Effect of nitrogen fertiliser on the fatty acid composition of oil from low erucic acid rape varieties

The effect of N fertiliser on the fatty acid composition of two low erucic acid varieties of winter oilseed rape (Primor and Rapora) was investigated in two field experiments in eastern England in 1976. Rates of N from 0 to 270 kg ha −1 and application times from February to late April were compared. N increased growth and yield and reduced oil content but timing had little influence. Neither rate nor time of N fertiliser had any detectable effect on fatty acid composition in either experiment; the composition was as expected for these varieties, with over 60% oleic acid and 3% or less of erucic acid. It appears that the fatty acid composition of low erucic varieties is little affected by N fertiliser.