RICE RATOONING - IRRI books - International Rice Research Institute

62 RICE RATOONING1. Double-cropping of rice in the Dominican Republic (7).Double-cropping then is more the exception than the rule, a fact not oftenrealized. 1981 data on harvested area showed 61,700 ha of spring crops and50,300 ha of winter crops. These data could give the impression of a croppingintensity of 1.8. The truth is, however, that some of the area planted during thesecond half of the year was not planted in the previous half and vice versa.Difficulties associated with double-cropping mean that Dominican farmershave traditionally obtained a ratoon crop, which reduces the need for machinery,land preparation, and time required to harvest a second crop (Fig. 2).This paper describes ratooning in the Dominican Republic and compares itsprofitability to a second planted crop. The literature on ratooning in the DominicanRepublic is reviewed and the results of a 1985 second-semester survey at two siteswhere ratooning is preferred over a second planted crop are summarized.RATOONING AS A SECOND CROPOf the 50,300 ha harvested as winter crop in 1981, 12,100 ha came from the ratooncrop, or one-fourth of the area harvested during the second half of the year.However, if we subtract the area ratooned from the 112,000 ha harvested during theyear, the planted area amounts to only 100,000 ha. Considering that the total areaplanted to rice is 90,000 ha, the actual area double-cropped is 10,000 ha. Thesefigures indicate that ratooning and second planting were equally popular during thesecond half of 1981.