Vegetative, flowering and fruiting characteristics, nutrient removal amounts by yield and oil content of six female jojoba genotypes

Abstract High yielding and high oil content of jojoba genotypes are of great importance to ensure an economically acceptable yield. This study was conducted through 2017 and 2018 seasons and aimed for choosing the best female jojoba genotype among six shrubs for seed and oil production (experiment 1) and assessing the removed nutrients by the yield of jojoba genotypes, which is considered an indicator of harvest fertilization requirements (experiment 2). Vegetative, flowering, fruiting, yield, seed oil content, oil yield and seed physical characteristics were determined. Moreover, seeds’ nutrient content and nutrient removal by yield were estimated and calculated. According to the findings, genotype 2 (G2) had the best seed production (1.00 and 1.70 kg, respectively) and oil yield (0.48 and 0.83 kg, respectively) in both seasons. G5 proved to be the best concerning the number of laterals/meter, average number of flowers and fruits/meter. The most abundant nutrient in jojoba seeds was N followed by S, Mg and K, other nutrients were in small amounts. G2 removed the highest amounts of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S and Mn (g) in both seasons. The highest N, P, K, Ca, S, and Fe amounts (g/1 kg seeds) were removed by G4, G5, G2, G6, G2 and G4, respectively. It’s recommended to use G2 as a mother plant and propagate it asexually due to its maximum numerical evaluation value. Also, farmers should pay attention to the removed nutrients by yield to insure sufficient N, S and other nutrient concentrations to achieve optimal yield and seed quality.