The relationship of moisture to milling quality gives growers a degree of control over head rice by allowing them to time their harvest according to moisture content. The head rice is highest when rice is harvested at moisture content greater than what is required for safe storage. Three of Egyptian varieties Sakha 101, Sakha 104 and Giza 177 were cultivated at Etai El-Baroud Agricultural Research Station Farm, Egypt in 2007 season, to determine the suitable harvesting time according to the grain moisture content to obtain high quality milled rice (head rice) character. This investigation was done in Rice Technology Training Center (RTTC), Alexandria; at different levels of harvesting time according to moisture content between 30% wet bases to 20% wet bases approximately for each variety in four replicates. Analysis of data showed that the optimum harvest moisture content differs with each variety. The optimum harvest moisture content for maximum head rice were obtained at 21- 23% for Sakha 101, from 20- 24% for Giza 177 and from 23- 26% for Sakha 104. So harvest management preserves rice quality that contribute directly to profit, and then rice growers must harvest rice as carefully as they grow it. Although this study showed that moisture content is very important, there are many factors have effect on milling quality.
Key words: Rice- Harvest-Moisture -Quality
The relationship of moisture to milling quality gives growers a degree of control over head rice by allowing them to time their harvest according to moisture content. The head rice is highest when rice is harvested at moisture content greater than what is required for safe storage. Three of Egyptian varieties Sakha 101, Sakha 104 and Giza 177 were cultivated at Etai El-Baroud Agricultural Research Station Farm, Egypt in 2007 season, to determine the suitable harvesting time according to the grain moisture content to obtain high quality milled rice (head rice) character. This investigation was done in Rice Technology Training Center (RTTC), Alexandria; at different levels of harvesting time according to moisture content between 30% wet bases to 20% wet bases approximately for each variety in four replicates. Analysis of data showed that the optimum harvest moisture content differs with each variety. The optimum harvest moisture content for maximum head rice were obtained at 21- 23% for Sakha 101, from 20- 24% for Giza 177 and from 23- 26% for Sakha 104. So harvest management preserves rice quality that contribute directly to profit, and then rice growers must harvest rice as carefully as they grow it. Although this study showed that moisture content is very important, there are many factors have effect on milling quality.