.      Very perishable (0-4 weeks): Apricot, banana, berry fruits, cherry, fig, loquat, mango, strawberry 

b.      Perishable (4-8 weeks):  Avocado, grape, mandarin, orange nectarine, passion fruit, peach, pineapple, plum

c.       Semi-perishable (6-12 weeks):  Coconut, oranges

d.      Non-perishable (>12 weeks): Apple, grapefruit, lemon, pear