Evaluation of Plant Architecture and Grain Characteristics of Paddy in NEH Region for Efficient Mechanized Harvesting

Abstract

Engineering properties of crop plants play a vital role in the design and optimization of efficient harvesting machinery. Full-scale adoption of mechanized harvesting technologies remains limited in the NEH region due to fragmented fields, undulating terrain, and the absence of crop-specific data for machinery design. Under such conditions, the effective design of harvesting equipment requires precise information on crop characteristics.  This study investigates the morphological and physical characteristics of the PR-126 paddy variety (Oryza sativa L.) cultivated in the North Eastern Hill (NEH) region of India, aimed at providing essential data for harvester design. Fifty paddy samples were randomly collected from the field and analyzed for plant height, panicle height, stem diameter, crop spacing, density, and moisture content using standard instruments such as a digital Vernier Caliper, measuring tape, and an infrared moisture analyzer. The average plant height and panicle height were found to be 904 ± 74 mm and 506 ± 74 mm, respectively, with a mean stem diameter of 7.62 ± 0.81 mm. The crop exhibited a row spacing of 200 ± 10 mm and a plant density of 24 hills m-2. Moisture content measured post-harvest was 21.74 ± 0.74% (wet basis) for grain and 40.46 ± 3.81% (wet basis) for straw. The maximum number of observations falls between 36% to 44%. Overall, the results indicate that while the majority of the straw samples had moisture levels suitable for harvesting, safe storage, some may require additional drying to prevent spoilage or microbial growth. Most parameters followed normal or near-normal distributions, indicating uniform growth conditions. These characteristics provide critical input for determining appropriate cutting height, blade specifications, and conveying mechanisms for harvesting equipment adapted to hilly terrains.