Response of different rapeseed-mustard varieties for growth, yield and yield component under irrigated and rainfed condition

Fourteen varieties of rapeseed-mustard. B. juncea (Varuna, Vaibhav, PCR-7, Rohini, RH-30, RH-819), B. campestris ssp. toria (PT-30 and TH-68), B. campestris ssp. brown sarson (BSH-1), B. campestris ssp. yellow sarson (Ys Benoy), B. carinata (BPKR and Kiran) and B. napus (GSL-1 and GSL-2) were grown under irrigated and rainfed conditions, to study their growth pattern, yield and yield attributing characters. Reduced plant height, delay in flower initiation and 50% flowering were observed in almost all the species under rainfed conditions. The maximum delay in flower initiation and 50% flowering were observed in TH-68 of toria, BPKR of karan rai and BSH-1 of brown sarson. Among the species, karan rai showed the highest number of primary and secondary branches per plant under both irrigated and rainfed conditions. Yellow sarson, brown sarson, gobhi sarson and karan rai did not produce tertiary branches either under irrigated or rainfed condition. However, the Indian mustard varities produced tertiary branches under both irrigated and rainfed condition and toria produced tertiary branches only under irrigated conditions. Maximum seed yield per plant (25–34 g/plant) were observed in mustard varieties under both the conditions. Yield per plant showed maximum (35–40%) reduction in Vaibhav, Rohini and Varuna under rainfed condition. Similarly husk weight per plant was highest in B. juncea as compared to other species. Varieties Vaibhav, Rohini and Varuna showed 20–30% reduction in husk weight under the rainfed conditions. However, the maximum dry matter translocation (37–48%) from pod wall to seed was observed in mustard varieties whereas gobhi sarson showed minimum (17–18%) translocation rate. The translocation rate of dry matter from pod wall to seed, decreased slightly in all the varieties except BSH-1 grown under rainfed conditions.