Phenology, grain yield and quality of ethiopian mustard grown in Southern Italy

The knowledge of the behaviour of Ethiopian mustard genotypes on different sites and seasons is a key step of the research to assess the opportunity of spreading this multifunctional species (food and non-food) in farming systems of southern Italy. For these reasons, a two-year experiment was carried out in two Sicilian areas. Three cultivars of Brassica carinata (ISCI 7, CT 207, CT 204) were compared in a randomised- blocks replicated three times. During the trials, weather data were recorded and the main phenological stages of the plants were observed. Grain yield was determined at harvest, and seed samples were analysed for oil, protein and glucosinolate contents. The tested cultivars evidenced a satisfactory adaptation to the semi-arid environmental conditions of Sicily, although, thermal regime and rainfall were rather variable from year-to-year. The earlier genotypes, CT 204 and to a minor extent ISCI 7, attained better performance in terms of grain, oil, protein and glucosinolate yields. Nevertheless, owing to the combined effect among the studied factors (years, sites and genotypes), the biological and productive behaviour of the genotypes was markedly conditioned by the climatic conditions. Therefore, it has been concluded that the choice of genotype is a crucial aspect for Ethiopian mustard cultivation in Sicily, but further studies need to define the optimal sowing time and seeding rate, and to explore the intra-specific variability to enhance the productivity of the crop and adjust seed composition in view of different industrial destination.