Stubble Turnips Research Articles

Investigation of the Effect of Slurry, Combined with Inorganic N Rate and Timing, on the Yield of Spring Barley Post Cover Crop of Stubble Turnips

Integration of cover crops into arable rotations over winter results in difficulty in determining the nitrogen (N) requirement for the following commercial crop. The region of Northern Ireland (NI) has had no previous field research on cover crops and how they may affect N supply to the following commercial crop. Stubble turnips (Brassica rapa oleifera L.) were sown as a cover crop, after the harvest of winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and retained over winter. Prior to planting the stubble turnips, pig slurry was applied to maximise cover crop growth. The stubble turnips accumulated 111 and 150 kg N/ha in their biomass. This equates to 79 and 107% of the N requirement of a 5 t/ha spring barley crop, if this N is released sufficiently. In this experiment, the cover crop of stubble turnips was over-sown with spring barley and supplemented with different rates of organic manures (either applied at 50 m3/ha of pig slurry or not applied), and inorganic N fertiliser (0, 70 and 140 kg N/ha), at two different timings (early or late). In the two experimental years, additional N supplied in the form of inorganic N or organic manures, did not significantly enhance spring barley yields. No control area of fallow was included in this trial. However, this study demonstrates that in this region there may be a greater rate of N release from the cover crop of stubble turnips than estimated due to agronomic management practices applied and conducive climatic conditions. This means that in this study location, a reduced N rate programme supplemented to the spring barley is possible, which lead to considerable financial savings.

SCANDINAVIAN TABLE AND STUBBLE TURNIPS: VARIABILITY AND VALUE FOR BREEDING

The climatic conditions of the Nordic countries are similar to the conditions of the North-West region of the Russian Federation, which makes it possible to introduce interesting varieties for Russian breeding. Most of the local varieties of stubble turnips in the USSR were created using Scandinavian material. Local varieties are the source of the genetic diversity of vegetable crops. The work with such material is promising in terms of searching for sources and donors of valuable traits for breeding programs. 16 samples of local table turnips and stubble turnips from the Scandinavian countries were obtained from the Nordic genebank and a comprehensive study was carried out. Samples are described from the point of view of the existing agrobiological classification of turnip (M.A. Shebalina). Most of the local accessions are mixed populations of two or more types. It was found that the local accessions of Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden were represented by table turnips of the Karelian and Petrovsky types, a Tankard yellow type prevailed among the stubble turnips. A representative of a very rare variety type of turnip Kostenevskaya (Petrozavodskaya) was found. The fact of changing of the prevailing types of table and stubble turnips Scandinavian countries is probably connected with the introduction of the widespread European varieties of these cultures. Accessions of local Scandinavian stubble turnips have been identified as sources of productivity and valuable biochemical composition, exceeding the standard variety of Osterzundomsky. Gul Finlandsk, Norway (the Petrovskaya type), Ljusnedal, Sweden (May yellow greenhead type), Rana, Denmark, (the Bortfeld type) and Ova Daehnfeldt, Denmark (Tankard yellow) are promising sources for turnip breeding in Russian Federation.

The effect of sowing date and nitrogen on the dry‐matter yield and nitrogen content of forage rape (Brassica napus L.) and stubble turnips (Brassica rapa L.) in Ireland

AbstractTwo field experiments were conducted at Teagasc, Moorepark, Ireland, to determine the effect of sowing date and nitrogen application on the dry‐matter (DM) yield and crude protein (CP) content of forage rape and stubble turnips. The first experiment consisted of three sowing dates (1 August, 15 August and 31 August) with four rates of fertilizer N (0, 40, 80 and 120 kg N ha−1) on forage rape DM yields. The second experiment consisted of three sowing dates (1 August, 15 August and 31 August) with four rates of fertilizer N (0, 40, 80 and 120 kg N ha−1) over two soil sites (fertile or nitrogen depleted) on forage rape and stubble turnip DM yields. A delay in sowing from 1 to 31 August characterized a 74·5% decrease in forage rape DM yield, while stubble turnip DM yield decreased by 55·5%. Forage rape DM yields increased positively up to 120 kg N ha−1 at the first two sowing dates over both sites. In contrast, stubble turnips showed less response beyond 40 kg N ha−1 on site 1 in the first two sowing dates, while DM yield increased positively up to 120 kg N ha−1 on the less fertile site. The results indicate that the optimal sowing time for forage rape and a stubble turnip in Ireland was early August.

