Effect of super absorbent application on oil percentage and oil quality in canola (Brassica napus L.) cultivars under Water deficit stress conditions.

Present study was conducted to evaluate the role of super absorbent polymer use in oilseed rape crop (Brassica napus L.) cultivars under drought stress. In order to study the effect of super absorbent polymer on oil content and its composition in oil rape seed varieties, this research was carried out in research farm of Seed and Plant Improvement Institute in 2009 in Karaj-Iran. A field experiment was conducted as Randomized Complete Block Design with Factorial split-plot arrangement with three replications. Irrigation strategy had two levels (irrigation after evaporation 80% of water from class A Pan as control and drought stress started from flowering stage to physiological maturity) and application of super absorbent was allotted to at two levels (non-application of super absorbent as control and application of super absorbent with 7% concentration) as main plots. Cultivars (Rgs003 (V1), Sarigol (V2), Option500 (V3), Hyola 401 (V4), Hyola330 (V5) and Hyola420 (V6) was allotted to sub plots). Results showed that drought stress conditions decreased oil percentage, Palmitic acid and Linoleic acid but its increased Stearic acid. Our results suggested that in drought stress conditions, application of super absorbent polymer could reserve different amounts of water in itself and so increases the soil ability of water storing and increasing vegetative period leads to increase of oil quality by decrease of saturate fatty acids and increase of unsaturated fatty acids. With attention to increased, oil percentage, oil quality and decreasing plant water requirement, it seems that this material is economically acceptable.