Influence of planting method and density on yield, yield components and oil percentage of rapeseed in different tillage systems

In current study, the effect of planting method and density was examined on yield, yield components as well as seed oil percentage of rapeseed (Hyola401) at three tillage systems in rice-field at Amol, Mazandaran during 2011-12. The treatments consisted of tillage systems at three levels: no-tillage, minimum tillage and conventional tillage as main factor, planting method at two levels: hand-sowing and row planter as sub factor and seeding density at three levels: 6, 9 and 12 kg ha-1 as sub-sub factor. The results showed that in all treatments the highest seed yield was obtained by applying minimum tillage method; so that grain yield at minimum tillage was greater by 20.8% and 96.4% compared to conventional and no tillage systems, respectively. The seeding methods (hand-sowing and row planter) had no significant effect on seed yield. The mean squares of oil seed percentage and 1000 seed weight in any of applied treatment were no significant suggesting the stability of these traits in relation to applied treatments. Overall, use of 9 kg ha-1 seed, especially by row planter under conservation systems was necessary for achieving the best result.