Field Crops> Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)> Harvesting and Threshing

High yielding dwarf varieties of wheat should be harvested when the leaves and stems turn yellow and become fairly dry. To avoid loss in kyield crop should be harvested before it is dead ripe. When harvest is not done in time, grain may be lost due to damage by rats, birds insects, shattering and lodging. Timely harvesting ensures optimum grain quality and consumer acceptance. The right stage for harvesting is when there is about 25-30 per cent moisture in grains. Harcvesting is normally done with serrate edged sickles by hand. Bullock-driven reapers are also used occasionally. Combines are also available which can do harvesting, threshing and winnnowing wheat crop in single operation. After harvesting the crop by hand, it is dried for three to four days on the threshing floor and then threshing is done by trampling bullocks or orpad thresher aattached to bullocks. Now-a-days power driven stationary threshers are becoming more popular because these are easy in operation and hasten the process.