Cultivation

Rapeseed as a green manure

Brassica napus var. napus

Rapeseed is valued as a green manure for its deep root system and its ability to suppress soil pathogens through essential oils. Its use is limited by its membership in the Brassicaceae family, requiring related crops to be excluded from the crop rotation for 4 years to prevent the buildup of speci…

In the reference 5 varieties crop Rapeseed, where this is mentioned in the description.

Rapeseed effectively structures the soil and improves its aeration and water permeability due to the development of a strong, branched root system. Intensive biomass growth allows the crop to rapidly suppress weed vegetation and protect the surface from erosion. A phytosanitary effect is achieved through the content of essential oils, which suppress the pathogens of root rots and Rhizoctonia.

The main limitation for using rapeseed as a green manure is its membership in the Brassicaceae family. It is unacceptable to place rapeseed after or before cabbage, radish, mustard, or beets due to common diseases, such as phoma rot, sclerotinia, and clubroot, as well as common pests. Furthermore, the crop is sensitive to environmental characteristics and performs poorly on acidic or waterlogged heavy soils.

When planning crop rotation, it should be noted that rapeseed can deplete nitrogen and sulfur reserves during biomass decomposition, which requires adjustments to the mineral nutrition of subsequent crops. Using brassica green manures immediately before sowing commercial rapeseed is contraindicated, as this leads to a critical accumulation of specific infections in the soil.

General information about the subject — on the page Green manures.

Sources8

Varieties of Rapeseed mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.