Instructions for effective rice harvesting

Harvesting rice at the right time helps reduce green grain, limit grain loss, reduce broken rice and maintain quality after milling. The best time is usually when 80-95 percent of the seeds on the flower are yellow.

Summary: Rice harvest is thought to be the final step, but directly determines the selling price and loss rate. If you harvest too early, there will be many green seeds, light seeds, and poor rice. If autumn is too late, the rice will easily fall, lose seeds, and germinate on the flowers if it rains. The most reasonable time is when most of the cotton is ripe, the field is dry and the machine can be put in smoothly.

Applies to: Commercial paddy fields and seed production fields.
Duration: Prepare 7-10 days before harvest.
Difficulty level: Basic. Need to observe ripeness and actively drain water.
Estimated additional costs: Mainly costs for renting harvesters, transportation and drying.

How important is harvesting at the right time

Rice has been cultivated well throughout the crop, but harvesting at the wrong time can still result in loss of yield and reduced selling price. Two common risks are collecting too early and collecting too late.

Collect too early:

Many seeds are still green.
Nutrients have not yet fully accumulated into the seeds.
Low weight per thousand seeds.
Rice after milling easily turns sour and is of poor quality.
Rice seeds have unstable germination rates.

Collect too late:

Rice easily loses its seeds, especially when exposed to wind or rain.
Some varieties with a short dormancy period can germinate on flowers.
Dried straw is weak, fields easily collapse.
The rate of broken rice increases when milling.
Loss is worse if the field is wet, has a lot of rain, or has difficulty accessing the machine.

Therefore, the goal is not to wait for the field to be 100 percent golden, but to harvest when maturity has reached the best threshold for yield and quality.

Signs of rice harvest time

The best time is usually when 80-95 percent of the seeds on the flowers of most plants are yellow. Observe at many points in the field, not just the banks.

Quick way to check:

Choose 5-7 representative points in the field.
At each point, take a few flowers from the middle of the field, don't take plants that are too good or too bad.
Count the approximate number of yellow seeds on cotton.
If the majority of cotton has 80-95 percent yellow seeds, it can be ready to harvest.

In addition to grain color, you can also look at:

The rice stalks gradually turn yellow, no longer green.
The seeds are firm and hard to squeeze.
The last part of the cotton seeds has gone into the rice and is no longer green.
The fields can be drained and the ground is strong enough to withstand machines.

Prepare fields before harvest

Withdraw water 7-10 days in advance

Water should be drained about 10 days before harvest. This helps the rice ripen more concentratedly, the field surface dries out and the harvester moves more easily.

Draining water at the right time has three benefits:

Reduce falls due to soft ground.
Reduce wastage when harvesting.
Helps make rice drier, convenient for transportation and drying.

Do not withdraw too early on light soil or during prolonged hot weather, because the plant may dry out quickly before the seeds are fully ripe. You should also not leave the water deep until close to the harvest day, because it is difficult for the machine to enter and losses increase.

Select harvest date

Prioritize sunny, dry days. If there is prolonged rain, it is necessary to monitor the weather forecast to arrange the machine a little earlier when the rice has reached maturity.

You should not harvest when the field is still heavily wet if you can avoid it, because:

The machine sinks easily.
Highly moist rice grains.
Straw, mud and other impurities are mixed in more.
Drying costs increase.

Harvesting with a combine harvester

Currently, most paddy fields are harvested by combine harvesters. This method reduces labor and reduces losses compared to hand cutting if the field has sufficient conditions.

Before the machine enters the field, it is necessary to check:

Is the road to the field wide enough?
Can the embankment withstand the machine?
The field is so dry that the machine does not sink deeply.
There is a location for gathering rice and means of transportation.

While harvesting, you should pay attention to:

Does the machine drop a lot of seeds at the back?
Does the rice that comes out of the bag or bin contain a lot of flat grains and shredded straw?
Is the machine speed too fast when the field falls over?
Does it need to be adjusted when moving to a wet or unevenly ripened rice area?

The machine is good but improper operation can still cause losses. If you see a lot of seeds falling behind the machine, you should report it to a mechanic immediately.

Special note for seed production fields

Seed fields need to be more rigorous than commodity paddy fields. Not only do we need productivity, but we also need to maintain purity and germination.

Before harvesting seed fields, you need to select fields:

The trees are uniform, no mixed varieties.
Few pests and diseases, no serious disease outbreaks.
Does not fall or only falls very little.
Revenues relatively evenly.
Do not mix weeds and weedy rice.

When harvesting, only keep ripe, full, and firm seeds. Remove green seeds, young seeds, flat seeds and impurities. Harvesters used for seed fields should be cleaned first to avoid mixing seeds from other fields.

Handling rice immediately after harvest

After harvesting, rice should not be left piled up in the field for a long time, especially when the humidity is high. Moist rice heats up quickly, reduces quality and easily molds.

Things to do:

Transport to drying place as soon as possible.
Do not leave rice bags out in the rain or on damp ground.
If not dried immediately, spread thinly or leave in a cool place.
Separate seed rice, commodity rice and rice in collapsed fields.

With fresh rice, you need to discuss in advance with traders or cooperatives about cutting time, weighing location and transportation method. Preparing in advance helps reduce congestion when the harvester is finished.

Checklist before harvest day

[ ] Check ripeness at many points in the field.
[ ] Drain water about 7-10 days before harvest.
[ ] Monitor the weather 3-5 days near the harvest date.
[ ] Order the harvester in advance, agree on the date and price.
[ ] Prepare the road to the field, storage bags, and transport vehicles.
[ ] There is a plan to dry or dry immediately after harvest.
[ ] With seed fields, clean the machine and remove mixed plants before harvesting.

Common mistakes

Wait until the fields are completely golden before harvesting: by then many varieties will have lost their seeds or reduced rice quality, especially when it rains.

Harvest when the rice is still green for fear of rain: if it is not yet ripe, the grain will be light and of low quality. You should only harvest early when it is close to maturity and the weather is really unfavorable.

Not draining water before harvest: soft fields, difficult machine movement, increased losses.

Leaving wet rice piled up for a long time will cause the rice to heat up, change color, become moldy, and reduce the percentage of head rice.