BIOLOGICAL AND PRODUCTIVE CHARACTERIZATION OF BRASSICACEAE OILSEED SPECIES GROWN IN SOUTHERN ITALY

Eighteen genotypes of Brassicaceae family [Brassica napus L. var. oleifera D.C., B. carinata A. Braun, B. juncea (L.) Czern, Sinapis alba L. and Raphanus sativus L. var. oleiformis Pers.] used for food, feed or industrial purposes were compared in a winter sowing time (December 22nd, 2010) to investigate their performances in a Mediterranean environment. The experiment was carried out in Eastern Sicily, South of Italy (37°18'N, 14°51'E; 150 m a.s.l.). During the cropping cycle the main phenological stages were recorded. At harvest time, grain yield, seed oil and protein content were determined. The genotypes reached the flowering from the end of March to the start of May, and ended the cycle (seed ripening) from mid-May to mid-June. The earliest genotypes were found within S. alba and R. sativus. The yield of the studied genotypes was equal to 1 t ha-1 d.m., on average. B. carinata genotypes ('CT 180', 'ISCI 7' and 'CT 207') reached the highest yield, close to 2 t ha-1. Seed oil content was higher than 40% in B. napus genotypes ('Orlando' and 'Henry') but the highest oil and protein yield (ranging from 800 to 500 kg ha-1 and from 600 to 400 kg ha-1) were recorded in B. carinata genotypes due to their highest seed yield and high oil and protein seed content.