crop

(krŏp)

Zoology

a. A pouchlike enlargement of a bird's gullet in which food is partially digested or stored for regurgitation to nestlings.

b. A similar enlargement in the digestive tract of annelids and insects.

crop

in vertebrates, particularly some birds, an expanded part of the oesophagus where food is stored.
in invertebrates, an expansion of the anterior part of the gut system where food is either digested or stored.
the agricultural or commercial fishery yield.
in ecological terms, the difference between gross annual production and the net production - i.e. the material eaten by predators (or herbivores where the food is a vegetable), including that taken by man, and that consumed by organisms responsible for decay. See STANDING CROP.

Collins Dictionary of Biology, 3rd ed. © W. G. Hale, V. A. Saunders, J. P. Margham 2005

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References in periodicals archive

Mustard was the first crop in both the cropping patterns.

Transforming Triple Cropping System to Four Crops Pattern: An Approach of Enhancing System Productivity through Intensifying Land Use System in Bangladesh

Although a lot of work has been done to compare the performance of zero-tillage under residue based cropping system, information on how different heights of standing rice stubbles affect the performance of no-till techniques is lacking as it is the useful indices of crop yield.

Influence of Different No-till Techniques at Varying Heights of Standing Rice Stubbles on the Wheat Performance

Adopting intercropping all these benefit could be obtained which is not possible by sole cropping and hence food production can be appreciably enlarged, as in intercropped crop's productivity per unit area is superior than sole cropping, with the similar level of supervision and yield benefits can range from 20% to 60% attributed to lessening of pest attack and more resourceful usage of water, nutrients and solar radiation.

Intercropping to alleviate food scarcity in changing climate

Key words: Rice, cropping pattern, leguminous crops, green manuring, soil fertility, sustainable productivity, economics.

DIVERSIFICATION OF RICE-BASED CROPPING SYSTEMS TO IMPROVE SOIL FERTILITY, SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTIVITY AND ECONOMICS

* Multiple cropping is the sequential production of two or more different crops from the same field each year.

Chapter 12: Cropping systems

Chemical attributes of soils subjected to no-till cropping with rye cover crops.

Are cover crops being used in the US corn belt?

It would appear that specialty crops will continue to be important in the cropping mix in Saskatchewan, and hence, they are becoming 'traditional' rather than 'specialty' or 'minor' crops, which they recently were.

The rise of specialty crops in Saskatchewan, 1981-2001

I imagine there was a time when cover cropping was considered conventional.

Vineyard views

Under a Ford Foundation grant, it is developing new soil-management and cropping patterns, and conducting studies to identify and alleviate agronomic, marketing, labor and other constraints to small-farm productivity.

Africa's famine: the human dimension

Crop rotation has many agronomic economic and environmental benefits compared to monoculture cropping. Crops rotation leads to enhance the soil fertility and help to optimize the water use by crops on sustainable basis i.e.

CROPS ROTATION - A TOOL FOR MAINTAINING SOIL FERTILITY

The easiest way to incorporate cover cropping is the half-and-half strategy: I dedicate every other garden bed to cover crops for an entire year.

Crow cover crops for the best garden soil: if you want to grow a lot of food, think of beneficial cover crops as essential to your garden

All have their advantages and none should be discounted, but cover cropping is the method least likely to be practiced in home gardens.

Improve your soil with cover crops: here's what you need to know to take advantage of this traditional technique to solar-charge your soil