UNIVERSITY OF

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES
BANGALORE
COURSE:PRACTICAL CROP PRODUCTION-2
AGR 212(0+1)
COURSE TEACHER: DR. PUSHPA.K
 • GROUP MEMBERS:
• AMB 0270 VINUTHA T S
• AMB 0271 VISHAL
• AMB 0272 VISHAL S
• AMB 0273 VISHNURAM
• AMB 0274 VISHWANATH C N
• AMB 0275 VISHWAS B M
C-2 BATCH • AMB 0276 VISMAYA M
• AMB 0277 VYSHNAVI G
• AMB 0278 YASHASWINI P
• AMB 0279 YOGEESH E
• AMB 0280 YOGESH R V
• AMB 0281 ZOYA KHOWAIN
Harvesting 
Harvesting is the process of removal of
entire plants or economic parts after
maturity. The economic product may be
grain, seed, leaf, root or entire plant.
The remaining portion of the stem that
is left on the field after harvest is
known as stubble.
 Or
Harvesting is the act of removing a crop
from where it was growing and moving
it to a more secure location for
processing, consumption or storage. 
• Some root crops and fruits trees can be
left in the field or orchard and
harvested as needed, but most crops
reach a period of maximum quality that
is they ripen or mature and will
deteriorate if left exposed to the
elements.
•  While the major factor determining the
time of harvest is the maturity of the
crops other factors such as weather,
availability of harvest equipments,
packing, drying, transport and storage
facilities.
•  Economic and marketing issues are
often even more important to consider
when to harvest commodity. Before
harvesting of crop, grower must be sure
about demand of the produce.
• Harvesting the crop at
optimum maturity is critical
for reaping the benefits of
season long efforts on crop
production. After final decision
on crop maturity, care must be
taken to avoid losses during
harvest, threshing, transport
and storage. Processing is
equally important to keep the
produce in good condition for
realizing good price. 
 1)Harvesting crops by using advanced technology
reduces the wastage of grains and increases in
quality and quantity.

IMPORTAN 2)The direction of cutting fruits, grains and

TS OF vegetables are very important during harvesting to
save the quality of the fruits and also, we should see
HARVESTI that the tools used should not damage the plant.
NG
3)Harvesting at the right stage enriches the quality of
grains or seed protection.
 CROP MATURITY: Different types of crop maturities are 
   Physiological maturity,Harvest maturity,Storage maturity
  
 PHYSIOLOGICAL MATURITY: 
                           It is the stage of development in the life cycle of plant
when the plant reaches maximum dry weight. At this stage any further
increase in inputs does not produce any gain in yield. There is cessation
in growth and grain filling at this stage. Grain at this stage has 40 per
cent moisture and 90 per produce is matured and remaining 10 per
cent still immature. So farmers should harvest at stage to get maximum
benefit.
HARVEST MATURITY
 This is the stage at which produce is at maximum yield (both quantity
and quality). The moisture content will be 18-20 per cent depending on
type of crop.

STORAGE MATURITY
 When there is no scope for post harvest drying, the crop is harvested
at stage where it can be directly stored. For this produce is left in the
field after harvest maturity and moisture will be less than 8-10
depending on different crops
 SYMPTOMS OF MATURITY

1 Rice ➢ 80 % of 2 Sorghum ➢ 3 Finger millet ➢ 4 Maize ➢ Husk

panicles turn to Yellow colored ears Brown colored ears color turns pale
straw colour with hard grains with hard grains brown

7. Blackgram ➢
5 Wheat ➢ 6 Redgram ➢ 80-85 8. Groundnut ➢
Pods turn brown or
Yellowing of per cent of pods Pods turn dark from
black with hard
spikelets turn brown  light colour 
seeds inside pods 

➢ Dark colored ➢ Drying and

➢ Kernels red or
patches inside the shedding of old
pink 
shell leaves
 METHODS OF HARVESTING

