Ratooning
Encyclopedia
Ratooning is a method which leaves the lower parts of the plant along with the root uncut at the time of harvest
ing to give the ratoon or the stubble crop. The main benefit of ratooning is that the crop matures earlier in the season. Ratooning can also decrease the cost of preparing the field
and planting.
This method cannot be used endlessly as the yield of the ratoon crop decreases after each cycle. Nonetheless, ratooning is known to give a steady yield for three years under most conditions, for the crops for which it most often is used.
cultivation, ratooning leads to thinner canes with low sugar
content. There is also an increased risk of pests and disease.
Rice
is grown as a monocarpic
annual plant
, although in tropical areas it can survive as a perennial and can produce a ratoon crop, surviving for up to 30 years.
Harvest
Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper...
ing to give the ratoon or the stubble crop. The main benefit of ratooning is that the crop matures earlier in the season. Ratooning can also decrease the cost of preparing the field
Tillage
Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shovelling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking...
and planting.
This method cannot be used endlessly as the yield of the ratoon crop decreases after each cycle. Nonetheless, ratooning is known to give a steady yield for three years under most conditions, for the crops for which it most often is used.
Specific applications
In sugarcaneSugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
cultivation, ratooning leads to thinner canes with low sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
content. There is also an increased risk of pests and disease.
Rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
is grown as a monocarpic
Monocarpic
Monocarpic plants are those that flower, set seeds and then die. Other terms with the same meaning are hapaxanth and semelparous. The term was first used by Alphonse de Candolle....
annual plant
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
, although in tropical areas it can survive as a perennial and can produce a ratoon crop, surviving for up to 30 years.