What Is Crop?
A Crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydroponics. Crops may include macroscopic fungus (e.g. mushrooms) and marine macroalga (e.g. seaweed), some of which are grown in aquaculture.
Most crops are harvested as food for humans or fodder for livestock. Some crops are gathered from the wild often in a form of intensive gathering (e.g. ginseng, yohimbe, and eucommia).
Important non-food crops include horticulture, floriculture and industrial crops. Horticulture crops include plants used for other crops (e.g. fruit trees). Floriculture crops include bedding plants, houseplants, flowering garden and pot plants, cut cultivated greens, and cut flowers. Industrial crops are produced for clothing (fiber crops e.g. cotton), biofuel (energy crops, algae fuel), or medicine (medicinal plants).
Types Of Crops?
The crops are of the following types depending upon the season in which they are grown:
Kharif Crops
- The crops which are grown in the monsoon season are known as Kharif crops. For eg., maize, millet, and cotton.
- The seeds are sown at the beginning of monsoon season and harvested at the end of the monsoon season.
- Such crops require a lot of water and hot weather for proper growth.
Rabi Crops
- The name “Rabi” means “spring” – a word derived from Arabic.
- The crops that are grown in the winter season and harvested in the spring are called Rabi crops.
- Wheat, gram, and mustard are some of the Rabi crops.
- Various agricultural practices are carried out to produce new crop varieties.
- Such crops require a warm climate for the germination and maturation of seeds. They, however, require a cold climate for their growth.
Zaid Crops
- Such crops are grown between the Kharif and Rabi seasons, i.e., between March and June.
- These crops mature early.
- Cucumber, pumpkin, bitter gourd, and watermelon are zaid crops.
What Is The Best Crop To Grow In South Africa?
- Apples
- Wine grapes
- Maize (Corn)
- Avocados
- Table grapes
- Pears
- Green beans
- Onions
- Potatoes
- Tomatoes
- Strawberries
- Plums
- Peaches