Winnowing

So much of India’s population lives in villages, the country’s economy remains primarily agricultural. We have always been aware of the earth’s abundance as a culture. Farmer-friendly technology has made its way into the agricultural arena because of the invention of modern-day machinery.

Have you seen the women of the family sit out on the porch with grains of rice filled in a basket-like structure if you’ve had the privilege of hearing these stories from your parents or grandparents, or even better, visiting your native village – have you seen the women of the family sit out on the porch with grains of rice filled in a basket-like structure? They keep tossing the husk to the side, leaving only the rice grains. This is a demonstration of how we used to winnow in our own kitchens!

What is the process of winnowing?

Winnowing is the process of separating good rice grains from husk or chaff by using powerful breezes. It is essential in the paddy cultivation process. Farmers used to have to wait for hours for the wind to blow in order to separate their rice grains from chaff after making these dried grains fall from a height using shovels or sieves.

As industrialisation extended over the world, the winnowing machine was introduced. Because husk is lighter than rice grains, it is easily separated by the wind’s force. Andrew Rodger initially invented the wind winnowing machine in Scotland in 1737 when he needed to separate maize.

The fan on today’s wind winnowing machines is operated by pedalling. This cycling procedure allows you to adjust the speed of the wind produced. Farmers no longer need to wait for the wind to blow naturally. In a short period of time, they may winnow hundreds of kg of rice or paddy. They may also be operated inside a big enclosed space because they are machines, so farmers can benefit even during the wet season. Winnowing is the process of separating grains from chaff. It’s a farming method that’s been around since the beginning of time. There are numerous winnowing machines available nowadays.

The separation of grains from straw using an air current is known as winnowing. The word “winnow” comes from the old English word “windwian,” which means “to separate a mixture by the wind.”

Principle of Winnowing 

Winnowing works on the principle that if a mixture has two components, one of which is lighter than the other, both can be separated by a blast of air. The mixture is dropped from a great height. Due to the wind, the lighter component separates from the heavier component.

Because empty seeds and detritus are lighter than loaded seeds, they are separated by the current of air in the figure above.

Andrew Rodger, a Scottish engineer, is credited with inventing the first wind winnowing machine in 1737. He was a farmer who invented the grain separation machine. ‘Fanner’ was the name he gave to the machine. Many different types of winnowing machines were invented throughout the industrial revolution. China invented an ancient winnowing mechanism.

Modern Winnowing Machine

Winnowing and threshing can now be done with a single machine. The process of separating stalks from grain is known as threshing. Farmers used to manually beat the grains to separate the edible from the non-edible pieces. Machines are now available for threshing as well. Farmers still only use one machine for threshing and winnowing today. It simplifies their work and allows them to do two things at once. This helps them save time and effort. 

Example of Winnowing

• The winnowing procedure is used to separate wheat from the husk. The wheat and husk mixture is dropped from a height. Because husk is lighter than wheat grains, it is removed from wheat by wind or air.
• Winnowing can be used to remove dirt particles from grains.
• Winnowing is used to remove corn from straw.

The Benefits of Winnowing

• In agriculture, winnowing is quite beneficial.
• Winnowing separates grains and husk, allowing the husk to be used as animal feed.
• We can use winnowing to separate grains like wheat, corn, and millet from lighter contaminants like husk, straw, and stones.

The Drawbacks of Winnowing

• For heavier particles, such as stones, this method of isolating the components of a mixture does not function.
• The components of a mixture are separated by wind in winnowing, the components that are heavier than grains are almost impossible to separate. As a result, the breadth of this mixture separation method is limited.
• Winnowing machines are also more efficient than winnowing by hand.

Conclusion

The study notes on Winnowing provide a complete overview of the process of winnowing, including an overview of its origin, description, and the advances made in the process with the progress of industrialization