The agronomic traits of foreign cultivars and domestic populations of oilseed poppy

For the past few years, a rising interest for the production of oil poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) on bigger areas in the Republic of Croatia has been noticed. The aim of this study was to determine seed yield and other agronomic traits of foreign cultivars and domestic populations of oilseed poppy in the environmental conditions of northwestern Croatia and select the best varieties for this area, considering the obtained results. The research was conducted in 2013 and 2015 at the experimental field of University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture. The research involved four foreign cultivars (Opal, Lazur, Major, and Matis) and two domestic populations of oilseed poppy named after locations where they had been collected: Gornji Bogićevci (IND00042) and Beli Manastir (IND00043). According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that the examined cultivars and domestic populations of oilseed poppy differed significantly in seed yield, capsule number per plant, seed weight per capsule, seed weight per plant, and thousand seed weight only in the year of 2013. On average, cultivars/populations with the highest yield were Opal (847 kg/ha), Beli Manastir (834 kg/ha), and Major (816 kg/ha). Oil content in poppy seed ranged from 42.5% (Lazur) to 46.3% (Opal). Linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acids prevailed in examined cultivars and populations.