Strip-till technology - a method for uniformity in the emergence and plant growth of winter rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) in different environmental conditions of Northern Poland

The emergence of plants is especially important for the winter crops that are grown in the challenging environmental conditions of many countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The emergence and initial growth of winter rapeseed were compared in field trials in a randomized block design with three replicates for plants sown in conventional tillage systems (CT) and strip-till (ST), which had different weather conditions and on soil with a non-uniform texture over a period of two years. Sowing in the CT was carried out using Horsch Pronto 4DC (Germany) at a row distance of 0.29 m. The ST operations were performed using a Pro-Til 4T drill manufactured by Mzuri Limited (Great Britain) - row spacing of 0.36 m. In favourable rainfall and thermal conditions, the density of winter rapeseed plants two weeks after sowing was found to be higher if it was sown after the CT than in the ST system. In the year that had a serious shortage of rainfall during the sowing period, a considerably higher density of plants was achieved using the ST system. The uniformity of plant growth using the ST technology in soil with a varied texture, especially in a year with an unfavourable distribution of rainfall, was proven by less variability in the number of leaves in the rosette, in the dry mass of the leaf rosette and in the root neck thickness of the winter rapeseed than in the CT system. The ST system can create good conditions for the initial development and preparation of rapeseed plants for wintering.