Determination of biological maturity and effect of harvesting and drying conditions on milling quality of paddy

Abstract

With recent advances in paddy production and processing technology in India, the practice of early harvesting of paddy coupled with mechanical drying has been introduced. This study was undertaken to determine the biological maturity and variation of moisture content in the grain from 15 days to 45 days after flowering and to evaluate the difference between the milling quality of sun dried and mechanically dried paddy. The results from the study have indicated that for the Jaya variety of paddy during the “ Aman” (winter) season in West Bengal, the maximum grain yield was obtained by harvesting between 28 to 36 days after flowering, and moisture content of the grain during the period varied from 24 to 22%. No significant difference between the total yield of sun dried and mechanically dried samples was observed within the experimental range. However, the head yield of the samples harvested at relatively higher moisture content and dried mechanically was higher than the sun dried samples. Maximum head yield and total yield of rice was obtained from the samples harvested during the optimum harvest period. This study, therefore, suggests that Jaya paddy should be harvested within 28 to 36 days after flowering in order to obtain maximum grain yield per hectare as well as a grain of superior milling quality and the paddy should preferably be dried by mechanical means for higher head rice yield.