Nitrogen Fertilization Improves the Agro-Morphological and Yield Attributes of <i>Sinapis alba</i> L.

Oilseed crops play a vital role in the economy of Pakistan, yet the production of oilseeds is far less than the demand for them. White mustard (<i>Sinapis alba</i> L.) is an emerging crop, that belongs to the Brassicaceae family. It is considered to be an alternative to all other oilseed...

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Main Authors: Ehsan Ul Haq, Fayyaz Ul Hassan, Fanrui Zhou, Xiaomin Gong, Abdul Manaf, Ghulam Shabbir, Muhammad Fazal Karim, Patricia Jie Hung King, Muhammad Faheem Adil, Imran Haider Shamsi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-06-01
Series:Agronomy
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/6/1621
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Summary:Oilseed crops play a vital role in the economy of Pakistan, yet the production of oilseeds is far less than the demand for them. White mustard (<i>Sinapis alba</i> L.) is an emerging crop, that belongs to the Brassicaceae family. It is considered to be an alternative to all other oilseed crops for dry temperate climates. White mustard develops rapidly, and has a large canopy and deep rooting system; hence, it can draw up nutrients from deeper layers. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of nitrogen on <i>S. alba</i> agro-morphological attributes and enhance nutrient use efficiencies. During the Rabi seasons of 2019-20 and 2020-21, an experiment was conducted at the University Research Farm, Chakwal Road, Rawalpindi. The study included seven treatments, i.e., T1-Control, T2-20, T3-40, T4-60, T5-80, T6-100, and T7-120 kg·ha<sup>−1</sup>. Each treatment was replicated three times, and the study utilized a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The results revealed that nitrogen at 100 kg·ha<sup>−1</sup> was the optimal concentration and significantly increased the agro-morphological parameters, i.e., plant height (47.01%), primary branches (41.36%), secondary branches (45.33%), 1000 seed weight (54.35%), siliques/plant (41.57%), seeds/silique (52.30%) biological yield (68.38%), seed yield (54.90%), harvest index (11%), and oil yield (38.84%), as compared to the control. Moreover, protein contents and oil contents were significantly increased (5.15% and 6%, respectively), as compared to the control, while glucosinolate content was decreased (4.36%). Similarly, maximum agronomic efficiency (AE), apparent recovery efficiency (ARE) (53%), physiological efficiency (PE), and nutrient use efficiency (NUE) were also improved, as compared to the control. Hence, N application at a concentration of 100 kg·ha<sup>−1</sup> can be recommended for <i>S. alba</i> under the present cropping system of Pothwar.
ISSN:2073-4395