Effect of Animal Manure and Trace Element on The Growth of <i>Camelina sativa</i> under Drought Stress in the West of Iran

Camelina sativa is a relatively new oilseed crop adapted to semi-arid conditions. The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different levels of animal manure application (0, 10 and 20 t ha-1, abbreviated as AM0, AM10 and AM20), as well as micronutrient applications (control, Fe, and Zn @ 7 kg ha-1), on the growth and yield characteristics of camelina in the west of Iran. Plants were irrigated under deficit irrigation conditions (FC 60%) from the planting stage to the beginning of reproductive growth, and with full supplementary irrigation during the reproductive stage. The highest main stem height was achieved with AM20 + Zn and AM20 + Fe. This trend was also observed for lateral canopy growth, and the application of iron with high levels of manure increased this component by 32% compared to the control. The application of AM10 and AM20 increased the chlorophyll content of leaves by 5% and 20% compared to the control. The highest silique number was obtained under AM20 + Fe conditions, while the application of zinc under AM0 conditions resulted in the highest number of seeds in silique. The heaviest seeds were obtained with the application of AM10 + Zn or Fe. The highest seed yield was obtained with the application of AM20 + Zn (1361 kg ha-1) and AM20 + Fe (1344 kg ha-1), which showed an increase of 18% compared to the control. The results showed that there are synergistic effects between the application of manure and micronutrients. To improve the effectiveness of Fe and Zn fertilizers, the use of high levels of manure is recommended. The application of manure can improve the performance of camelina in semi-arid regions by improving the physical and chemical conditions of the soil and improving the water retention capacity of the soil.