Development of Best Management Practices for Production of Ethiopian Mustard (Brassica carinata) in South Dakota

摘要

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 agro-environments 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.