Editing Rice (section)

=== Harvesting ===

Across Asia, unmilled rice or "paddy" (Indonesian and Malay {{lang|id|padi}}), was traditionally the product of [[smallholder]] agriculture, with manual [[harvest]]ing. Larger farms make use of machines such as [[combine harvester]]s to reduce the input of labour.<ref name="IRRI Harvesting systems">{{cite web |title=Harvesting systems |url=http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/step-by-step-production/postharvest/harvesting/harvesting-systems |publisher=[[International Rice Research Institute]] |access-date=January 3, 2024 |archive-date=January 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103095241/http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/step-by-step-production/postharvest/harvesting/harvesting-systems |url-status=live }}</ref> The grain is ready to harvest when the moisture content is 20–25%. Harvesting involves [[reaping]], stacking the cut stalks, [[threshing]] to separate the grain, and cleaning by [[winnowing]] or [[sieve|screening]].<ref name="IRRI Harvesting">{{cite web |title=Harvesting |url=http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/step-by-step-production/postharvest/harvesting#guidelines-on-proper-harvesting |publisher=[[International Rice Research Institute]] |access-date=December 6, 2023 |archive-date=December 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231206070736/http://knowledgebank.irri.org/step-by-step-production/postharvest/harvesting#guidelines-on-proper-harvesting |url-status=live }}</ref> The rice grain is dried as soon as possible to bring the moisture content down to a level that is safe from mould fungi. Traditional drying relies on the heat of the sun, with the grain spread out on mats or on pavements.<ref name="IRRI Drying">{{cite web |title=Drying |url=http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/step-by-step-production/postharvest/drying |publisher=[[International Rice Research Institute]] |access-date=December 6, 2023}}</ref>

{{multiple image |align=center |caption_align=center |total_width=840 |image_gap=10 |image_style=border:none; 
|image1=Rice-combine-harvester, Katori-city, Japan.jpg |caption1=Rice [[combine harvester]] in [[Chiba Prefecture]], Japan 
|image2=Rice farmers Mae Wang Chiang Mai Province.jpg |caption2=After the harvest, rice straw is gathered in the traditional way from small paddy fields in [[Mae Wang]], Thailand
|image3=NP India burning 48 (6315309342).jpg |caption3=Burning of rice residues to prepare the land for [[wheat]] planting in [[Sangrur]], India
|image4=Nellu.JPG |caption4=Drying rice in [[Peravoor]], India
}}