Abstract

Rapeseed is one of the major oil crops, grown in various agroecological conditions. Interest in organic rapeseed is rising, with increasing importance to breeders to determine the need for specific organic breeding programs. The objective of this study was to determine the adaptive value of rapeseed cultivars in organic farming environments. Five winter rapeseed cultivars were grown in conventional and organic plots, each with three sowing dates in four replications. The trials were organized using a randomized block design. The effect of cultivar and farming on emergence, percentage of harvested plants, yield, oil and protein content were investigated. Locally recommended agricultural practices were used to keep the fields free from weeds, insects and diseases. In organic field, weeds were removed mechanically while insects were treated using organic insecticide. The seed samples for analysis of oil and protein content were taken during harvest. Considering agricultural practices, it was found that rapeseed can be successfully grown in organic agriculture, but further improvements are needed to increase stability of production. Early sowing date provides enough time for rapeseed growth before the winter and good overwintering. The cultivars had higher oil content in the conventional farming, while there was no significant effect of farming system on protein content. For cultivar Slavica, higher yield was recorded in organic system, while cultivars Banacanka and Nena had high yield in both farming systems. The results suggest that the existing conventional breeding material can be used as a good starting point for further trait improvements in organic farming.

Highlights

  • Plant material and field experiment In order to investigate the effects of a farming system on the selected parameters, five winter rapeseed cultivars were used: Banaćanka, Slavica, Nevena, Kata and Jasna in conventional and organic farming systems

  • Seed yield, seed oil and protein content data were submitted to analysis using the generalized linear model (GLM) procedure to test the significance of applied factors of cultivar, farming system and sowing date

  • The effect of farming system on percentage of emerged and harvested plants, seed yield, seed oil and protein content Ratio between the number of emerged and harvested plants was similar between two farming systems and close to 37%

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Summary

Introduction

Effect of organic and conventional farming system and sowing date on yield, seed oil and protein content in rapeseed cultivars. The objectives of this study were to (1) compare rapeseed cultivars performance in conventional and organic farming systems, and (2) investigate the influence of farming systems and sowing dates on percentage of emergence, percentage of harvested plants, seed yield and seed oil and protein content.

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