MULTAN:Agriculture experts have issued a set of guidelines for proper harvest of oilseed crops including Rapeseed, Raya and Canola, anticipating the crops would gain maturity by March end.
In a statement issued here Thursday, agriculture spokesman said that Raya, Rapeseed and Canola are the second most cultivated crops in the oilseed family after cotton and mostly they attain maturity in the last week of March.
Most of the canola varieties attain maturity simultaneously and give good production. Canola crop must be harvested when 50-60 per cent fruit turn brown while Raya should be harvested when 60-70 per cent fruit turns brown, the spokesman said.
Emphasizing importance of timely harvest, the spokesman said that delay can cause the grain to start falling.
After harvest, the crop produce be kept exposed before sunlight for six to seven days to let it dry at a clean and hard place to avoid soil mixing. Then this produce can pass through threshing process, either by wooden clubs or by machine. Before storing the seed, it should also be exposed before the sunlight for their dryness to a moisture level of 8-10 per cent.
Moisture level can be judged by pressing a seed grain between teeth and it should be understood to have attained proper dryness when it breaks with a cracking sound. The seed then should be stored and Desi variety must not be mixed in it to ensure uniformity and quality.