A crop is a cultivated plant grown deliberately and at scale for food, feed, fibre, fuel, oil or other economic use, distinguishing it from wild or volunteer vegetation. Crop science, the agronomic study of these plants, integrates plant physiology, soil science, genetics and management to understand and improve how…
A crop is a cultivated plant grown deliberately and at scale for food, feed, fibre, fuel, oil or other economic use, distinguishing it from wild or volunteer vegetation. Crop science, the agronomic study of these plants, integrates plant physiology, soil science, genetics and management to understand and improve how crops perform within production systems. Crop yield is the product of multiple interacting determinants: the genetic potential of the cultivar, soil fertility and nutrient supply, water availability, sowing date and plant population, and the timing and form of fertilization. Nutrient management, including soil testing and balanced application of fertilizers, governs the response of cereals, oilseeds and root crops to inputs and is central to sustaining foodgrain output. Plant breeding develops improved varieties, hybrids and genotypes with higher yield, stress tolerance and quality, drawing increasingly on precision genetic methods. Production decisions are further informed by tools such as remote sensing for monitoring crop and orchard condition. Across these areas the discipline pursues sustainable intensification, raising productivity per unit of land and input while conserving soil health through practices such as crop-residue retention, and safeguarding food security against pressures from climate change and land degradation.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 100 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Crop, linking to each citing work.