Winter rape is a safe way to store and store nitrogen in crop rotation

The researchers hypothesized that winter rapeseed plants have huge yield potential centered at 10 t / ha, as a result of which their plants absorb nitrogen intensively and, after absorbing it profitably, return to the farmer in the crop rotation chain as a safe and effective fertilizer.

How to take care of winter rape to recover it and enjoy a rich and quality harvest? Dr Kauno grūdai, Head of Agrotechnology Product and Development, Dr Kauno grūdai, shares practical observations from Lithuanian fields and tips. Gabrielė Pšibišauskienė, writes in the report.

Winter rape is a good cereal pre-crop

“Winter rape is a good pre-crop for winter grains. Research has shown that rapeseed plants accumulate nitrogen in early fall and warm winters and prevent nitrogen from seeping out of snow-free soils during winter. Previously seeded winter rape can develop more green mass and accumulate more dry matter, accumulate more nitrogen and convert it into proteins, enzymes and nucleic acids. It is the nitrogen that is transformed into proteins in the rapeseed plant, which determines the size of the leaves of the rapeseed plant, ”says G. Pšibišauskienė.

He adds that the choice of hybrid is also important for the accumulation of nitrogen in the green mass of the rapeseed. Some hybrids of winter rapeseed grow in the fall and, after intensively absorbing nitrogen, convert the latter to protein and form large leaves, which become redundant in the spring and play the role of green manure. Nitrogen becomes a very important element in autumn for intensively growing hybrids: with nitrogen fertilization, rapeseed plants grow rapidly in the fall until the average daily temperature drops below 5 ° C.

Influence of Nitrogen: Field Observations

This year, the sowing of the winter rape lasted a month. According to the representative of Kauno Grūdai, after observations in five districts of Lithuania: Kėdainiai, Panevėžys, Raseiniai, Švenčionys, Molėtai, the development of winter rape plants was different.

“In many fields, the winter rape plants were not homogeneous, that is, of different sizes and stages. The plants with the highest green mass were sown in simplified tillage, in which starting fertilizers were used applied with two depths of direct sowing.

It was observed that the green mass, which predominated from 198 to 733 g / 5 in the plant samples, was significantly affected by the straw of the pre-sowing plant (winter wheat), the latter reduced the green mass and prevented the plants from growing. evenly. Nitrogen fertilizers were used to stimulate plant growth in the fall, allowing the plants to form more leaves and grow faster. Plants fertilized with nitrogen formed 7 to 10 leaves under the influence of straw, plants that were not fertilized with nitrogen formed an average of 6 to 7 leaves on the plant ”, a representative of Kauno Grūdai shares with the observations of the fields.

The lateral shoots are formed by 9-leaf winter rapeseed plants (BBCH 21-23), the same trend was observed in the analyzes carried out: as a result, the efficiency of the timely application of nitrogen in the production fields was also observed. of 5 districts where nitrogen fertilizers were used. The diameter of the largest leaf of the plant, the largest was also in nitrogen-fertilized crops on average: 13.5 cm.
What to do if the canola has 6-7 leaves?

Rapeseed can reach the typical stage of late autumn and late rapeseed vegetation with 6-7 fully developed leaves, this last winter perfectly if there are no sudden climatic changes during the cold period. Ammonium nitrate in the form of readily available nitrogen fertilizers is very relevant for rapeseed plants that hibernate in the spring and overwinter with 6-7 leaves. In snowless winters, the macronutrients phosphorous and potassium migrate to and from the deeper layers of the soil, so it is important to restore fertilization in early spring at the base of soil macronutrients.

The efficiency of liquid fertilizers is especially relevant for weaker crops.

In production, positive results are observed from liquid phosphorus fertilizer forms and urea and ammonium nitrate solution for winter rapeseed yield. Using liquid fertilizers in the spring, in forms that are easier to absorb, gives winter rapeseed the opportunity not to waste energy on fertilizer absorption. Liquid phosphorus fertilizers are 30 percent. better absorbed. Encouraging the regeneration of winter rape leaves, fertilizing plants through the soil with loose and liquid fertilizers in the spring, the propagation of new leaves in rapeseed agrotechnology begins a new stage: fertilization through the leaves with micro and macro elements. We spray strong, intensively growing plants with fungicides and herbicides in the spring and protect them from mugwort.

Strong plant: timely agrotechnology work was done in autumn

“The timely agrotechnological work carried out in autumn is a very important factor to ensure a strong harvest,” says the expert and identifies possible errors and what specific agrotechnological solutions should be taken.

The lower leaves of the winter rapeseed, which are formed in autumn, are discarded in the fall, this process is carried out at the optimal time, seeded, hardened, nutrient-rich plants that have formed and are the shoots of the inflorescences. However, as the expert points out, not all winter rape plants, although sown at the optimum time, form an average of 10 leaves due to agro-technological errors.

“Winter rapeseed sown at the optimal time and the growth regulator used several times in autumn, timely fertilization with macro and microelements allows to form strong plants with more than 10 leaves, large roots and growth cones of more than 2 cm in diameter. . In the spring, the winter rape forms new leaves from the accumulated nutrients, which performs photosynthesis and promotes the awakening and differentiation of the buds and the buttons they contain. After a successful wintering, the mentioned plants have a lot of stored energy to grow the established lateral shoots with the flower pods and form a high yield potential ”, points out dr. G. Pšibišauskienė.