The impacts of climate change are a great burden for steady agricultural production. As a result of sustainable development and environmentally sound farming becoming more preferred, agricultural production is also undergoing changes. The aim of our experiment was to measure the impact of microalgae treatments on the growth and development of winter coleseed (Brassica napus L.) for two years.

This publication describes the detailed findings of the first year of experiment and provides the yield data of the experiment repeated in the vegetation period of 2013/2014 for comparison purposes. The experimental plots were established close to Mosonmagyaróvár in 2010. The experimental crop was a winter coleseed hybrid (Brassica napus L. cv. Orlando) treated with suspensions of MACC-612 Nostoc entophytum and MACC-430 Tetracystis sp. (concentrations were 0.03% and 0.1%) or in combination with the product also used in conventional winter coleseed production technology and also without this product. The parameters describing crop growth, the amount of photosynthetic pigments as well as yield forming elements and seed quality parameters were also examined. The autumn treatments of MACC-612 and MACC-430 (0.03% and 0.1%) increased the leaf chlorophyll content by 90–110%, the chlorophyll b content by 80–101%, the total carotinoid content by 66–81% and the leaf dry matter content by 25–37%. The two microalgae strains increased the total yield both in 2010/2011 (by 10–14%) and in 2013/2014 (by 10–21%) compared to the control plots, but the average oil content of the seeds did not change as a result of the applied treatments in either year.

As a result of the two-year experiment series the 0.03% contentration and combined treatments of MACC-612 and the 0.03% concentration treatment of MACC-430 had afavourable impact on the growth and development of winter coleseed and increased its yield.

Keywords: microalgae, winter coleseed, physiological stimulation, photosynthetic pigments, morphology, increasing yield