Mechanization is the only fundamental way forward for rapeseed production

"The fundamental way forward for rapeseed production lies in mechanization" - this is the broad consensus of agricultural machinery and agronomy experts at the Rapeseed Production Mechanization Technology Seminar. On August 11, the Rapeseed Production Mechanization Technology Seminar was held in Beijing. At the meeting, results were released from rapeseed harvest loss testing carried out in rapeseed main production areas in 4 provinces of our country, which consistently showed that: the loss rate of mechanical combine harvesting of rapeseed is the lowest; at the present stage, mechanical combine harvesting should be the main method, with mechanical two-stage harvesting as a supplement, multiple methods coexisting, and agricultural machinery and agronomy integrated, to vigorously promote rapeseed harvest mechanization technology.

Rapeseed is a major oilseed crop in our country, with a perennial planting area of about 100 million mu and a yield of 12 million tons. In recent years, the level of rapeseed production mechanization in our country has steadily improved, but compared with the mechanization levels of other crops such as rice and corn, there is still a large gap, especially in harvest mechanization, which is the weakest; in 2014, the level of mechanized rapeseed harvesting was only 25.32%. To study and explore the impact of rapeseed harvest methods on operational results, from May to June 2015, the Agricultural Machinery Extension Station of the Ministry of Agriculture, together with the National Agricultural Technology Extension Center, the Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and other units, organized rapeseed harvest loss testing activities in Wujiang, Jiangsu; Feidong, Anhui; Caidian, Hubei; Liuyang, Hunan; and other places, respectively measuring the loss rates of manual rapeseed harvesting, mechanical two-stage harvesting, and mechanical combine harvesting. This was the first relatively comprehensive and systematic practical exploration nationwide of different rapeseed harvest methods and their operational results. The average results of field production testing at the four locations showed that: the loss rate of mechanical combine harvesting of rapeseed was the lowest, at 10.61%; the loss rate of mechanical two-stage harvesting was next, at 11.53%; and the loss rate of manual harvesting was the highest, at 15.61%. Carrying out rapeseed harvest loss testing work helps guide the broad masses of farmers to reasonably choose rapeseed harvest methods and scientifically select and purchase rapeseed harvesters, accelerating the process of full mechanization of rapeseed production.

Relevant responsible comrades from the Agricultural Mechanization Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Agricultural Technology Extension Center, and the Agricultural Machinery Extension Station of the Ministry of Agriculture, all members of the Second Rapeseed Production Mechanization Expert Group of the Ministry of Agriculture, and representatives from agricultural machinery extension and appraisal departments of major winter rapeseed production provinces in the Yangtze River Basin, totaling more than 50 people, attended the seminar.