Effects Of Row Spacing And Seed Rate On Yield And Yield Components Of Rapeseed (Quantum Cultivar) In Gonbad

In order to study the effects of row spacing and seed rate on vegetative characters, yield and yield components of rapeseed (Quantum cultivar), an experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Station of Gonbad during 2001-2003. Three row spacings (12, 24 and 36 cm) and three seed rates (6, 8 and la kgha-1) were arranged in a factorial form in a RCBD with four replications. The results of combined analysis showed that year significantly affected the number of days from emergence to flowering and physiological maturity, duration of flowering, plant height, lodging, the number of harvested plant and grain per pod, 1aaa-grain weight, oil percent and grain and oil yield at 1% level. The number of days from emergence to flowering and physiological maturity, duration of flowering, plant height, lodging and 1000-grain weight in the second year were more than those of the first year of experiment because of the lower temperature and more rain in the second year, whereas the number of harvested plants, grain per pod and grain and oil yield in the first year were more than those of the second year of experiment. The effect of row spacing on the number of days from emergence to flowering, plant height and the number of pod per plant were significantly different at 5% level and on the number of grain per pod, 1000-grain weight and grain yield at 1% level. The number of pod per plant, the number of grain per pod and grain yield increased with decrease of row spacing. Treatment of 12 cm row spacing had the highest grain yield (4626 kgha-1), whereas 36 cm row spacing had the lowest grain yield (3093 kgha-1). The interaction between year x row spacing had significant effect on the lodging at 1% level. As a whole, plant lodging happened just in the second year of experiment and it increased with increase of row spacing significantly. Lodging increased with increase of seed rate, whereas the number of grain per pod and grain and oil yield decreased with increase of seed rate. The grain yield of 6, 8 and 10 kg seedha-1 treatments were 4061, 3698 and 3622 kgha-1, respectively. The 12cm row spacing and 6 kg seed ha-1 treatment produced the highest grain yield (5044 kgha-1).