Abstract
Purpose: The study was conducted to investigate the proper working conditions like the mesh size of the concave and the chaffer angle of the oscillating sieve, and the fan speed of the head-feeding rice combine for foxtail millet harvesting. Methods: The study aimed to determine the harvesting conditions for the rice combine harvester at a 0.5 m/s working speed and at $40^{\circ}$ and $55^{\circ}$ sieve chaffer angles. The harvesting loss of the foxtail millet based on the speed of the fan and the oscillating speed of the sieve was measured at three levels of fan speed and oscillating sieve speed. Results: The threshing rates of different foxtail millet varieties were 64.1~83.5% at a mesh size of 7 mm of the concave. In experimental foxtail millet harvesting, the optimal operating condition of the rice combine harvester included a $40^{\circ}$ sieve chaffer angle and a 4.8 Hz oscillating sieve (cleaning shoe) frequency. The grain loss was found to be lower at a $40^{\circ}$ than at a $55^{\circ}$ sieve chaffer angle. In field harvesting using the combine harvester, the lowest harvesting grain loss rate of the foxtail millet varieties ranged between 0.2~0.5% at a 7 mm mesh concave, $40^{\circ}$ chaffer angle, 4.8 Hz sieve frequency, and a 20 m/s fan speed at an engine speed of 2,000 revolutions per minute (RPM). Conclusions: Findings showed that foxtail millet could be harvested using the combine harvester.