Comparative Characteristic of Sea Kale (Brassiaceae: Crambe abyssinica Hochst.) with Others Oil-Producing Cabbage Crops of the Eastern Forest-Steppe of Ukraine

Abstract

High yield and oil content of seeds and comparatively short vegetation period give the opportunity to grow the sea kale (Crambe (L.) almost everywhere, its resistance to abiotic and biotic factors of environment allows to consider the sea kale to be one of the perspective oil-producing crops. Introducing of Crambe abyssinica (L.) into crops rotation will promote the increasing of biological varieties in crop growing and the stability in producing vegetable oils for different purposes. In comparison with traditional oilproducing crops from cabbage family, sea kale is weakly populated by dominating pests of cabbage crops and doesn’t require chemical protection as the pests’ density doesn’t exceed the economic threshold of harmfulness. Undulating flea beetles (Phyllotreta undulata (L.), while choosing the forage crop, prefer spring rape, common winter cress and different species of mustard, these beetles prefer oil-producing radish and sea kale to a less extent and don’t nourish at all on spring false flax. Cruciferous bugs prefer spring rape, colza and leaf mustard. More poorly the bugs populate the white and black mustards, oilproducing radish and sea kale and don’t nourish at all on spring false flax. Rape blossom beetle (Meligethes aeneus (L.) prefers spring rape, colza and different species of mustard and doesn’t nourish at all on oilproducing radish, sea kale and spring false flax. Cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) prefers spring rape, colza and leaf mustard – the crops that have a smooth stem without fine hairs. To a considerable less extent the aphid populates white and black mustards and oil-producing radish, which stems have fine hairs and thorns and it also populates the sea kale. The aphid doesn’t nourish at all on the spring false flax. Diamond black moth (Plutella maculipennis (L.) populates the spring rape and colza to a great extent and to a less extent; it populates all species of mustard, sea kale and oil-producing radish. The nourishment of caterpillars was not observed on spring false flax. Rose chafer (Epicometis hirta Poda (L.) is an omnivorous pest and it populates the flowers of spring rape and all species of mustard to a great extent, but to a considerable less extent (like the rape blossom beetle) it populates the oil-producing radish and the sea kale. Like the previous species the rose chafer doesn’t populate the spring false flax.