Status and Perspectives of Clubroot Resistance Breeding in Crucifer Crops

Clubroot disease is a major threat to crops belonging to the Brassicaceae. It is controlled most effectively by the use of resistant cultivars. Plasmodiophora brassicae, the causal agent, shows a wide variation for pathogenicity, which can be displayed by using differential host sets. Except for Brassica juncea and B. carinata, resistant accessions can be found in all major crops. Most resistance sources are race-specific, despite some race-independent resistant accessions which can be found in B. oleracea. European field isolates from P. brassicae display great variation and show a tendency to overcome different resistance sources from either B. rapa or B. oleracea. At present, resistance genes from stubble turnips (B. rapa) are most effective and most widely used in resistance breeding of different Brassica crops. Resistance to P. brassicae from turnips was introduced into Chinese cabbage, oilseed rape, and B. oleracea. Although most turnips carry more than one resistance gene, the resistant cultivars from other crops received primarily a single, dominant resistance gene having a race-specific effect. Populations of P. brassicae that are compatible against most of the used resistance sources have been present in certain European areas for many decades. Such pathogen populations appeared in Japanese Chinese cabbage crops only a few years after the introduction of resistant cultivars. As the spread of virulent P. brassicae pathotypes seems to be slow, resistant cultivars are still a very effective method of control in many cropping areas. Mapping studies have revealed the presence of several clubroot-resistance genes in the Brassica A and C genomes; most of these genes are showing race specificity. Only in B. oleracea was one broad-spectrum locus detected. Two loci from the A genome confer resistance to more than one pathotype, but not to all isolates. Progress made in the determination of resistance loci should be used to formulate and introduce an improved differential set. Future efforts for breeding P. brassicae resistance will focus on durability by broadening the genetic basis of clubroot resistance by using either natural variation or transgenic strategies.

Evaluation of the performance of in-calf dairy heifers either housed or out-wintered on forage brassicas (stubble turnips)

There is increased interest in out-wintering systems which have the potential to reduce costs and hence increase farm profitability. Out-wintering also offers the potential to increase herd size, within the constraints of Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) restrictions without the substantial capital costs associated with waste storage. The majority of out-wintering research has focused on kale and its utilisation by dry dairy and suckler cows where relatively modest performance levels are required. In a comprehensive review on forage brassica for out-wintering stock (MDC 2007) it was stated that “despite the developments in New Zealand in the use of brassica based out-wintering systems for dry dairy cows, there seems to be no detailed studies on the use of these systems for growing (0.7-0.85kg daily live weight gain [DLWG]) dairy heifers”. The objective of this experiment was therefore to evaluate the performance of replacement dairy heifers either housed or out-wintered on forage brassicas (stubble turnips).

The impact of pasture improvement on phosphorus concentrations in soils and streams in an upland catchment in Northern England

