Agriculture — III: Cash Crops (1) — Question 22

In the method of Ratooning, during the first harvest, sugarcane is cut leaving a little bit of the stalk in the soil with roots. The stalk soon puts out new shoots or ratoons. The second or any other successive crop obtained from the roots of the leftover crop is called Ratoon. Sugarcane is a perennial crop and, in theory, the same plants could continue to produce canes for many years. However, the yield from each successive ratoon crop is lesser than the previous one. After two or three ratoons, the old roots are no longer economical and new setts must be planted.