Harvesting time as related to quality of the irrigated 'iac-4440' rice seeds

Abstract

Harvesting time is one of the most important factors which influence rice seed characteristics for the purpose of planting or milling. With the objective of determining the proper period to harvest the irrigated rice (Oryza sativa L.) 'IAC-4440', seeds of this cultivar were harvested at 15, 22, 29, 36, 43 and 50 days after flowering and evaluated in relation to moisture, viability, dry weight of 100 seeds, kilograms per hectoliter, head rice yield, yield and storability. The material obtained at 15 and 22 days exhibited deficiency in all the variables studied. Seeds harvested at 29 days showed good quality, but yield was lower than those of later periods. Those obtained from harvest at 50 days showed good performance, with exception for head rice yield. The best harvesting period was between 36 and 43 days after flowering, when the seeds presented high indices of quality, yield and storability.