Upland pasture improvement historically undertaken to increase agricultural output may impair water quality due to increased phosphorus (P) transfer in land runoff. We monitored two adjacent headwater catchment areas of the River Rede in Northumberland with different proportions of previously improved grassland (7 versus 47% of total area) to assess potential P enrichment of their peaty topsoils and draining streams. Pastures had been improved during the 1970s and 1980s mostly by liming, fertilisation, pioneer cropping with stubble turnips for 2 years, reseeding with grass and clover and subsequently grazed by sheep. Fertiliser P inputs during and subsequent to improvement maintained available (Olsen) P concentrations in the soil (0–7.5 cm) at optimum levels for grass production (16–25 mg L −1), whilst unimproved areas contained only 4–6 mg L −1 of Olsen-P. Between 1994 and 1997, stream annual flow-weighted concentrations of dissolved reactive (inorganic) P (DRP), dissolved unreactive P (DUP) and particulate P (PP) were increased from 10, 29 and 39 μg L −1, respectively in the largely unimproved catchment to 21, 35 and 97 μg L −1, respectively in the catchment with 47% improved land. However, DRP remained a small proportion of TP in both catchments (ca. 12%) and only PP showed an increased proportional contribution (from 50% to 63%) due to an estimated four-fold increase in sediment P content. Our study suggests there is a direct link between pasture improvement, soil P accumulation and increased P fluxes in this upland stream. Despite annual total P loads approaching 1 kg ha −1, the small absolute increase in DRP concentrations suggested that a catchment with nearly 50% improved land could still meet current proposed standards for ‘good’ water quality in upland streams.

Nitrate leaching losses and their control in a mixed farm system in the Cotswold Hills, England

Abstract. Nitrate leaching was measured for four years at the Royal Agricultural College ‘s Coates Farm in the Cotswolds, England. Coates is a typical Cotswold mixed farm with thin, well‐drained calcareous soils especially prone to leaching. Over the duration of this study there were dairy, sheep and arable enterprises on the farm. A ‘Farm Gate’ nitrogen (N) budget was constructed. Small 120 m × 20 m ‘farmlets’ were sited in ten fields across the farm, covering all parts of the rotation, as the sites for detailed measurements. Each farmlet received the same management as the rest of the field in which they were situated. Using ceramic probes inserted to 60 cm, soil water was sampled every two weeks throughout the winter drainage season. The annual drainage varied from 135 mm under grassland in 1996/7 to 600 mm under cereals in 1998/9. Average N losses by leaching were determined mostly by rainfall and were 65 kg N ha–1 yr–1, accounting for 25% of the N inputs. Especially leaky parts of the rotation were the ploughing out of a lucerne ley and the grazing of stubble turnips with sheep, both typical Cotswold farm practices. The research highlights some of the difficulties in developing practicable, profitable management practices to decrease nitrate losses.

EFFECT OF SEEDING DATE ON YIELDS AND QUALITY OF GREEN FORAGE CROPS

Forage kale (Brassica oleracea L.), rape (B. napus L.), radish (Raphanus sativus L.), and Chinese cabbage (B. campestris sensulato L.) × stubble turnip (B. rapa L.) hybrid were seeded at monthly intervals between late-May and late-August over 3 yr. Kale was harvested in early November while rape, radish, and turnip hybrid were targeted for harvest 60–70 d after seeding. The dry matter yield of kale declined as the seeding dates were delayed. The primary growth of rape, radish and turnip hybrid was the same for May, June and July seedings, but seeding in August lowered the yields by 25–38%. The in vitro dry matter disappearance was high, ranging from 850 to 920 g kg−1. The total N concentration of whole plant tissue, leaves, stem + petioles, and roots and S-methylcysteine sulphoxide (SMCO) concentration of whole plants increased as the seeding date was delayed. We concluded that kale should be planted by mid-June for high yields. Fodder rape, radish, and turnip hybrid had similar yields with seeding from spring until mid-July. In vitro dry matter disappearance and N concentrations were high for all species.Key words: Brassica oleracea, B. napus, B. rapa, Raphanus sativus, chemical composition, digestibility

Planting Season and Harvest Date Effects on Dry Matter Production and Nutritional Value of Brassicaspp. in the Southern Great Plains1

