In which month do rapeseeds mature, and when is the best time to harvest them? How much does a harvester cost?
In China, rapeseed is grown in both the north and the south in all four seasons. Rapeseed is a crop that prefers cool conditions and has strong cold resistance. So in which month do rapeseeds generally mature? When is the best time to harvest them? And how much does a rapeseed harvester cost now?
When is the best time to harvest rapeseed
The rapeseed harvest time differs between the east and west of China, and between the south and north. Generally speaking, in the north, east and west, it is about the same as the wheat harvest time, roughly five to ten days earlier than the wheat harvest. In western Shandong it is around Xiaoman, in central Shandong before Mangzhong, and in Jiaodong after Mangzhong. In the south it is close to the harvest period of the first rice crop.
To judge when rapeseed is suitable for harvesting, you can start from the following three aspects:
From flowering to the end of the flowering period, rapeseed takes about 2 months. After the flowering period, it sets fruit and forms seeds. It takes about one month for the seeds to mature, and then farmers can harvest. You must grasp the timing and not harvest too early or too late. If harvested too early, the upper pods are not yet mature, which reduces yield and seed quality; conversely, if harvested too late, the early-maturing pods are prone to splitting and shedding seeds, which also affects the yield and quality of rapeseed.
1. Look at the appearance: when the pods are loquat-yellow, harvesting is just right. When 2/3 of the pods in the whole field are yellow-green, the pods in the middle of the main stem are loquat-colored, and 1/3 of the pods on the whole plant are still green, this is the suitable harvest period for rapeseed.
2. Count the time: generally, about 25-30 days after rapeseed finishes flowering is the suitable harvest period.
3. Look at the seed color: pick a total of 10 pods from the middle of the main stem and the middle of the upper and middle primary branches, open them and observe the seed color. If half the grains are brown and half are half-brown and half-red, this is the suitable harvest period.
Rapeseed harvesting methods
The suitable harvest period for rapeseed is relatively short, so you must grasp the timing well and harvest on a sunny morning with dew to prevent pods from splitting and shedding seeds. In the harvesting process, strive to achieve the “four gentles” (gentle cutting, gentle placing, gentle bundling, gentle transport), and strive to reduce losses to the minimum in every step. When harvesting rapeseed, harvest, bundle, pull and stack at the same time. It is not advisable to pile and dry it in the field, to prevent pods from splitting and shedding seeds. After harvesting, generally stack it for 4-6 days, then seize a sunny early morning to promptly break up the piles, spread it out to dry, thresh, sun-dry and winnow it clean.
A rapeseed harvester generally costs 2200 yuan each.