Maximize Yield and Maintain Grain Quality with Seed Co Malawi Limited

Seed Co Malawi Limited is the leading supplier of high-quality, certified hybrid seeds across Malawi. We provide top-performing crop varieties engineered for high yields, including:

• Maize varieties: Kalulu, Kanyani, Mbidzi, Mkango, and Njovu
• Soybeans varieties: Serenade, Signal, and Saga
• Common/dry beans variety: Nua-45
• Sorghum varieties: SC Sila (white grain colour) and SC XH 102 (red grain colour)
• Rice varieties: Nerica-4 (upland variety/wakuntunda rice) and Kilombero (puddy rice)

Successful farming does not end at maturity. Crop management from field to consumer dictates final profit. Timely harvesting, proper drying, and strategic chemical storage are essential steps to minimize losses and maintain peak grain quality.

1. Maize (Zea mays)

Harvesting

• Timing: Harvest when husks dry and kernels harden. Ensure field moisture is at 20–25%.
• Method: Manual picking or mechanical combine harvester.

Post-Harvest Process

• Drying: Use sun-drying or mechanical dryers to lower grain moisture to 11–13%.
• Shelling: Process using hand-shelling or motorized mechanical shellers.
• Cleaning: Clean thoroughly to remove dust, cob debris, and broken kernels.
• Storage: Apply approved protectants from legitimate suppliers, Dust or fumigate only dry, clean maize and Rotate chemical classes annually to prevent insect pest resistance.

Scientific Insight: Delayed maize harvesting causes a 5–15% field yield loss. Failing to dry grain below 13% risks severe storage losses exceeding 30% from weevils and toxic fungal molds like aflatoxin.

2. Soybeans (Glycine max)

Harvesting

• Timing: Harvest when pods dry completely and leaves drop. Target 13–15% moisture.
• Method: Manual cutting or mechanical combine harvester.
• Shatter Control: Harvest during early morning or late afternoon when relative humidity is higher to reduce pod shattering.

Post-Harvest Process

• Threshing: Handle gently during threshing to prevent seed coat cracks.
• Drying: Bring moisture levels down to an optimal 10–12%.
• Cleaning: Screen out pods, weed seeds, and soil dust.
• Storage: Treat only clean, dried soybeans with recommended grain protectants and minimize physical handling bags; soybean seeds crack easily, lowering oil extraction quality.

Scientific Insight: Soybeans have a strict 3–5 day harvest window post-maturity. Delays spike shattering losses past 20%. Rough handling breaks seeds, slashing germination rates by up to 25%.

3. Common/dry Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Harvesting

• Timing: Harvest when pods turn yellowish-brown, dry out, and rattle when shaken. Target 18% moisture.
• Method: Manual uprooting/cutting or specialized mechanical pullers.

Post-Harvest Process

• Drying: Spread on tarpaulins to dry down to 12–13% moisture.
• Threshing & Cleaning: Use specialized bean shellers or gentle winnowing techniques.
• Sorting: Sort manually or mechanically by uniform color, size, and physical quality.
• Storage: Apply recommended bean protectants against the bean bruchid beetle and store in cool, well-ventilated areas using airtight PICS bags or treated gunny sacks.

Scientific Insight: Delayed bean harvests expose crops to field pests and weathering, costing 10–15% in lost yield. Poor, aggressive threshing splits or bruises up to 30% of grains, making them unmarketable.

4. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)

Harvesting

• Timing: Harvest when grain hardens and the black layer forms at the base of the kernel. Target 20–25% moisture.
• Method: Manual head cutting using knives or mechanical combine harvesting.

Post-Harvest Process

• Drying: Dry heads immediately on clean surfaces until grain moisture reaches 10–12%.
• Threshing: Beat heads gently on mats or pass through a mechanical thresher to separate grain from chaff.
• Cleaning: Winnow to remove light chaff, dust, and small stones.
• Storage: Treat grain with approved insecticides to protect against grain weevils and moths and store in a clean, elevated, rodent-proof granary or sealed bags.

Scientific Insight: Standing sorghum left in fields past maturity experiences up to 15% loss from bird damage, grain mold, and weathering. Keeping moisture above 13% in storage invites rapid infestation by the destructive lesser grain borer.

5. Rice (Oryza sativa)

Harvesting

• Timing: Harvest when 80–85% of the grains turn a mature, golden yellow color on the panicle.
• Method: Manual sickles or mechanical combine harvesters.

Post-Harvest Process

• Threshing: Thresh immediately within 24 hours of harvest to separate grains from panicles.
• Drying: Dry slowly to 12–14% moisture. Avoid rapid sun-drying to stop grain cracking.
• Cleaning: Remove straw, stones, empty husks, and mud balls.
• Milling: Dehull to produce brown rice, or polish further to create white rice.
• Storage: Store paddy rice (unhusked) using recommended warehouse chemical treatments and crucial: Never treat edible, polished white rice directly with strong residual liquid insecticides.

Scientific Insight: Flawed post-harvest management cuts rice value by up to 37%. This includes field shattering (5–10%), poor threshing (3–5%), and unmonitored drying causing sun-cracking and rot (15–20%).

Chemical Storage Treatment Safety Notes

• Read Labels: Always follow manufacturer guidelines, safety symbols, and dosage rates exactly.
• Condition First: Only apply chemical protectants to completely dry, clean grains.
• Withholding Periods: Do not mill, cook, or eat chemically treated grains before the specified safety period has lapsed.
• Use PPE: Always wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (gloves, masks, overalls) during dusting or fumigation.
• Clear Labeling: Explicitly mark treated grain bags with a bold sign: “TREATED SEED, NOT FOR DIRECT CONSUMPTION”.

 Contact Seed Co Malawi Agronomists

For chemical recommendations, specific application dosages, or crop advice, contact our regional agronomists: