standing crop

American  

noun

1. the totality of living things in an ecosystem at a given time.

2. a growing crop.

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Etymology

Origin of standing crop

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

"If I don't use glyphosate to ripen the standing crop before harvest, I have to use more diesel to burn, to dry the crop", he said.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

His own studies have demonstrated that stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in leaves end up, via shredding invertebrates, stored away in the flesh of salamanders — like “a standing crop of nutrients,” he said.

From New York Times • Apr. 7, 2014

They will feed their horse on the standing crop, their men on the garnered grain,15 The thatch of the byres will serve their fires when all the cattle are slain.

From Story Hour Readings: Seventh Year by Hartwell, E. C. (Ernest Clark)

Gross examination of the riffle-insect faunas indicated a larger standing crop in the Neosho than in the Marais des Cygnes River.

From Fish Populations, Following a Drought, in the Neosho and Marais des Cygnes Rivers of Kansas by Deacon, James Everett

As he grew older, he was taught to sow and reap, to estimate the value of a standing crop at a glance, and, last but not least, to drive a hard bargain.

From The Champdoce Mystery by Gaboriau, Émile