AbstractBrassicaspp. may serve as high‐quality forage crops in parts of the Southern Great Plains when most warm‐ and cool‐season forages are unproductive. Field studies were conducted to assess the forage (shoot and/or root) yields, crude protein (CP), and digestibility (IVDMD) of turnip root crops (Brassica rapaL., ‘Purpletop’, ‘Cyclon’, ‘Frisia ’, and ‘Tyfon’; a Chinese cabbage × stubble turnip hybrid) and leafy‐stem crops [‘Winfred’ rape (B. napusL.) and ‘Merlin’ kale (B. oleruceaL.)] at different harvest dates. All six Brassicaswere established on a Dale silt loam soil (fine‐silty, mixed, thermic, Pachic Haplustoll) in September 1982 and 1983 (fall) and March 1983 and 1984 (spring) under dryland conditions. Shoot dry matter (DM) production for root crop cultivars was highest 85 and 95 days after planting in fall and spring, respectively. The greatest total plant DM yield was produced by Cyclon in the fall and Purpletop in the spring (7.4 and 7.6 Mg ha−1, respectively). Cyclon and Tyfon produced 0.7 Mg ha−1more shoot DM, whereas Purpletop and Frisia produced 0.4 to 0.9 Mg ha−1more root DM during their maximum DM production period. In early harvests, DM yields of kale were less than those of rape, but after 90 days growth, yields were similar (7.0 Mg ha−1). Shoot CP levels of root crops averaged 220 g kg−1and were about 25 to 60 g kg−1greater than root levels. The IVDMD of mots ranged from 670 to 840 g kg−1and were approximately 60 to 120 g kg−1higher than values for shoots. Levels of DM, CP, and IVDMD for all cultivars were similar or better in fall growing season and did not decline as rapidly compared with spring. Cyclon and Purpletop have the potential to provide high yields of high‐quality forage during the forage deficit periods of Southern Great Plains.

The Glucosinolate Content of Some Fodder Brassicas

AbstractThe glucosinolate contents of six kales and five cabbages (Brassica oleracea L.), four stubble turnips and six turnips (B. campestris L.), and six swedes and six fodder rapes (B. napus L.) were determined. As fodder brassica breeders wish to reduce the goitrogenicity of these crops, the concentrations of 2‐hydroxybut‐3‐enylglucosinolate (5‐vinyloxazolidine‐2‐thione is the goitrogenic hydrolysis product) and 3‐indolylmethylglucosinolate (the thiocyanate ion is the goitrogenic hydrolysis product) were of particular interest. High concentrations (mmol kg−1 dry matter) of 2‐hydroxybut‐3‐enylglucosinolate were found in stubble turnip leaf (8.12) and bulb (9.20), turnip bulb (9.97), swede bulb (5.66), and rape leaf (8.99) and stem (21.81) but not in kale or cabbage. In contrast, the concentration of 3‐indolylmethylglucosinolate was relatively high in cabbage head (6.39) and kale leaf (3.25) but not in the other crops.

Determination of the genetic variation in the effect of temperature and daylength on bolting of Brassica campestris L.

Effects of temperature and daylength on the bolting of a number of B. campestris accessions were investigated both in the open and in the IVT phytotron. From the results it was concluded that low temperature and genotype are the predominant factors with respect to bolting. Daylength has rather limited influence. One cultivar bolted more than 12 weeks earlier at 10 and 14°C than at 18°C. On the other hand some cultivars did not require vernalization at all. At 14°C and short daylength, depending on genotype, the period of time between sowing and 50% bolting ranged from 8 to 30 weeks. At this temperature the stimulating effect of long day (24 h), depending again on the genotype, ranged from 0 to 4 weeks. The genotypes most resistant to bolting appeared to be the stubble turnips (B. campestris ssp. rapa). In terms of seed(ling) vernalization at 5°C the cold requirement ranged from 0 to more than 3 weeks, depending on the genotype. The required vernalization periods at 5°C can be used as a criterion in screening for resistance to bolting.

