Introduction to major field crops (1+1)

Harvesting and Threshing

Harvest maize cop when husk has turned yellow and grains are hard enough having less than 30 per cent moisture. Do not wait for stalks and leaves to dry because they remain green in most of the hybrids and composites.

Remove the husk from the cobs and then dry them in sun for seven to eight days. Thereafter grains are removed either by beating the cobs by sticks or with the help of maize threshers. After threshing dry them under sunshine and bring the moisture to 10 to 12 per cent and store them.The stover may be harvested and fed to animals.






Fig: Harvesting of cobs. Fig: Removal of husk from the cobs.





Fig: Drying of cobs. Fig: Harvesting of stover.






Fig: Threshing of cobs.








Fig: Bagging of grains.





Fig: Mechanical harvester cum thresher.



Fig: Waste after de-husking.