Canola is primarily harvested using a two-stage mechanical process involving specialized farm machinery: swathers and combine harvesters. While the ultimate goal is to extract oil from the seeds, the initial step involves efficiently gathering the tiny canola seeds from the plant.
The Harvesting Process: Swathing and Combining
The harvesting of canola, a crucial step before oil extraction, relies on robust agricultural equipment designed to handle its unique plant structure. Interestingly, canola is harvested with the same swather and combine equipment as cereal grains, even though the crops are quite different in their physical characteristics.
1. Swathing (Windrowing)
The first stage of canola harvesting is swathing, also known as windrowing.
- Purpose: This process involves cutting the canola plants and laying them down in neat, uniform rows called windrows. This allows the plants to dry down evenly and mature fully before combining.
- Equipment: A swather, also known as a windrower, is used for this task.
- Canola Specifics: Unlike the uniform stems of cereal grains, canola is tall and branchy, with thick spongy stems. This distinct morphology requires a few basic adjustments to most modern swathers. These adjustments are crucial to ensure that a good, consistent windrow of canola can be formed, which is essential for efficient drying and subsequent combining.
2. Drying/Curing
Once swathed, the canola plants are left in windrows in the field for a period, typically several days to a couple of weeks, depending on weather conditions.
- Purpose: This drying period allows the plants to cure, reducing their moisture content and making the seeds easier to separate from the pods during combining. It also helps to prevent shattering of the delicate pods and seeds.
3. Combining
After the canola in the windrows has sufficiently dried and matured, the second stage, combining, begins.
- Purpose: A combine harvester is used to pick up the dried windrows, separate the seeds from the plant material (threshing), clean them, and store them in the combine's grain tank.
- Equipment: A combine harvester is the primary machine for this stage.
- Efficiency: Modern combine harvesters are highly efficient at separating the tiny canola seeds from the pods and straw, ensuring minimal loss and maximum yield.
Equipment Used for Canola Harvesting
The following table outlines the key equipment utilized in canola harvesting, highlighting their general function and specific considerations for canola.
| Equipment Type | Primary Function | Canola-Specific Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Swather (Windrower) | Cuts plants and lays them into uniform rows (windrows) for drying. | While the same equipment as cereal grains, basic adjustments are needed to handle canola's tall, branchy, and thick spongy stems to form effective windrows. |
| Combine Harvester | Picks up dried windrows, separates seeds from plant material, cleans, and stores them. | Largely the same as for cereal grains, but settings may be optimized for the small size and high oil content of canola seeds to minimize losses and improve efficiency. |
Harvesting canola at the optimal time and with properly adjusted equipment is vital to maximize seed yield and quality, directly impacting the quantity and quality of oil that can be extracted later.
