The response of canola (Brassica napus L.) to tillage and fertiliser placement in contrasting environments in southern NSW

Abstract

Land preparation for canola (oilseed rape; Brassica napus L.) by conventional cultivation can involve a number of workings, resulting in soil degradation and reduced crop growth. Minimum-tillage systems may help overcome these problems, but the placement of fertiliser at sowing must avoid chemical injury to germinating seed. The responses of canola cultivars to tillage and fertiliser placement were studied for 2 seasons at high (Breakfast Creek, 1997; Harden, 1998) and low (Ardlethan, 1997–98) rainfall sites. The tillage treatments were conventional cultivation, one-pass, and no-till (direct drill). The fertiliser treatments were 200 kg/ha 'starter' fertiliser (a�compound fertiliser supplying 30 kg N, 26 kg P and 22 kg S/ha) either placed with the seed, or broadcast, or banded to the side and 3 cm below the seed. In 1997 the canola was sown after wheat, and in 1998 after pasture. Plant establishment of all cultivars was reduced by 40–65% when fertiliser was placed with the seed; tillage treatment did not alter this response. Placing fertiliser with the seed reduced dry matter/m2 by up to 40% in plants at flowering, but by physiological maturity, there were no differences in dry matter/m2 due to fertiliser placement. Analysis of the combined seed yields for both years showed that although plants in the with-seed placement compensated by producing more seed/plant, this compensation was sufficient only at Breakfast Creek for yields to be comparable to those of the other fertiliser placements. Tillage had little effect on seed yields. In 1997, no-till yielded more than one-pass at Ardlethan, but in 1998 at Ardlethan no-till yielded less than the other tillage systems. Fertiliser placement and tillage had no effect on seed oil concentration and meal protein content. Cone penetrometer measurements (1998) showed no differences in soil strength between tillage treatments at Ardlethan; while at Harden, one-pass had less soil strength than the other tillage treatments. Crop water extraction was not affected by tillage at any site. It is concluded that a conservation-farming system involving no-till or one-pass tillage, and separation of seed and fertiliser has the potential for producing high yielding canola crops, reducing the risk of soil degradation, as well as saving time and land-preparation costs.

Effect of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Growth, Yield and Quality Attributes of Hybrid bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.)

“…The progressive increase in number of fruits per plant, fruit weight and fruit yield (t ha -1 ) might be due to the optimum dose of NPK, which accelerated mobility of photosynthesis from the source to the sink as influenced by the growth hormone, and NPK uptake. These finding are in agreement with the findings of Umamhaswrappah (2004) in Bottle gourd, Cheema et al, (2001) and Hocking et al, (2003) in canola, Jillani et al, (2009 and Prabhu et al, (2003) in cucumber. Total Soluble Solids (5.50 o Brix), in fruit was significantly improved by the application of inorganic fertilizer @ 100 per cent.…”

Comparative Effect of Different Fertilizers on Various Growth Parameters of Lycopersicum esculantum

“…The study of Cheema et al, (2001) found that the number and weight of fruits increase because of adding of nitrogen and phosphorus one by one. The superior growth of crop because of nitrogen fertilizer observed by Hocking et al, (2003).…”

Hog‐Manure‐Recovered Struvite: Effects on Canola and Wheat Biomass Yield and Phosphorus Use Efficiencies

“…2). This is because seed-row placement improves the accessibility of P during early seedling development (Grant and Bailey, 1993), and the canola biomass can compensate for low plant stands (Hocking et al, 2003). A reduction in the early-season DMY of >30% is required to significantly reduce the canola seed yield (Bélanger et al, 2015).…”