How to increase oilseed rape yield

Oilseed rape has significant nutrient demands

Plant nutrients are essential building blocks of all crops. Any deficiency of a single plant nutrient will reduce crop growth, which in turn will reduce yield and revenue for the grower. It is therefore important that all crop nutrients are available to the crop at the required rate and balance that is necessary for the development of the crop.

Compared to many other arable crops such as cereals, oilseed rape is distinguished by a significant demand for nutrients which results in a significant mobilisation of the nutrients. However, oilseed rape returns most of these nutrients to the soil and so is an excellent preceding crop in a rotation.

Since most soils can have deficiencies of multiple nutrients, mineral fertiliser provides the nutrients needed by the crop. On a site with nutrient deficiency, the application of fertiliser will usually lead to a crop yield increase that is multiple of the yield obtained without fertiliser.

Many studies have confirmed that investment in mineral nitrogen fertiliser usually returns between 4-5 times the money invested because of the improved crop yield.

High oilseed rape yields come from a crop nutrition strategy which considers the two critical elements that give consistent high yields.