Response of Indian Mustard Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. and Coss .to Plant Spacing and Spraying with Salicylic acid and their Effects on Growth and Seed Yield and its Content of Fixed Oil

Abstract

Two field experiments were conducted during the growing seasons of 2009/ 2010 and 2010/2011 in private orchard at Abu Al- Khaseeb district, Basrah to study the effect of plant spacing and spraying with salicylic acid and on growth and yield of Indian mustard plant Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. and Coss . The study included nine factorial treatments, which were the combinations of three plant spacing 30, 45 or 60 cm and concentrations of salicylic acid 0, 35 or 70 mg/l. A complete randomized block design in a factorial experiment was used with three replicates. Treatment means were compared according Least Significant Difference (LSD) at 0.05 levels. The most important results may be summarized as follows:- Plants cultivated at 60 cm a part had a significantly higher vegetative growth parameters, as well as number of inflorescences per plant, and yield parameters (sequel weight were 0.215, 0.216g, total sequels yield/ plant were 184.6 and 192.6 g and total seed yield 104.8 and 110.6 g and weight of 1000 seeds7.1 and 8.3g). Plants cultivated at 30 cm a part showed an early appearance of the first inflorescences, as well as productivity per hectare of seeds (3.564 and 3.882 tons) and total oil yield (808.0 and 1132.0 kg per hectare ) for both growing seasons respectively. Plants sprayed with SA at 70 mg l-1 had a significantly higher vegetative growth parameters, as well as appearance of the first inflorescences, the total number of inflorescence/ plant and all yield parameters (sequel weight, total sequels yield/ plant, total seed yield, weight of 1000 seed as well as productivity per hectare of seeds) were 0.213 and 0.216g, 173.7 and 173.7g, 97.7 and 103.9g, 6.9 and 8.4g and 3.334, 3.530 tons for both growing seasons respectively, as well as oil percentage, total oil yield/ plant and productivity per hectare of oil were 25.6 and 32.5%, 25.9 and 34.3g and 868,1156kg respectively. The Interactions between the study factors, showed a significant effect in all studied parameters.