Rice ratooning

For that reason, a conference was held in India to discuss the prospects and economics of rice ratooning, identify the cultural methods to manage the ratoon crop, and initiate collaborative testing of varieties known to have good ratooning ability. The conference proceedings herein presented cover the following topics: the morphology and physiology of rice ratoons (2 papers); ratooning experiences in various countries; (8 papers); evaluation and potential of rice ratooning (8 papers); cultural practices (8 papers); and genetics and varietal improvement (5 papers). These papers focused on the advantages of the rice ratoon crop - its lower production cost, greater productivity, and reduced irrigation water requirements. Disadvantages were also investigated - generally low yields, lack of varieties with good ratooning ability, uneven maturity, susceptibility to insects and diseases, and the lack of cultural practices for the ratoon crop. Recommendations are given to provide a framework for exploiting the advantages of rice ratooning and a strategy for overcoming its inherent problems.