rice crop vs rice crops

[hirashin]

Which would be all right?
(a) The typhoon did a lot of damage to the rice crop.
(b) The typhoon did a lot of damage to the rice crops.

Hirashin

 

[Majestic]

They are both OK, but crop (singular) can mean both one individually harvested food from one farm, or the collective harvest of a certain kind of food from a region. Crops (plural) could also indicate that there were several different varieties of rice being harvested, therefore the various crops could be damaged.

So both are OK depending upon what you intend to convey. And I would say that in normal conversation you would likely hear both being said, with the speaker not paying particular attention to the subtleties of the plural vs. the singular.

 

[hirashin]

Thanks for the help, Majestic.
I have a further question.

Would either be all right in the sentence below as well?
The typhoon did a lot of damage to the rice crop/crops of Japan.

Hirashin

 

[Majestic]

Yes, both are OK.

 

[hirashin]

Thanks for the help, Majestic.