Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Pod Sealants in Increasing Pod Shattering Resistance in Oilseed Rape ( Brassica napus L.)

Dainius Steponavičius, Aurelija Kemzūraitė, Laimis Bauša and Ernestas Zaleckas
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Dainius Steponavičius: Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Safety, Vytautas Magnus University, Studentų St. 15A, LT-53362 Akademija, Kaunas distr., Lithuania
Aurelija Kemzūraitė: Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Safety, Vytautas Magnus University, Studentų St. 15A, LT-53362 Akademija, Kaunas distr., Lithuania
Laimis Bauša: Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Safety, Vytautas Magnus University, Studentų St. 15A, LT-53362 Akademija, Kaunas distr., Lithuania
Ernestas Zaleckas: Institute of Environment, Vytautas Magnus University, Studentų St. 11, LT-53361 Akademija, Kaunas distr., Lithuania

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 12, 1-19

Abstract: Shattering of pods of oilseed rape ( Brassica napus L.) is a major cause of seed yield losses prior to and during harvesting. In order to reduce shattering, researchers have been engaged in the development of special preparations that are known as pod sealants (PS). Despite the fact that there are already developed and commercialized PSs that have only been effective on seed yield preservation under certain environmental conditions, there is still a need to create a more versatile and efficient PS. Currently, the most promising method of controlling pod shattering in oilseed rape is the application of our developed novel acrylic- and trisiloxane-based pod sealant (PS4). The effectiveness of PS4 and three commercial pod sealants (PS1, PS2, and PS3) was assessed in this comparative study. By spraying an oilseed rape crop with PS4, natural seed loss can be reduced by 20–70%, depending on the prevailing weather conditions, and loss of seeds during harvest can be reduced by more than three-fold compared with that by the control treatment. Thus, the overall results demonstrated that by applying a novel pod sealant (PS4) to oilseed rape crops 2 weeks before harvest can increase the net profit margin by €30–€150 ha −1 . The life cycle assessment showed that during 2014–2016 oilseed rape cultivation, the largest effect on global warming emission (kg CO 2 eq) reduction was experimental sealant PS4, i.e., approximately 17% compared to the control.

Keywords: winter oilseed rape; combine harvester reel; pod strength; life cycle assessment; seed loss (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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