A growth state measuring device for a crop in cultivation is provided, which can continuously measuring the nutritional state of the plant in a non-contact, non-destructive manner at a cultivation site such as open air or indoors with respect to the cultivated crop at the growth stage before harvesting. The growth state measuring device for the crop in the cultivation according to the present invention includes a light source (11), a light projection control unit (12), a light receiving unit (13), a light receiving control unit (14), and a calculation unit (15). The plant (1) is a crop in thecultivation stage before the harvesting. Measurement sites (1a), (1b), (1c) are any one of a stem, a fruit handle, and a petiole, and the living body holding structure is attached to a stem, a fruit handle or a petiole. In the calculation unit (15), the arithmetic processing is performed using the difference between a light-receiving signal, at the time of light projection, obtained by the detection light at the time of irradiation by the light source (11) and a light-receiving signal, while the light projection is not performed, obtained by the detection light before or after irradiation timing.