HARVESTING SEED OF GRASS AND 

 SMALL-SEEDED LEGUMES 



Farmers who grow grass and small-seeded legumes for seed often 

 sustain significant losses before and during harvest. In Oregon, for ex- 

 ample, less than 40 percent of a crop of crimson clover seed may actually 

 find its way into the bin. In Michigan, loss percentage for alsike clover 

 and alfalfa is about the same as Oregon's for crimson clover. In Alabama 

 and South Carolina, crimson clover losses approach those of Oregon; 

 lespedeza seed loss ranges between 40 and 50 percent. 



Most of these losses are chargeable to field shatter or to inefficient 

 harvesting. Field shatter occurs naturally- -usually when the florets that 

 hold the seed dry up and break away from the plant as the seed mature. 

 Some plants, however, shatter free seed. Rain, wind, or any physical or 

 mechanical shock to the plant accelerates shattering. Inefficient harvesting 

 nnostly reflects gro\vers' dependence on standard harvesting methods and 

 equipment- -combines, mowers, windrowers, and swathers --for harvesting 

 small, light grass and legume seed that weigh only 1/10 to 1/30 as much 

 as grain. 



Agricultural Research Service scientists and their collaborators in 

 State experiment stations in many parts of the United States have been 

 studying seed harvesting for years and have nmade some important ad- 

 vances. This report describes how these scientists approach the study 

 of seed loss and how agricultural leaders and others who are interested 

 in efficient seed production can apply the solutions found. 



One point merits special attention: Ideally harvested seed are fully 

 mature, free of blemishes, cracks, or abrasions that might affect germina- 

 tion, and are uncontaminated by weed seed or other extraneous seed or 

 material. 



The continuing emphasis on the use of forage grasses and legumes in 

 livestock production and their obvious value for soil improvement and 

 conservation stress the need for adequate seed supplies at all times. As 

 early as 1635, prospective settlers of Maryland were urged to bring "a 

 good store of Claver grasse seede, to make good meadow." 



CULTURAL PRACTICES INFLUENCE HARVESTING 



Any cultural practice that results in good, uniform growth contributes 

 to efficient harvesting. A smiooth seedbed, for example, greatly facilitates 

 the harvesting of any seed crop, especially a low-growing crop. The use 

 of cultipacker seeders buries most of the rock in a field and removes a 

 source of damage to combines and other equipment. Good cultural prac- 

 tices also include effective weed control and the removal of other extraneous 

 vegetation. 



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