Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

2017

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Agronomy, Horticulture, and Plant Science

First Advisor

Thandiwe Nleya

Second Advisor

Febina Mathew

Abstract

Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata) is an alternative non-food oilseed crop which has received interest for its potential as a low-input option for production in the Northern Great Plains (NGP). As B. carinata is a new crop to the NGP, the best management practices have yet to be developed. The overall goal of this project was to develop best management practices for B. carinata production in two diverse agroenvironments in South Dakota. Two field experiments were conducted to assess the response of two B. carinata varieties to i) four seeding rates (4.5, 9, 13.5, and 18 kg ha-1) and ii) five N rates (0, 28, 56, 84, and 140 kg ha-1) under opposing agro-environments in South Dakota: Eastern (humid-temperate, conventional tillage) and Central and Western (semi-arid, no-till). Data on plant stand establishment, phenology, agronomic traits, seed yield and seed quality were collected. The results from the seeding rate study showed better stand establishment and yield under conventional till than under no-till. Optimal seeding rates for Eastern (humid temperate, conventional tillage) and Central and Western (semi-arid, no-till) were ~10 and ~13 kg ha-1, respectively. This suggests that higher seeding rates may be necessary to help compensate for reduced stand establishment in drier environments under no-till. The optimal N rate for B. carinata production in South Dakota was ~79 kg ha-1 N across environments. In conclusion, these results show that N requirement for B. carinata is lower than for man crops including corn and small grains. These findings confirm that B. carinata is a low-input crop with a potential for incorporation into cropping systems in the semi-arid regions of the NGP.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Mustard -- South Dakota.
Mustard -- Ethiopia.
Oilseed plants -- South Dakota.

Description

Includes bibliographical references (pages 72-78)

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

108

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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Rights Statement

In Copyright