Mustard Farming in Sindh, Pakistan.

 MUSTARD FARMING

First of all, we will discuss the mustard plant benefits.

The mustard cake is a very powerful food for cattle. Mustard cake powder can be utilized as organic fertilizer and has all the required components with elements such as nitrogen, Phosphorus and potassium. Its oil contains various nutrients and vitamins, including vitamin H, vitamin E, calcium, protein, and omega-3. Mustard oil is used for cooking, applying to hair and body, as well as in the preparation of cosmetic

Medical benefits

Mustard oil is one of the oils that contain monounsaturated fat that helps lower cholesterol. Due to this, a person is protected from heart disease. Oil is also used to treat neuralgia and arthritis. Mustard oil helps in weight loss. It contains many vitamins that help the body burn fat.

It also helps in the treatment of asthma and bone infections. Massaging oil on the chest facilitates the flow of oxygen to the lungs. A teaspoon of essential oil along with honey can help prevent asthma. Mustard oil is also beneficial for cancer patients and solves hair and skin problems

Mustard oil also keeps a person fresh psychologically. Mustard oil is said to have digest-stimulating, antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving characteristics.

The right time to plant mustard

Early crop throughout Sindh is sown from September 15 to the end of September. Fall sowing takes place in the whole month of October and late sowing takes place in November.

Methods of planting mustard

We have four methods of planting: one is WAT-KHER, the other is a GAP-CHHAT, the third is a drill on small BEDS and the fourth is large BEDS

WAT-KHER

Two times gobble ploughing is required and the soil is brought to level through a laser leveller. Then the land is watered. When the soil has little moister, the mustard seed is spread on land and two light ploughing by cultivators is done.

GAP-CHHAT

In this method, the dried soil is ploughed two times through the cultivator and watered. When the soil absorbs the water, then the mustard seeds are spread in little standing water.

Small Beds

Dry soil is ploughed and brought to level, small beds are prepared as prepared for onions and watered. Then the seed is spread in standing water.

Cultivation on large beds

Prepare the soil up to a fine level and prepare 2.5 feet-wide beds, then manually drill the soil and place the seed in those holes.

Chemical fertilizers

What kind of fertilizer should be given when planting mustard seeds?

One humic acid packet and one DAP.

Or two Nitrophos ( NP) and a Humic acid packet.

Or if the soil is light saline (kalrathi) then three to four bags of SSP.

Or give a MAP and a packet of humic acid.

 A bag of ammonium nitrate on the first water

Or give half a bag of urea and 25 kg of potash

On the second watering, one bag of urea and on the third watering, half a bag of urea may be given to early crop. While the fall sowing and late planted mustard should not be fertilized on the third watering.

Irrigation

Apply three irrigation at intervals of three weeks after sowing for good growth.

Amount of seed

Two kilograms of mustard seed should be used per acre, but in the case of large beds, one and a half kilograms of seed is enough, and after sowing, you must do pruning to remove extra plants before the first water. Native mustard seeds are better than hybrid seeds. Hybrids have 90% replication, but the yield is not as good as local seeds, which are cheaper than hybrid seeds, and are also compatible with our climate.

Harvesting

The crop matures after 110 to 140 days when pods turn yellow and the seed is hard, the Crop is harvested. Harvested crop may be kept for 7 days to become dry and later on threshed.

yield

In recent years, the most successful cultivation has been done on large Beds. This method has yielded an average of 35 maunds per acre for farmers, while conventional methods have yielded 25 maunds per acre.