SESAME HARVEST GUIDE

When the crop stops flowering, there are 50-60 days until combining. There are no harvest aids labeled for harvesting sesame. Swathing is no longer recommended because of lower yields and grades. The capsule is bred to open at the tip to reduce the time to harvest and allow sooner re-entry to the field after a rain. Non-dehiscence is defined as a capsule on the main stem that will retain over 65% of its seed 3 months after ready for harvest and yet will release the seed in the combine. All combine colors have successfully harvested sesame. Clean the combine before starting – wet or spoiled seed under the auger can ruin a truckload of sesame. If it rains while combining, clean out the combine before restarting. Reset your combine when moving from corn, sorghum, or wheat – sesame requires gentler handling – it is 50% oil. The concave should be as wide open as possible and then close down a bit. The cylinder speed should be as slow as possible to move the material through the combine. No one setting for a combine will work in all conditions. Be prepared to change the settings when entering new fields or even within a field. Speed is dependent on the amount of plant mass. When harvesting a good crop, the speed needs to be slow enough to allow the combine to separate the seed rather than pushing it out the back. Moisture is critical – harvest at 6% or less. The field can be brown & x28;particularly after a frost& x29; but still too green. You should be able to snap the stem instead on bending it. When entering the field, cut a representative sample and do run a moisture on the sample.

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