
Crop Production: Harvesting & Storage.
The primary energy source is food. For all other vital life processes to continue and for any living thing on our planet to remain alive, food is necessary.Â
The primary food source for both humans and animals is plants. Life would not be possible without food.Â
The primary causes of the current food scarcity in various regions of the world are the rapidly expanding population, the need for more food, crop loss, and other issues with agricultural productivity.
The need for solutions that might aid in the management of the crops produced has increased as a result of this.
Let’s examine the processes of crop production that entail harvesting and storing in more depth.
What Is Crop Production?
Growing and producing crops for food and fiber is a popular agricultural practice used by farmers all over the world.
This method covers all the feed sources needed to sustain and yield crops. A few techniques used in crop production are listed below.
- Soil preparation.Â
- Planting of Seeds.Â
- Watering.Â
- applying fertilizer, insecticides, and manure to the crops.Â
- Harvesting and safeguarding crops.Â
- The storage and preservation of harvested crops.
Harvesting and storing crops are the last phases of crop production.
Because incorrect harvesting techniques can result in a significant loss of crops, harvesting is an art and a skill that takes practice.
In addition to harvesting, storage is another issue. Grain storage needs to be prioritized because poor storage can lead to pests or unfavorable environmental conditions destroying harvests.
As a result, it calls for an understanding of grain harvesting, storage techniques, and grain protection, all of which are covered below.
Harvesting
Harvesting is the process of cutting and gathering the crop when it is fully ripe, also known as reaping. Numerous variables, like the season, crop variety, maturity period, etc., affect harvesting.
Excessive irrigation and erratic sunlight can cause crops to ripen more slowly, delaying the time for harvest.
Grain shedding occurs when harvesting is done too soon, resulting in the loss of unripened grains.
In addition, the grains are consumed by birds and rats. As the time for harvesting draws near, routine crop inspection is therefore required.
For paddy, rice, and wheat, the color golden yellow indicates ripening crops.
Sickles are used for manual harvesting, which is a laborious and time-consuming task. These days, harvesting is done by machines known as harvesters, particularly in large-scale farming.
Threshing the crop needs to be done after harvesting. The process of threshing involves pounding or using a threshing machine to separate the collected grains from the chaff.
Winnowing is the method used in small-scale farming to separate grains and chaff.
In most of the country, harvesting is seen as a festival. The results of farmers’ labors are realized at this joyful period. Pongal, Bihu, and other harvest festivities are a few.
Storage of Crops
Small-scale farmers use the produced crop for personal use, whereas large-scale producers mostly use it for marketing. As a result, the growers must store the grains.
Appropriate storage space needs to be set up for this. Grain loss can be quite high due to inadequate storage space and incorrect storage techniques.
Apart from pests and rodents, the grains that are stored may also be attacked by bacteria, fungi, and environmental factors including moisture and temperature.
As a result, the grains must receive the appropriate care before being stored.
Pesticides can be used to stop rodent infestations. Fungal development on grains occurs in a damp environment. If grains are properly dried in the sun, this can be prevented.
Fumigation is an additional technique that uses chemicals to keep bacteria and other microbes at bay.
Grain must be properly treated before being placed in godowns and kept in granaries or gunny bags.
Thus, it is clear that gathering and storing grains plays a significant role in crop development.
Crop Production: Harvesting & Storage.