Everything about Harvest totally explained
In
agriculture, the
harvest is the process of
gathering mature
crops from the
fields. Reaping is the harvesting of grain crops. The harvest marks the end of the growing season, or the growing cycle for a particular crop.
Harvesting in general usage includes an immediate
post-harvest handling, all of the actions taken immediately after removing the crop—cooling, sorting, cleaning, packing—up to the point of further on-farm processing, or shipping to the wholesale or consumer market.
Important factors
Harvest timing is a critical decision, that balances the likely
weather conditions with the degree of crop maturity. Weather conditions such as
frost, rain (resulting in a "wet harvest"), and unseasonably warm or cold periods can affect
yield and quality. An earlier harvest date may avoid damaging conditions, but result in poorer yield and quality. Delaying harvest may result in a better harvest, but increases the
risk of weather problems. Timing of the harvest often amounts to a significant
gamble.
On smaller
farms with minimal
mechanization, harvesting is the most
labor-intensive activity of the growing season. On large, mechanized farms, harvesting utilizes the most expensive and sophisticated
farm machinery, like the
combine harvester.
Etymology
Before the
16th century,
harvest was the term usually used to refer to the
Autumn season. However, as more people gradually moved from working the land to living in towns (especially those who were
literate), the word came to refer to the actual activity of reaping, rather than the time of year, and the terms
Fall and
Autumn began to replace it in the former sense.
Other uses
The word
harvest commonly refers to
grain and produce, but also has other uses. In addition to
fish and
timber, the term harvest is also used in reference to
wine. Within the context of
irrigation,
water harvesting refers to the collection and run-off of rainwater for agricultural or domestic uses.
Energy harvesting is the process by which
energy (such as solar power, thermal energy, wind energy, salinity gradients and kinetic energy) is captured and stored.
Body harvesting, or
cadaver harvesting, is the process of collecting and preparing cadavers for
anatomical study. In a similar sense,
organ harvesting is the removal of tissues or organs from a donor for purposes of transplanting.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Harvest'.
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