Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

EFFECT OF COMPOST, VERMICOMPOST AND MANURE ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF CANOLA SEED (BRASSICA NAPUS L.) IN ORGANIC FARMING

Somayyeh Mirshekari and Mahdiye Poodineh

Abstract

Organic matter is one of the most useful sources used to improve soil quality and to enhance the performance of different plants. In order to investigate the effects of organic fertilizers such as compost, vermicompost, and manure on yield and yield components of rapeseed, an experiment was conducted in the agricultural years, 2013-2014, at the research station of the Institute of Agriculture, University of Zabol. The experiment was performed in a completely randomized block design with four treatments and three replications. The studied treatments consisted of 15 ton/ ha compost, 10 ton/ ha vermicompost, 20ton/ ha manure and the control (no fertilizer). The results showed that in majority of these traits there was a significant difference between the applied treatments and the controlled treatment. Using organic and livestock fertilizers increased the yield and yield components of canola. Among these treatments, vermicompost had the highest seed yield and in comparison with other traits, the vermicompost treatment showed the highest values. Overall, the results of this study showed that using organic fertilizers and manure could be effective in increasing the production efficiency of canola.