Expounding the Effect of Harvest Management on Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Yield and Latent Loss Based on the Accurate Measurement of Grain Data

Abstract

Due to the impact of global environment and climate change, determining how to ensure food production and reduce food loss has become an important research topic for many countries, especially developing countries, and can provide key information for China’s grain harvest management. This article mainly examines the impact of harvesting period on rice yield, the existence of latent losses, and their management value. From 2019 to 2022, our team conducted experiments on the growth curve of rice grains, plants, and populations to investigate the existence of latent losses by establishing the relationship between the standard moisture weight and the days after heading. The results showed that the weight of the rice gradually decreased as the harvest time was delayed, and there were latent losses, of which the dry matter loss was about 3.5%. With the addition of grain shattering loss, the latent loss rate was about 7.0%. In summary, if rice management is strengthened, including harvesting at the optimal time, 4.67% of the loss can be recovered. The timing of the harvest significantly impacts rice yield. Understanding the process and causes of new types of rice losses, increasing the basis for judging the timely harvest period, and providing the best management measures can prevent the post-harvest losses caused by traditional methods and increase the amount of fertile land available.