Whole-plant ratooning technique
1987
Maurya, D.M. | Vishwakarma, D.N. | Ratni, S.P.S. (Narendra Deva Univ. of Agriculture and Technology, Narendranagar, Faizabad (India))
With traditional ratooning techniques, yields are low, 20-30% of the main crop yield. Lack of adequate leaf area maybe a factor in the lower ratoon yields. We tried using mother leaves for the ratoon crop by harvesting only panicles, leaving the leaves and stem intact. New shoots arose from higher nodes, instead of the ground tillers as in traditional ratooning. The number of branches emerging from each tiller and total tillers approached the number in the main crop, and in some plants even exceeded it. Each branch developed 2-3 small leaves. Panicle size almost matched that of the main crop. The ratoon crop matured in 34-36 d, with yield levels approaching 80-85% of the main crop. The experiment was conducted with very short-duration varieties. The nursery was sown on 19 Jun 1986, 25-d-old seedlings were transplanted at one seedling/hill in 12-x5-m plots with 20-x15-cm spacing and 60-30-30 kg NPK/ha. The ratoon crop was fertilized with 30-75 kg NP/ha. Yields of the different varieties were similar. This technique costs more because of the need for hand sickle harvesting of the main crop without disturbing the shoot system.
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