Classification of Fruits: A Detailed Overview

This detailed post explores the multifaceted classification of fruits, covering botanical anatomy, climatic adaptability, respiration rates, and post-harvest management. Learn about monocot and dicot distinctions, ethylene production levels, salt/acid tolerance, and morphological subtypes like berries, drupes, and nuts. With tables and examples.

Botanical Basis

• Monocotyledonous Fruits: Characteristics: Single cotyledon, parallel leaf venation, fibrous roots, floral parts in multiples of 3.
  Examples: Arecanut (Areca catechu), Banana (Musa Paradisica), Coconut (Cocos nucifera), Dates (Phoenix dactylifera), Pineapple (Ananas comosus)
• Dicotyledonous Fruits: Characteristics: Two cotyledons, reticulate leaf venation, taproots, floral parts in multiples of 4 or 5.
  Examples: Mango (Mangifera indica), Papaya (Carica papaya), Guava (Psidium guajava), Mandarin (Citrus reticulata), Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis), Lemon (Citrus aurantifolia), Bael (Aegle marmelos), Grape (Vitis vinifera), Pomegranate (Punica granatum), Phalsa (Grewia subinaequalis), Karonda (Carissa carandas), Sapota (Achras sapota), Litchi (Litchi chinensis), Apple (Malus domestica), Custard Apple (Annona squamosa), Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), Fig (Ficus carica), Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa)

Classification Based on Climate

Fruit Type	Description	Examples
Tropical	Grown in warm climates	Mango, Banana, Papaya, Sapota, Pineapple, Jackfruit, Cashew, Coconut, Custard Apple
Sub-Tropical	Grown in regions with mild winters	Guava, Pomegranate, Grapes, Citrus fruits, Litchi, Fig
Temperate	Require cooler growing conditions	Apple, Pear, Plum, Peach, Almond, Walnut, Strawberry, Cherry
Arid	Adapted to dry conditions	Ber, Date, Aonla, Bael, Phalsa, Karonda, Jamun

Classification Based on Photoperiodism

Plant Type	Light Requirement	Examples
Long Day Plants (LDP)	12–14 hours	Apple, Passion Fruit
Short Day Plants (SDP)	8–12 hours	Strawberry, Pineapple, Coffee
Day Neutral Plants (DNP)	Light duration has minimal effect	Papaya, Banana, Guava

Classification Based on Salt Tolerance

Tolerance Level	Examples
High Tolerant	Dates, Ber, Aonla, Guava, Coconut, Bael, Khirni (sapota rootstock)
Medium Tolerant	Pomegranate, Cashew, Jamun, Fig, Phalsa
Highly Sensitive	Mango, Citrus, Apple, Strawberry, Pear, Avocado

Classification Based on Acid Tolerance

Tolerance Level	Examples
Highly Tolerant	Bael, Strawberry, Fig, Wool Apple
Medium Tolerant	Pineapple, Litchi, Orange, Avocado
Slightly Tolerant	Mango, Banana, Papaya, Apple, Kiwi, Citrus

Based on Storage Capacity

Storage Capacity	Duration	Examples
Highly Perishable	0–4 weeks	Apricot, Banana, Cherry, Fig, Strawberry, Mango, Papaya, Phalsa
Perishable	4–8 weeks	Avocado, Grapes, Orange, Pineapple
Semi-Perishable	6–12 weeks	Coconut
Non-Perishable	>12 weeks	Apple, Lemon, Pear

Based on Fruit Morphology

Simple Fruit

• Berry:
  Examples: Banana, Papaya, Grapes, Sapota, Guava, Dates, Avocado
• Modified Berry:
  • Amphisarca: Bael, Wool Apple
  • Pome: Apple, Pear
  • Pepo: (Typical of Cucurbitaceae)
  • Accessory Forms: Mango, Ber, Coconut, Phalsa, Karonda, Lahsua, Cherry, Peach, Plum, Coffee, Almond
  • Hesperidium: Citrus
  • Nuts: Cashew, Litchi, Walnut, Pistachio, Water Chestnut, Rambutani
  • Capsule: Aonla
  • Balusta: Pomegranate

Aggregate Fruit

• Aggregate of Berries: Custard Apple, Raspberry
• Aggregate of Achenes: Strawberry
• Aggregate of Drupe: Jamun
• Aggregate of Follicle: (Also referred to as “Catharanthas”)

Multiple Fruit

Type	Description	Examples
Sorosis	Fusion of many flowers forming one fruit	Pineapple, Jackfruit, Mulberry
Syconus	Inverted inflorescence forming a fruit	Fig

Based on Respiration Rate (mg CO₂/kg/hr)

Respiration Level	Range	Examples
Very Low	<5	Nuts, Arid Fruits
Low	5–10	Apple, Grapes, Citrus
Medium	10–20	Mango, Banana, Fig, Pear, Peach
High	20–40	Strawberry, Avocado

Based on Ethylene Production Rate (UL C₂H₄/kg/hr)

Ethylene Level	Range	Examples
Very Low	<0.1	Citrus, Grapes
Low	0–1	Pineapple, Watermelon
Medium	1–10	Mango, Banana, Fig, Guava
High	10–100	Apple, Papaya, Avocado
Very High	>100	Passion Fruit, Sapota

Based on Fruit Bud Type

Bud Type	Description	Examples
Simple Bud	Fruit develops from a single bud	Mango, Dates, Coconut, Cherry, Peach, Plum
Mixed Bud	Fruit develops from a combination of buds	Custard Apple, Guava, Grapes, Pomegranate, Cashew, Pear

Based on Breeding System

Self-Pollination (Autogamy)

Type	Key Features	Examples
Cleistogamy	Pollination occurs within closed flowers	Sapota, Papaya, Grape
Homogamy	Male and female parts mature simultaneously	Citrus, Phalsa, Dwarf Coconut
Chasmogamy	Fertilization takes place immediately after the flower blooms	Tomato
Bisexuality	Flowers contain both male and female reproductive organs	(General feature in many flowers)

Cross-Pollination (Allogamy)

Type	Description	Examples
Monoecious	Male and female flowers on the same plant, but on different flowers	Aonla, Jackfruit, Coconut, Muscadine Grape, Cucurbits
Dioecious	Male and female flowers on separate plants	Papaya, Date Palm, Kiwi, Pointed Gourd, Spinach, Beetroot
Andromonocious	Male flowers and bisexual flowers occur on different parts of the same plant	Mango, Muskmelon
Androdioecious	Some plants bear only male flowers, while others bear only bisexual flowers	Rambutani
Gynomonoecious	A single plant has separate female and bisexual flowers	Black Pepper, Banana
Gynodioecious	Female flowers are found on one plant, and bisexual flowers on another	Fig, Some varieties of Papaya
Dichogamy	The anther and stigma of the same flower mature at different times:	– Protandry: Male parts first (Coconut, Walnut) – Protogyny: Female parts first (Banana, Fig, Pomegranate, Sapota) – Heterodichogamy: (Pistachio, Pecanut) – Duodichogamy: (Chestnut) – PDSD: (Avocado)
Heterostyly	Flowers have different style lengths:	– Pin type: Sapota, Litchi, Pomegranate – Thrum type: Almond
Self-Incompatibility	Mechanism to prevent self-fertilization	– Sporophytic: Mango, Aonla – Gametophytic: Ber, Apple, Pineapple, Cherry