2.  What is Harvesting?
Harvesting is a process of cutting
and gathering crops in the field.
There are two Harvesting methods:
1. Manual Harvesting
2. Mechanical Harvesting

3.  Manual Harvesting:
o Manual Harvesting means Cutting of crops by using
Hand tools.
o For small grains, hand tools include scythe sickle and
cutlass.
o Manual harvesting is tedious(Boring) and labor
intensive.

4.  Mechanized Harvesting:
 Machines are used for harvesting.
 In one category of harvesting, the whole plant is cut at
or near ground level , before the economic part
retrieved immediately or at a later date.

5.  In another situation , the plant is left
standing while only economic part is
removed ( as is the case in picking cotton
or corn)
 Mechanized harvesting may be grouped
into two way:
 One step operation
 Multi step operation

6.  Mechanized Harvesting:
 One Step operation:
• In one step operation, the economic product is obtained in a state
that can be placed directly into storage ( harvesting of grains crops
such as wheat and corn.)
 Multi Step operation:
• In multi step operation, the economic part may be harvested along
with other plant parts and left in the field for a period of curing or
drying (e.g., Alfalfa)

7.  Mechanical harvesting Includes:
 Combine Harvesting
 Windrowing
 Picking Machines
 Combine Harvesting:
 Combine harvesters are used to harvest field crops. (e.g., soy-
bean, small grains).

8.  Combine Harvesting
 Combine originally designed for small grains. Now, it is widely used
for other crops including corn and soybean.
• Multiple operations that combine performs:

9.  Cutting and gathering:
• Combine cut the plant material and gathered it.
then it is conveyed into threshing chamber.

10.  Threshing:
• In threshing chamber, a cylinder rotates to thresh the
crop.

13.  Combine Harvesting:
 Cleaning :
• The grains fall
through sieves of
appropriate sizes to
clean out foreign
material such as
gravel.

14.  Separating :
• The straw is shaken
out of the combine
onto the ground.
 Handling :
• The clean grains are
transported into the
holding tank by mean
of augers and
elevators.

15.  Windrowing:
• Windrowing is the method of harvesting whereby the crop is cut
and gathered by an implement called a Windrower.
• The material gathered is left in piles in rows in the field.
• It brings uniformity in ripening of the product.
• The rows of harvested material are picked up for threshing

17.  Picking Machines:
• Pickers are used to remove only the economic part of the plant that
is located on an aerial part.
• There are pickers for crops such as corn and cotton.