crop

agriculture

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Article History

Key People:: Elvin Charles Stakman

Related Topics:: origins of agriculture; straw; sod-forming crop; close-growing grain crop; cultivated row crop

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crop, in agriculture, a plant or plant product that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. By use, crops fall into six categories: food crops, for human consumption (e.g., wheat, potatoes); feed crops, for livestock consumption (e.g., oats, alfalfa); fibre crops, for cordage and textiles (e.g., cotton, hemp); oil crops, for consumption or industrial uses (e.g., cottonseed, corn); ornamental crops, for landscape gardening (e.g., dogwood, azalea); and industrial and secondary crops, for various personal and industrial uses (e.g., rubber, tobacco).

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.