RAPESEED (BRASSICA NAPUS, L.) – BIOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS, GROWING CONDITIONS AND NEED FOR IRRIGATION

Rapeseed is one of the most important energy and food crops. The European agricultural producers are highly interested in it due to the obligations under the EU Directive for replacing the fossil fuels with biofuels as much as 20% by 2020, which has drawn the purchase prices considerably up. Rapeseed is widely used for production of cooking oil and rich in protein feed too. As regards to the environment, it contributes for restoration of degraded and contaminated lands owing to its capability for improving soil structure and leaving the area free of weeds. Rapeseed is one of the best pre-crops of winter wheat and contributes for some 20-30% increase of its yield. The paper contains an overview of different aspects of rapeseed growing: its biological requirements and the abiotic stressing factors in the Balkan geographic region; its sensibility to water and the impact of the water deficit on the yield and yield structural components; its yearly and monthly evapotranspiration and crop coefficients at different empirical evapotranspiration calculation methods; world data on its yields and the agricultural practices such as proper irrigation scheduling for its yield increase. The conclusions show that the soil and the climatic conditions on the Balkans are suitable for rapeseed growing and irrigation can contribute for obtaining sustainable yields from this crop.