A combine harvester is the main machine that cuts, threshes, and cleans the crop in one go. Once it's done, the grain is collected, and leftover straw is scattered in the field.

A straw reaper picks up the leftover straw, cuts it further, and converts it into usable fodder bhusa. So it is used for waste recovery and utilisation.

• If you want to harvest the crop, you need a combine harvester.

• If you want to make use of leftover straw, you need a straw reaper.

Most farmers actually use both, one after the other, to get full value from the field.