Water management on the performance of flooded rice main and ratoon crop

The cultivation of flooded rice (Oryza sativa L.) ratoon crop may constitute a profitable activity, if an adequate water management is adapted. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of drainage and irrigation periods, before and after, respectively, main crop harvest on the performance of flooded rice main and ratoon crop. Treatments consisted of the combination of four drainage periods (0, 10, 20, and 30 days) before the main crop harvest with the introduction of irrigation at 0, 10, 20, and 30 days after the main crop harvest. The experimental design was a randomized complete block in a 4x4 factorial scheme, with four replication. The rice ratoon crop performance was differently affected by the irrigation periods after main crop harvest according to environmental conditions. Retardation in flooding decreased grain yield and grain quality, when air temperatures unsuitable to ratoon crop development occurred. Under suitable air temperatures conditions, starting flooding at nine days after the main crop harvest was the best treatment to the performance of ratoon crop, which represented 14% of saved irrigation water. Rice ratoon crop apparently is not favorable to the development of Oryzophagus oryzae harmful population.