RICE RATOONING - IRRI books - International Rice Research Institute

RICE RATOONING IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 65varied from 31 to 102% (1). Although the data comparing the main crop with theratoon crop are interesting, we believe a more valuable comparison would be secondcrop-ratoon. These crops represent mutually exclusive alternatives for the farmer,under similar environmental conditions.The analyses by Cuevas-Pérez and Nuñez Jimenez (3), De Groot (4), andDoorman and Cuevas-Pérez (6) discuss the costs of ratoon and second planted cropin the Dominican Republic. Cuevas-Pérez and Nuñez Jiménez (3) used data fromproduction cost surveys to compare yields, production costs, and efficiency (yieldsper time) of the main crop vs ratoon crop. Ratoon yields varied from 61 to 80% of themain crop, cost per kilo of paddy from 36 to 71%, and efficiency from 95 to 120%.Although ratoon yields were lower, the crop could produce rice in less time and wasalways cheaper.On one farm, which was double-cropped and ratooned in consecutive years,the ratoon crop was cheaper than the second crop, although the ratoon crop yieldedlower and was less efficient (3). The ratoon produced rice at a cost of US$l00/t; theplanted crop US$190/t. The second crop yielded 82% of the main crop during thefirst year, whereas the ratoon yield was 60% of the main crop in the second year. Theefficiency of the planted crop was 28 kg/ ha per day and that of the ratoon crop was26 kg/ha per day.De Groot (4) made similar comparisons using data from the ratoon crop oftwo rice farms and estimating second crop yields. He concluded that additional riceproduced by a second planted crop would cost more than the selling price of paddy.Doorman and Cuevas-Pérez (6) used data from 184 farms for the first crop and from36 farms for ratooning to compare the profitability of the ratoon crop with that of asecond planted crop. By estimating second planted crop yields as 90% of first crop,they observed that benefits from ratooning would be US$598 whereas from secondcrop they would be only US$408.In 1985 we studied second crops and ratoon crops growing at the same time intwo sites, where ratooning is a common practice, to determine the reason forfarmers' preference for ratooning. In Jicomé, 16 of the 18 farmers studied practicedratooning and 2 planted a second crop (Table 2). Although the farms in Castañuelaswere smaller, the total area under ratooning was the same.Table 2. Characteristics of the ratoon and second planted crop farms studied intwo sites in the Dominican Republic, 1985. aSystem Jicomé Castañuelas TotalRatoonFarm (no.)Area (ha)VarietySecond planted cropFarm (no.)Area (ha)Variety58800–25715020ISA-21 c 170ISA-21–ISA-40 c1642400400Mingolo bMingoloa Based on a survey of 400 ha of ratoon crop in each site, and 15 ha in Jicomé and20 ha in Castañuelas sf second planted crop. b Traditional tall variety. c lmprovedsemidwarfs.