Mustard

Seeds Availability:

The seeds can be obtained from Punjab Seed Corporation, various agricultural research institutes such as National Agricultural Research Center Islamabad, Department of Oilseed, Ayub Research Institute Faisalabad, Oilseeds Research Center Khanpur, Regional Agricultural Research Institute Bahawalpur, Barani Agricultural Research Institute Chakwal and registered private seed companies.

Thinning:

When on the plants appear four leaves, prune canola mustard, rapeseed and raya. While thinning, remove weak and disease plants and keep the distance between the plants 4 to 6 inches. In any case, do thinning before the first irrigation.

Seed Rate:

To get good yield of canola, mustard, rapeseed, raya and taramira, use healthy and clean seeds whose germination is not less than 80%,1.5 to 2 kilograms per acre. If there is less moisture in the soil, the number of seed should be increased. Use 2 to 2.5 kilograms per acre seed in rainfed areas.

Seed treatment:

To protect the crop from diseases, sow the seed with fungicide Thiophanate-methyl 2.5 grams per kg seed.

Time cultivation and endurance:

Growing these crops at the right time is very important for good yield otherwise the yield decreases. The time for cultivation/harvesting of various varieties of oilseeds (mustard, rapeseed, raya, canola) is given in Table No. 2.

Table No. 2 : Time of Cultivation and Tolerance of Approved Varieties

1)  Zaid kharif varieties:

2)  Rabi types:

Note: The best time to cultivate canola/mustard for a good yield is the first week of October.

Preparation of land and cultivation methods

Prepare the land well and use laser land leveler for levelling of land. Canola, Taramira, Rapeseed and Raya should be cultivated by drill 1 to 1.5 feet while Chakwal Raya, Chakwal Sarson, Sarson D-G-L, Rohi Sarson, Khanpur Raya and Super Raya should be cultivated in rows at a distance of 1.5 feet. The number of plants per acre should be 66 to 70 thousand. Cultivation should be done in wet moisture condition. Small seeded drill is also available for their cultivation which has good results. Make sure that the seed depth is not more than 1 to 1.5 inches at the time of cultivation. If the moisture is low in soil at the time of cultivation, mix the seeds in moist soil and leave it for about 6 hours and then cultivate. In unsuitable circumstances, cultivate in dry land and apply water after making ridges. It can also be cultivated in the saline soil like berseem.

Cultivation on ridges

Oilseeds can be successfully cultivated on ridges in rice areas, on clayey lands and in areas with high rainfall. This saves water and also protects the crop in case of excess rainfall. In this way, after preparing the land, broadcast seeds and fertilizers and plough and make ridges at a distance of 2.5 feet with the help of a tractor. For this method, various companies have introduced a planter called Ridger-cum-Seeder, which is available in the market. According to experiments conducted at Adaptive Research Gujranwala, good yield can be obtained by cultivating canola/ mustard and raya on ridges, after the harvesting of rice.

Intercropping of oilseeds

Short-duration varieties such as IRI canola, rapeseed etc. can also be cultivated in september cultivation of sugarcane as intercropping. In this method, if the distance between the lines of the sugarcane is 2.5 feet, then cultivate one line of oilseed if the distance between the lines of sugarcane is 4 feet, then two lines of oilseed should be cultivated. This method provides additional production of oilseeds and also protects the sugarcane crop from frost. Oilseed can also be intercropping in between standing cotton

Weeds control is necessary to get a good yield. Jai, Dumbi sitti, Lashkani Booti, Bathu, Karand, Shahtra and Itsit etc. are found in mustard and raya. There are two ways to control weeds.

Non Chemical Method:

Daab's Method:

This method is very suitable for the control of weeds. After rain or first irrigation, when the land is in a better moisture condition, after ploughing, give heavy planking and leave the field open for 5 to 7 days. This will grow the seeds of the weeds present in the field and eliminate them during the preparation of the land.

Hoeing:

After germination the crop, do dry hoeing so that the weeds in the field are destroyed. Try to do hoeing before the rain.

Chemical method:

If the number of weeds is likely to be high and non-chemical methods are not possible, use the recommended pre-emergence herbicides immediately after sowing. Use these chemicals according to the recommendations of agriculture experts, otherwise there is a possibility of crop loss due to a little carelessness. In moderate weather, when the temperature is 35 °C or lower, S-Metolachlor (Dual Gold) 700-800 ml per acre can be sprayed by mixing it with 100 liters of water immediately after sowing. In order to destroy the Itsit within two weeks after germination, Metazachlor 400-500 ml per acre can be sprayed on the entire field including the crop.

3 to 4 irrigations are enough for canola varieties. The first irrigation should be given 25 to 30 days after germination, the second after flowering and the third in light quantities near formation of legumes. Be sure to do light irrigation in case of severe frost.

Apply the first irrigation to the IRI Canola within 15 to 20 days of cultivation, otherwise the later plants will not be able to ripen at the same time. Apply the first irrigation to Rapeseed after 20 to 25 days.

Use of fertilizers:

Balanced and appropriate use of fertilizers is very important to achieve better yields. Use fertilizers on the basis of laboratory analysis of the land. However, use fertilizers for the average fertile land at the following rate:

Table No. 3: Use of Fertilizer

Note:

• Use the whole amount of fertilizer at the time of sowing in rainfed areas.
• Use phosphorus and potash fertilizers in irrigated areas at the time of sowing and nitrogenous fertilizers in two splits i.e., half on sowing and half before flowering.
• Using 4 to 5 kilograms of Sulphur per acre with second irrigation has a good effect on production and quality.
• If Ammonium sulfate fertilizer is available, use it instead of Urea.

The right time and method of harvesting is very important to achieve good yield and quality crop. Premature harvesting keeps the seed weak and sub-standard and reduces the amount of oil in the seed, while in the case of late harvesting, the legumes burst, the seeds start falling and the yield decreases. Therefore, when the color of the leaves starts to turn yellow and 75 percent of the legumes in raya and 50 percent of the legumes in canola / mustard become brown and the grains start turning reddish, then cut the crop immediately and tie small bundles. Gather 3 or 4 bundles together and place it in a high place in the open field so that the legumes are not damaged by the rain. After drying the crop in the sun for 6 to 10 days, threshing and separate the seeds.Threshers are also available for threshing. If the crop has been cultivated on large area, it would be better to use a combine harvester. In the case of harvesting with combine harvester, the color of 90% or more legumes should be brown.

Storage of grains:

Before storing, make sure that the grain is well dried, the moisture content in it is 8 percent and chewing with the teeth makes the sound of crack. Due to high humidity, there is chance to grow fungus. Warehouses should be inspected during storage and in case of disease or pest attack, they should be contacted and remedied. While storing seeds, make sure that different types of seeds do not mix.