Harvest Management
KEY CHECK 8:
HARVESTED THE CROP
AT THE RIGHT TIME.
Timely reaping and threshing ensures high-quality rice that leads to high market value and consumer acceptance. Harvesting too early results in immature grains with <1 to 1.5% harvest losses, and leads to low milling recovery of as low as 53%.
Harvesting too late leads to grain-shattering with > 3% (if manual) harvest losses. This results in low head rice recovery as low as 32% (manual) or 38% (mechanized).
ASSESSMENT OF KEY CHECK
- 85-90% if manual harvesting
- 90-95% if using combine harvester
Palay is threshed not later than one day after harvest during WS or two days during DS.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO ACHIEVE KEY CHECK
- to attain uniform maturity and ripening
- to prevent wetting of the grains during harvesting
- for easy operation in the field
2. Harvest at the right maturity, when 85-90% (manual) or 90-95% (if using combine harvester) of the grains are golden yellow.
3. Harvest at the right grain moisture content (MC).
Use grain moisture meter when available.
4. After manual harvesting, thresh palay not later than one (WS) or two (DS) days.
- Avoid piling the harvested crop in the field for more than a day to prevent heat buildup which leads to grain discoloration and low-quality milled rice.
- Avoid threshing dripping-wet palay using a mechanical thresher to prevent losses from poor grain-cleaning and separation.
- Observe the recommended threshing drum speed (800rpm for most engine driven threshers) to prevent grain damage. Faster speed may increase capacity but will also incur more blower and separation losses.
MATERIALS
Handouts
Learning Modules
Audio Clips