What Are Crops?

Crops are plants that are extensively harvested, either for profit or for subsistence. Crops generally comprise a single species of plants grown in a particular place. They include both food and non-food plants, and include both terrestrial and aquatic plants. In addition to plants, crops may include marine macroalgae and macroscopic fungi.

Plants grown for consumption or for profit

Plants grown for consumption or profit are called crops. Crops fall into six main categories, including food crops, feed crops, fiber crops, oil crops, and ornamental crops. All of these products are used by humans and animals for various purposes. Crops are the basis of food production, fuel consumption, manufacturing, and virtually every other industry on the planet.

Food crops include vegetables, fruits, grains, and tubers like potatoes. These crops are harvested for human consumption and used for various products such as textiles, clothing, and paper. Food crops are also commonly grown for livestock feed. Some of these crops are also grown for secondary industrial purposes, including making fuel and industrial rubber.

Ornamental crops

Ornamental crops are a vast group of plants grown for their decorative qualities. These include cut flowers, florist greens, corms, tubers, cuttings, and nursery stock. They require unique postharvest handling methods. For instance, cut flowers must be quickly precooled and maintained in high humidity. In addition, ornamentals must be protected from ethylene gas, and they may be sensitive to silver thiosulfate or 1-methylecyclopropene.

In addition to identifying the hazard, pesticide registration applications must also specify the group of ornamental plants in the crop. This is a challenge, given that ornamental crops cover such a wide range of plant situations and morphologies. This makes them difficult to evaluate using groundwater models and FOCUS scenarios. For this reason, HSE proposes grouping ornamental crops into categories and assigning surrogate crops to each group. In addition, each group of ornamental crops will have specific crop interception values for different growth stages.

Ornamental crops are valuable resources in the world of agriculture. Because of their high economic value, growers are constantly asking for new and improved varieties. The goal of breeding is to improve the plants' traits and yields. Most of the breeding programs focusing on ornamental crops focus on major species.

Forage crops

A number of factors need to be considered when planning forage crops for emergency feeding. These include cost, seed availability, forage quality, and harvest timing. The most important factor is cultivar resistance, which can help growers avoid losses due to disease. Forage crops with disease resistance include corn, sorghum, tall fescue, red clover, and white clover.

Forage crops are usually annuals. In addition, the choice of crop depends on the climate, soil pH, and management. Annual forages can be harvested and stored for feeding in the form of hay, silage, or grain. Some crops are grown especially for conserving feed reserves, such as maize silage.

The management of forage crops should include a sufficient rest period and grazing period. However, the grazing period must not exceed the rest period required for the plants to regenerate. Incorrect grazing periods can result in the harvesting of immature plants and slow regrowth. Depending on the growth rate of the plants, the length of the rest period will vary.