Effect of multi-micronutrient fertilizers applied to foliage on nutritional status of winter oilseed rape and development of yield forming elements

Abstract

Yields of oilseed rape harvested by farmers in Poland are usually much below the attainable potential of currently cultivated varieties, mainly because of the insufficient supply of nutrients during the yield foundation period, which determines the final number of secondary branches. This situation is typical of whole Poland, but may take place even on farms where high yields are harvested, for example in 2007. In 2006, 2007 and 2008, the year effect of multi-micronutrient fertilizers on yield of seeds, elements of yield structure and macronutrient content was studied. Multi-micronutrient fertilizers were applied twice over oilseed rape foliage during its pre-anthesis growth (BBCH45 and 53). In 2007, due to a drought in April, the harvested yields of seeds were below the country’s average. However, in each year of the study, a significant increase in the seed yield owing to the foliar application of multi-micronutrient fertilizers was found. The increase in the yield of seeds, averaged for the three years, reached 0.486 t ha–1 for the NPK+MiMo treatment (full set of micronutrients) and 0.36 t ha–1 for the NPK + Mi treatment (without molybdenum). The increments of the oilseed rape yield resulted from an increased number of developed secondary branches. This yield-forming element was an indirect result of the application of multi-micronutrient fertilizers, which affected the nitrogen economy by oilseed rape plants during the foundation period of their growth. At the same time, the increase in seed yield was significantly modified by the total number of developed pods, which is shaped during the yield-forming period of oilseed rape crop growth. Under conditions of the study, the magnesium content in secondary branches was found to be an element significantly correcting their number, thus increasing the yield of seeds.