Basic Knowledge in Agriculture #75

Greetings, dear friends, with the hope that you are all doing well. I appreciate @hive-118902 for organising this contest. I also thank @elsa-queen for inviting me to this contest. Below is my approach to the topic.

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Explain in detail the term Harvesting
Harvesting can be explained as the procedure of collecting ripe or mature crops, such as fruits, tubers, grains, and vegetables, with the sole aim of maximising yield, which can be carried out through manual or mechanical means. This is the aspect of farming that brings joy to farmers compared to others, as food is either going home or to market. The common harvests in our locality include maize, vegetables, potatoes, yams, and rice, among others.

Types of harvesting
There are basically two types of harvesting which are:

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1. Manual harvesting. Manual harvesting is also known as the traditional method of harvesting. This type of harvesting involves the use of bare hands or local hand tools to pick and gather mature or ripe crops on the farm which are usually in small quantities. Examples of the local hand tools are a knife, a hoe, a rake, sickles etc.

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2. Mechanical harvesting. Mechanical harvesting, on the other hand involves the use of machines like a combine harvester to cut, thresh and separate grains. It is faster, though expensive and mostly applicable for large operations

What is the importance of Harvesting in Agriculture?

The importance of Harvesting cannot be overemphasised in agriculture, as it is the final or last step in the farming process which helps in gathering the crops for food or economic purposes. Below are a few important aspects of harvesting:

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1. Loss prevention:- Harvesting in agriculture prevents the cultivated crops from being damaged or affected by bad weather, disease pest or even theft.
2. Plant health management:- The habit of harvesting or removing mature crops in gardening improves
3. Economic balance:- Harvesting provides the farmer with food and income as a means of livelihood.
4. Agricultural continuity:- Harvesting helps in clearing the land and making it ready for the next planting season. It also helps the farmer to save food seed for the next year's season.
5. Longevity:- Timely harvesting improves the life span of perishable goods like tomatoes, paper, cashew, mango etc. and also improves their marketability.

Conclusion
Harvesting is a very important aspect of farming in agriculture, which has the tendency to sabotage the entire process if not carried out at the right time. Thank you all for standing with me to this end. I invite @bossj23, @josepha and @mesola to support and join the contest.

Thank You All