[Investigations in plant production of different Brassicaceae for production of erucic acid for petrochemical industry]

In greenhouse and field experiments one genotype from the species Brassica carinata, Brassica juncea, Brassica nigra and Sinapis alba were investigated with the aim of clarifying, whether these species are fundamentally suitable for the erucic acid production as an alternative to B. napus due to their superior content in this acid and ability to tolerate pests, diseases and drought. In the field experiment B. napus ssp. oleifera f. annua was included. The yield related parameters were examined with increasing nitrogen application. In addition, seeds were analysed with respect to quality parameters in response to the nitrogen application. B. carinata was superior in seed yield compared to the other Brassicaceae under greenhouse conditions. In field experiment, B. napus ssp. oleifera f. annua and S. alba realised higher yield whereas the comparatively low Harvest-lndex of B. carinata accounted for the lower seed yield in this genotype. B. juncea showed the highest oil and erucic acid content in the seed (38,8% of DM and 49,8% of the oil content respectively). However, a strong drop in productivity was recorded for this genotype in the field in comparison to the greenhouse, and the cause was believed to be poor phytosanitary condition. B. nipra reached a significantly lower level (P = 0.01) in oil and erucic acid content and in the seed yield in comparison to the other Brassicaceae. S. alba produced at medium seed yield level the lowest oil and erucic acid content in the seed nonetheless this species showed relatively high protein content (31,3% of DM). The fatty acid composition of the seeds of S. alba showed a remarkable difference to the Brassica species. S. alba had a reduced linoleic and linolenic acid content although the species showed up to threefold higher oleic acid content.