Observations of lambs feeding on two different types of forage crops — Rape and stubble turnips

Observations of lambs feeding on two different types of forage crops — Rape and stubble turnips

A comparison of a hybrid stubble turnip (cv. Appin) with other cruciferous catch crops for lamb fattening. 2. Animal performance and toxicological evaluation

AbstractForage brassica catch crops can provide a valuable source of additional feed in the autumn when supplies of other feed are limited. Weaned lambs grazed either (A) a novel hybrid crop, stubble turnip cv. Appin, or (B) a sequence of crops consisting of fodder radish cv. Nerys, followed by forage rape cv. Canard. Forty, 60 or 80 g of crop DM per kg current live weight (LW) were allowed daily and the performance, intake and carcass yield of the lambs were monitored. Lamb LW gains were lower on treatment A (45, 65 and 72 g d‐1) than on B (78, 111 and 117 g d‐1) at the 40‐, 60‐ and 80‐g DM d‐1 allowances respectively. Intakes of forage crops, however, did not differ significantly, probably because the estimates of intake were made in the middle of each 14‐d allocation period of the crops. The intake values are thus an indication of the potential intake when a relatively plentiful supply of food is available; they were 19·2, 17·2 and 18·2 g OM kg‐1 LW for treatment A and 16·2, 19·2 and 19·2 g OM kg‐1 LW treatment B at the 40‐, 60‐ and 80‐g DM d‐1 allowances respectively.Mild anaemia occurred in lambs feeding on both crops. Anaemia was more marked on treatment B, which was consistent with the higher concentrations of S‐methyl cysteine sulphoxide (SMCO) but as the performance of animals was superior on treatment B, SMCO intake and anaemia are not thought to be the first or the most important factors in limiting animal performance. Goitrogenic changes in thyroid glands occurred on both crops. Mean weights of paired thyroid glands were 3·22, 4·28 and 4·21 g on treatment A and 3·29, 5·27 and 5·21 g on B at the 40‐, 60‐ and 80‐g DM d‐1 allowances respectively; the effects of both treatment and allowance were significant (P <0·21). Thiocyanate concentrations were higher on treatment A than B, indicating differing glucosinolate concentrations. While this was consistent with animal performance, it was not consistent with the weight of thyroid glands. However, the goitrogenic responses may have been complicated by the ingestion of soil iodine because very high faecal ash values were recorded. Thus, glucosinolates appear not to have affected lamb growth rate by their goitrogenic effect but the possibility remains that they may have influenced performance by other means.

A comparison of a hybrid stubble turnip (cv. Appin) with other cruciferous catch crops for lamb fattening. 1. Initial evaluation for dry matter yield and forage quality

AbstractA novel hybrid stubble turnip, Appin, bred by the Scottish Plant Breeding Station (Brassica campestris ssp. rapifera cv. Tigra ×B. campestris ssp. nipposinica cv. Mizuna) was compared in small‐plot cutting trials with stubble turnip (B. campestris ssp. rapifera cv. Ponda), forage rape (B. napus ssp. biennis cv. Canard) and fodder radish (Raphinus sativus cv. Neris) for 3 years, 1975–77, samples being taken from October to December or January each year to cover the likely period of utilization by grazing lambs. Except for the first year, Appin proved to yield less DM than Ponda, and be inferior in digestibility and metabolizable energy (ME) content, though N contents were on occasion higher. Canard had the highest overall ME content. In dry conditions in autumn 1977, Ponda proved the more reliable crop, suffering less depression in yield than other species. Anti‐metabolite contents were determined in freeze‐dried samples taken in winter 1976‐77 and showed Canard to have the most brassica anaemia factor (S‐methyl cysteine sulphoxide): contents of thiocyanate were generally similar between crops.As the degree of utilization of such forages when grazed can outweigh differences in recorded above‐ground DM yields from cutting trials, it was considered that claims of better root anchorage and hence better utilization for Appin warranted evaluation in a grazing trial.

Variation in forage yield and quality of three cruciferous catch crops grown in southern England

AbstractCruciferous catch crops are an important source of forage, particularly in sheep systems, but due to their late sowing date, commonly July or early August, soil moisture is often a limiting factor in crop establishment and subsequent growth, causing wide variations in yield from year to year. Crops of stubble turnip (Brassica campestris ssp. rapifera), forage rape (B. napus ssp. biennis) and fodder radish (Raphanus sativus) were grown at Hurley between 1969 and 1977. Fodder radish was the most variable in dry matter (DM) yield, while stubble turnip was the most stable. Both DM yields and in vitro digestibilities rose during the autumn, reaching a maximum in mid‐December for stubble turnip and forage rape, and in mid to late November for fodder radish. Yield and digestibility subsequently declined. The N concentrations of the forages exhibited a contrary trend, reaching minimum values at about the time of the highest DM yields. The gradual changes in crop quality suggest that the crops are well suited to grazing utilization, in which management is simplified if crop quality shows little variation.

