Ratoon Rice Production Systems and Yield Optimization

Ratoon rice production leverages the regenerative capacity of dormant buds on rice stubble to establish a second crop without reseeding, offering a resource-efficient alternative to conventional double‐cropping. By reducing land preparation, labour and seed costs, ratooning can enhance annual yield while curbing greenhouse gas emissions and input demands. Key to successful ratoon systems are cultivar selection, optimal harvest timing and stubble management to maximise bud sprouting and assimilate translocation. Agronomic practices such as precise nitrogen and water management, combined with mechanised harvesting at appropriate stubble heights, further influence ratoon yield. Advances in understanding source-sink relationships, hydraulic efficiency and hormonal regulation underpin yield improvements. Globally, deployment of ratoon systems in monsoonal Asia, subtropical China and temperate regions underscores its versatility. Continued refinement of genetic traits, mechanisation technologies and region-specific water-saving strategies promises to bolster food security and sustainability in rice-dependent landscapes.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have clarified the principal yield components driving high annual output in ratoon systems. A six-year field experiment across 136 widely cultivated varieties demonstrated that main-season spikelets per panicle correlate strongly with first-crop yield, while ratoon yield depends chiefly on panicle density, grain filling rate and thousand‐grain weight. Path analysis revealed that enhancing the grain filling rate exerts the greatest influence on ratoon productivity, followed by increasing panicles per square metre and grain weight. These findings suggest that breeders should combine large-panicle genotypes with management practices that improve post-harvest tiller survival and assimilate partitioning to achieve maximum cumulative yield.

Ratoon Rice Production Systems and Yield Optimization publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in ratoon rice production systems and yield optimization across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Ratoon crop: A secondary rice crop produced by sprouting buds on the stubble of the harvested main crop without replanting.

Panicle: The branched flower cluster bearing spikelets that develop into grains.

Grain filling rate: The speed and efficiency with which assimilates are deposited into developing grains during the ripening phase.

Water use efficiency (WUE): The ratio of grain yield to total water consumed through evaporation, transpiration and irrigation.

Border effect: The compensatory yield increase in non-rolled rows adjacent to zones of stubble damage following mechanical harvesting.

References

1. Critical yield components for achieving high annual grain yield in ratoon rice. Scientific Reports (2024).
2. Ratoon rice strategy for enhanced water resource management: A simulation-based study in tropical monsoon climates. Agricultural Water Management (2025).
3. Yield Loss of a Rice Ratoon Crop is Affected by Nitrogen Supply in a Mechanized Ratooning System. Food and Energy Security (2025).