Effect of Different Harvesting and Threshing Methods on harvest Losses and Seed Quality of Rice Varieties

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to find out the influence of harvesting and threshing methods on seed quality of rice varieties viz., CR1009 Sub1, IW Ponni and CO51. The treatments are manual harvesting and manual threshing, manual harvesting and mechanical threshing (axial flow thresher) and combine harvesting (with pneumatic wheel). The harvested and threshed rice seeds were evaluated in terms of moisture content, kernel to husk ratio, hardness and mechanical damage based on physical, physiological and chemical methods. The results revealed that rice seed harvested and threshed through manual method or by combine harvesting method with minimum mechanical damage did not affect the germination and seedling vigour irrespective of the varieties studied.