Brown Indian Mustard

Brassica Juncea, mildest mustard.

Cultivation

Seeds sown in very early spring for spring use and in the fall for winter use. Successive plantings 10–14 days apart insure an all season crop. Sown in drills 30–45 cm apart; plants thinned to about 15 cm as they become crowded in the row. Control of weeds is essential, and 1 to 3 intercultivations may be necessary. When grown for seed, offtype plants should be rogued before flowering. In India, for pure culture, seeding is at a rate of 4–6 kg/ha; when cultivated with peas or barley, about 3 kg/ha. This mustard requires a good sandy loamy soil, with about 50–75 kg N, 100–150 kg acid phosphate, and 50–75 kg potash per hectare. Manure or soil improving crops may also be used. Nitrogen increases seed yield. This crop should not follow other Brassica crops in rotation. For disease control, it is best grown once every 3–4 years.

Harvesting

Growing period is from 40–60 days, depending on variety and weather conditions. Plants generally harvested before fruits are fully ripe to reduce shattering, harvesting usually in early morning. Entire plants are either pulled out by hand or cut a few cm above ground with sickles. Plants are tied into small sheaves and dried in the sun for 4–10 days. In India and other places where the seed is the main product, harvesting, threshing, and winnowing are carried out by the family. Extraction of oil from the seed is by rotary mill, expeller, and hydraulic processes. For Mustard greens, plants are cut off at ground level when they are young and tender. Leaves 15–30 cm long are preferred for marketing. Greens are cooled to near 0°C immediately after cutting and kept at or near that temperature during transportation and marketing. Humidity is kept at 90–95% by use of ice over the load or in the packages. Mustard greens are uually shipped in bushel baskets or wire-banded crates. Often retailed in plastic film packages of various amounts (usually 300–600 g) or in bulk and sold by the pound or peck.