Abstract
Seed treatment with mineral nutrients in spring oilseed rape (SOR) under cold climatic conditions has the potential to improve the outcome of production. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of mineral nutrients applied as seed treatment on germination and growth of roots and biomass in SOR. In addition, seed yield and oil content were also measured. Seed vigour tests and in-field experiments were performed in Central Sweden in 2016 and 2017. Seven products with different composition of mineral nutrients were applied to the seed in a combination with binder, filler and fungicide (BFF), or applied directly onto the seed. The results showed that a treatment with mineral nutrients increased the plant size at stage BBCH 60 (early flowering stage) when the products were applied in combination with BFF in the field experiments. However, the increased plant size did not influence seed yield. Furthermore, when seeds were treated only with a nutrient product the addition of BFF decreased plant size by 10% on average and seed and crude fat yields by 4% on average. The use of BFF may thereby be questioned and is subject to further investigation.
Highlights
The flowering rapeseed fields represent an important cornerstone of Nordic crop production
An increased growth was found at BBCH 60 in two of the field experiments when mineral nutrients were applied to seeds mixed with BFF, (Table 7), which was partly in accordance with hypothesis 1, i.e. that seed treatment with mineral nutrients will enhance germination and growth in Spring oilseed rape (SOR) at low soil temperatures (< 10 °C)
These results confirm that an extremely small amount of mineral nutrient products applied to the seed has a positive effect on plant growth in a crop with high compensatory abilities as oil seed rape (Tatchell 1983, Angadi et al 2003)
Summary
The flowering rapeseed fields represent an important cornerstone of Nordic crop production. Previous investigations showed enhanced germination and growth in a number of other crops e.g. oats, wheat, black seed, maize, by seed treatments with nutrients such as iron, boron, zinc, manganese, phosphorus, sodium, copper, and cobalt (Peltonen-Sainio et al 2006, Mirshekari 2010, Farooq et al 2012, Imran et al 2013, Seyvedi et al 2015). The treatment of seeds with mineral nutrients may be a new and innovative method to improve emergence and growth of SOR, reducing damage from flea beetles. Seeding early at low soil temperatures (
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