Rooted leaf cuttings as an aid in screening for resistance to Plasmodiophora brassicae

SUMMARYRooted leaf cuttings were used to screen a range of genotypes and cultivars from Brassica spp. and Raphanus sativus for resistance to Plasmodiophora brassicae. The optimum conditions for obtaining equivalent disease incidence and disease severity on leaf cuttings and on seedlings were investigated.In the method used leaves were cut near the base of the petiole before the lamina was fully expanded. They were kept in a mist propagator for 6 to 18 days and then transferred to a clubroot test bench and individually inoculated with a suspension of resting spores. There was an optimum period for each cultivar between cutting and inoculation which gave the maximum incidence of infection: c. 15 days for Doon Major (swede); 10–15 days for Civasto (stubble turnip) and Giant Rape (forage rape); c. 22 days for Maris Kestrel (marrow stem kale) and c. 10 days for Slobolt (fodder radish). Gall size on rooted leaf cuttings gave a quantitative measure of disease severity equivalent to that on seedlings in tests using the European Clubroot Differential host set, the five above‐mentioned cultivars and four swede cultivars. There was little callus production except on some B. campestris hosts and on cuttings with shoot tissue; microscopic examination was used to confirm the presence or absence of infection in galls.Hormone rooting powder did not increase the rate of root production in two cultivars of forage rape. Root development was less extensive in B. campestris than in B. oleracea or B. napus. Apparently normal shoots developed on 96% of leaf cuttings (inoculated and uninoculated) in which a fragment of axillary bud tissue was included. The results are discussed in relation to screening for resistance in whole plants and in tissue culture.

Sowing date, harvest date and the yield of forage brassica crops

AbstractThe effect of sowing date, within the period from late May to mid‐August, on the DM yield of five leafy forage brassica crops sown to a stand was examined over the period 1976–78. Kale was the crop most sensitive to variation in sowing date and yields declined progressively with later sowings. There was no yield benefit from sowing rapes or stubble turnips earlier than mid‐ to late‐June. Raphanobrassica produced yields as good as rape when sown in June. In 1978, DM yields of rape, kale and Raphanobrassica increased from September to early November, largely as a result of stem growth; kale was slower to accumulate DM than rape in late summer but continued growing longer into the autumn. The DM concentrations of all crops increased from September to December. Rape had a higher DM concentration than stubble turnip. Raphanobrassica was 10–25 g kg‐1 lower in DM concentration than rape or kale. Raphanobrassica produced 23–59% flowering plants from late‐May to early‐June sowing. Harvest date affected DM yield and concentration, leaf: stem ratio and flowering percentage. The effects of sowing dale on DM concentration were small.

Clubroot resistance in turnip II. The ‘slurry’ screening method and clubroot races in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands four clubroot races in stubble turnips are recognised and are coded a, b, c and x. The first three used to be designated respectively as Waaslander, Gelria A and Mommersteeg, the original differentials. So far no resistance to the x-race has been found. The ‘slurry’ screening method is described and its results compared with the ‘root-dip’ method. A new set of differentials has been created using inbred lines homozygous for specific combinations of resistance and susceptibility.

New approaches to increasing fodder production 3. Stubble catch-cropping with brassicae

Direct drilling of brassicae after harvesting winter cereals can provide valuable additional winter keep for ruminant livestock without any reduction in the cereal area. Forage rape and “stubble turnips” provide initial growth but deteriorate early; the swede-like Hungry Gap and Rape Kale are hardier and can provide useful fresh growth in early spring. Nitrogen fertilizer is especially important with direct-drilled crops. Suitable precautions must be taken against clubroot.