ratoon

plural ratoons · alternative rattoon

1. A shoot sprouting from the root of a cropped plant, especially sugar cane.

   A number of very small fruits from Cayenne ratoons were recently examined.

   1968, Paul C. Ekern, “Phyllotaxy of Pineapple Plant and Fruit”, in Botanical Gazette, volume 129, number 1, page 94

   3 more examples

   1803, John Browne Cutting, “A Succinct History of Jamaica” in Robert Charles Dallas, The History of the Maroons, London: Longman and Rees, Volume 1, p. xci, Ratoons, probably so named from a corruption of the Spanish word brotones, are suckers and sprouts, that spring from the roots of canes that have previously been cut down.

   Their field tasks were somewhat easier than those of the great gang: cleaning and banking young canes, turning over trash or ratoon pieces (canes sprouting from old roots).

   1926, Frank Wesley Pitman, “The Organization of Slave Labor”, in The Journal of Negro History, volume 11, number 4, page 600

   Soon after harvest, new shoots emerge from axillary buds on the stubble and give rise to the ratoon crop. Initially the young shoots are dependent upon the roots of the previous crop (stool roots) but these are replaced by new shoot roots […].

   2005, Patrice Cadet with Vaughan W. Spaull, “Nematode Parasites of Sugarcane”, in Michel Luc, Richard A. Sikora, John Bridge, editors, Plant Parasitic Nematodes in Subtropical and Tropical Agriculture, 2nd edition, Wallingford, Oxon.; Cambridge, Mass.: CABI Publishing, →ISBN, page 646

2. A rattan cane.

   1660, Samuel Pepys, diary entry for 13 September, 1660, in Diary and Correspondence of Samuel Pepys, London: Henry Colburn, 1848, 3rd edition, Volume 1, p. 134, Mr. Hawley did give me a little black rattoon, painted and gilt.

present singular third person ratoons · participle present ratooning · participle past ratooned · past ratooned · alternative rattoon

1. intransitiveTo sprout ratoons.

   In the sugar areas to the north and south of the Colony cane has been known to "ratoon" for 20 to 30 years.

   1893, “Resources of British Honduras”, in Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information, vol. 1893, no. 82/83, p. 327

2. transitiveTo cut a plant, especially sugar cane, so that it will produce ratoons.

   1969, M. Menzel; F. Wilson, "Genetic Relationships in Hibiscus Sect. Furcaria," Brittonia, vol. 21, no. 2, p. 100, Attempts to propagate them by cuttings (of flowering shoots) and to ratoon the old plants in the greenhouse in November were unsuccessful.