The Korean Journal of Crop Science ISSN:0252-9777(Print) 2287-8432(Online) 한국작물학회지

In South Korea, direct seeding of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is difficult during spring cultivation in early March because of the low yield production associated with late flowering and poor seed quality. To compare the period of direct sowing, the present study investigated the growth characteristics of rapeseed according to planting dates. Specifically, 35 day-old seedlings were transplanted or directly sown on four different dates (late February, early March, late March, and early April) in 2020 and 2021. As the planting date was delayed, the days to flowering of rapeseed decreased. Similarly, the plant height, seed set percentage, and seed yield of rapeseed were reduced upon delay in planting. The seed yield of rapeseed through direct seeding in late February was the highest, 2.76 ton·ha^-1. On all seeding dates, except for late February, the transplanted rapeseed produced a higher yields than the directly seeded rapeseed. The crude oil and oleic acid content, which is related to the quality of rapeseed, decreased with the delay in planting dates, and this decrease was greater, with the direct seeding of rapeseed depending on the sowing time. In the correlation analysis, the planting date was significantly and negatively correlated with the yield, crude oil content, and oleic acid content of the transplanted rapeseed, while the sowing date was negatively correlated with the plant height, silique size, yield, and seed quality of the directly seeded rapeseed. Finally, the effect of planting date on rapeseed growth was stronger in direct seeding than in transplanting. Therefore, during spring cultivation after late February to early March, transplanting, rather than direct seeding, in more advantageous in terms of seed quality and yield.