1. MANUAL HARVESTING

2. MECHANICAL HARVESTING
MANUAL
HARVESTING
Manual harvesting is still the
major method in developing
countries and in India. Certain
crops can be harvested without
tools, groundnut crop can be
harvested by uprooting with
hand, provided soil moisture is
optimum for hand pulling.
Similarly in case with green gram,
black gram, horse gram and
cowpea. 
 MECHANICAL
HARVESTING
Different types of reapers are available
tractor side mounted, tractor front
mounted, power tiller operated, self
propelled walking and self propelled
riding types have been developed for
harvesting of crops like soybean, wheat,
rice and mustard. 
IMPLEMENTS FOR
HARVESTING
TRADITIONAL IMPLEMENTS:
SICKLE: One of the most ancient
harvesting tools consisting of metal blade,
usually curved, attached to short wooden
handle.
Purpose: Used for harvest of vegetables, cereal
crops, cutting of grasses.
• Mower: It is a machine to cut herbage crops and leave them in swath.
•  Reaper: It is a machine to cut grain crops.
•  Reaper binder: It is a reaper, which cuts the crops and ties them into neat and
uniform sheaves
• . Swath: It is the material as left by the harvesting machine.
•  Sickle: It is a curved steel blade having a handgrip and used for harvesting by
manually.
•  Windrow: It is a row of material formed by combining two or more swaths.
•  Windrower: It is a machine to cut crops and deliver them in a uniform manner in
a row
MODERN HARVESTING
TECHNOLOGIES
AGRICULTUR
AL
MARKETING   The term agricultural marketing is
composed of two words-agriculture and
CONCEPTS marketing. Agriculture, in the broadest
sense, means activities aimed at the use of
AND natural resources for human welfare, i.e., it
DEFINATION: includes all the primary activities of
production. But, generally, it is used to
mean growing and/or raising crops and
livestock.
• . Marketing connotes a series
of activities involved in
moving the goods from the
point of production to the
point of consumption. It
includes all the activities
involved in the creation of
time, place, form and
possession utility. According to
Thomsen, the study of
agricultural marketing,
comprises all the operations,
and the agencies conducting
them, involved in the
movement of farmproduced
foods, raw materials and their
derivatives. 
 Scope and Subject Matter of Agricultural
Marketing: 
Agricultural marketing in a broader sense is
concerned with:

• The marketing of farm products produced by

farmers

• The marketing of farm inputs required by farmers

in the production of farm product
 AGRICULTURAL MARKETING
PROCESS
Agricultural
marketing process (ii) Grading and
(i) Assembling
involves wide variety standardization
of functions such as:

(iii) Processing and (v) Wholesaling and

(iv) Transportation
Storage retailing 
• The process of agricultural marketing
begins with the farmer and end up
with the consumer. In between these
two extreme ends one can find many
intermediaries like transporters,
warehouse owners, commission
agents, wholesalers, retailers etc.
performing their duties to enable the
agricultural marketing process to
reach its completion. 
(1)
ASSEMBLING
• At the start of the process, the
assembling of goods is important.
Agriculture produce is collected
in small lots and then assembled
into large ones. This function
becomes essential because of
small size of farms and small
quantity of production.
(2) Grading and standardization 
• [When goods are assembled, grading and standardisation have to be
undertaken. Because of the difference in tastes and needs of the
buyers, whatever is assembled is to be classified in different lots
according to their inherent qualities, such as colour, size, taste and
utility. The classification is effected on the basis of certain specific
characteristics which are codified into grades and then become
standard by which the assembled lots are judged. 
(3) Processing & Storage

• Some of the agricultural commodities may, then, undergo the

processing. For example, wheat may be turned into flour, cotton into
cloth and oilseeds into oil. During the processing the goods are
transformed so as to increase their shelf life and to make them more
acceptable to the consumer than in their original form. The
manufactured goods may not, however, be immediately disposed of
and may require space for storage. The needs of storage brings into
the existence of warehouses and godons.
(4) Transportation

• For the final consumption, the goods have to be moved from the
point of storage to the point where they are in actual demand. This
may require their transportation over long distances and across many
lands. It may be necessary to store them again for a while on arrival
before they could be sold to the wholesalers and through them to the
retailers. 
(5) Wholesaling and retailing 

• The task of making the goods available to the consumer for the final
consumption is entrusted upon the wholesalers and the retailers.
They are the final link in the process of agricultural marketing and
they play vital role in the entire process.
FUNCTIONS OF
AGRICULTURAL MARKETING

The functions of agricultural marketing can be classified

into three broad categories:
 i) Exchange functions; 
 ii) Physical functions; and
 iii) Facilitative functions.
EXCHANGE FUNCTIONS: These mainly include
functions related to buying and selling. Buying and
selling are complementary to each other and one
cannot take place without the other.

PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS:These functions relate to the

physical handling of agriculture produce either in
moving it from one place to another or in storing it
over a period of time.

FACILITATIVE FUNCTIONS:As the very name of these

functions implies, they involve neither transfer of
title to goods nor handling of the product but help in
the smooth discharge of the above functions.
CLASSIFICATION
OF AGRICULTURAL
MARKETS

• Markets are classified into;

• 1) Primary markets
• 2) Secondary markets
• 3) Terminal markets
• PRIMARY MARKETS: They are generally held once or twice a week.
The days on which these markets meet are fixed so that traders can
visit the area. They are generally held in the open and along roadsides
in important or centrally situated localities.
• These markets usually serve an area of 10 kms radius but it may be
more, ranging from 10 to 50 kms, depending upon the availability of
communication and transportation facility.
• SECONDARY MARKETS: These markets, also known as ‘Mandis’, are
regular wholesale markets and provide a permanent place for daily
transactions. These markets are generally situated in the towns,
districts, and important trade centers. Usually they are situated near
railway stations. 

• TERMINAL MARKETS:A terminal market is the place where the

produce is either finally disposed of to the consumer or to the
processor or assembled for exports. Such markets are usually situated
in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Bombay, Madras and Calcutta etc. In
these markets, merchants are well organized and use modern
marketing methods
PROBLEMS OF INDIAN AGRICULTURAL
MARKETING

• 1. Too Many Intermediates: The one main defect of the Indian Agricultural marketing is the presence of too many
middlemen and exploitation of farmers by them.

• 2. Defective Weights and Scales: Usually, in rural areas bricks, etc. are used as weights and in urban markets also
defective weights are found. Thus, the grain of the farmer is weighed by a heavier weight for their own gain
• .
• 3. Illiteracy and Lack of Unity among Farmers The Indian farmers are illiterate who are easier be fooled by the money
lenders, traders, middlemen, due to their simple nature. They are unable to meet with each other and resolve their
problems, as a result they do not get a fair price for their produce. 

• 4. Lack of Financial Resources In the rural areas there is lack of financial resources, due to which even their emergency
requirements are not fulfilled.
5. Lack of Transport Facilities The roads from Villages to cities aresually
unmade which are not capable of transport during the rainy season.
During lack of transport facilities the farmer is unable to take his
produce to the appropriate market and is unable to receive a fair price
for his product.
• 6. Lack of Store Houses An important deficiency of Indian agricultural
marketing is lack of store houses. Approximately 20% to 30% grains
are lost due to rats, insects etc. and the farmers have to bear crores of
loss due to lack of these facilities.
• 7.Corrupt Policies of the ‘Mandis’ If we observe the condition of the
mandis, this fact is no more hidden that the middlemen and the
traders jointly make fool the simple farmers. 
 1)Establishment of regulated markets

Government 2)Construction of warehouses

Measures to 3)Provision for grading and standardization of

Improve the produce

System of 4) Standardization of weights and measures

Agricultural 5) Daily broadcasting of market prices of agricultural

Marketing crops on All India Radio
6) Improvement of transport facilities 
VARIOUS GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
TO SUPPORT AGRICULTURAL
MARKETING IN INDIA
• 1. Soil Health Card Scheme
• 2. National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)
• 3. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)
• 4.Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)
• 5.Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF)
• 6.Agriculture Contingency Plan
• 7.Rainfed Area Development Program (RADP)
• 8.National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA)
Role of ITC – E - choupal