Progress and challenges of rice ratooning technology in Jiangxi Province, China

This review was undertaken to summarize the development, experience, and challenges of ratoon rice cultivation over 50 years in Jiangxi Province, China. As the growing labor shortage in the last decade, rice ratooning technology with the main crop harvested mechanically has widely spread and quickly replaced the traditional ratoon rice under manual harvesting. However, rolling damage caused by harvesting machines becomes a critical factor for yield loss in the ratoon season. Some key agronomic practices including variety selection, optimal planting time, nutrient and water management, etc. were discussed here for minimizing rolling damage and achieving high grain yield in the ratoon crop under mechanical harvesting. Besides, some innovative crop rotation systems have been attempted by integrating ratoon rice with duck farming or fragrant taro for reducing weeds and disease incidences and improving farmers' profit. At last, this review analyzed the challenges and opportunities for further expansion of ratoon rice production in Jiangxi from the perspective of cultivation technology, rice market, and government policy.