2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
White mustard (Latin Sinapis alba) - a kind of annual herbaceous plants of the genus Mustard of the family Cruciferous, or Cabbage. Another name is English mustard. The homeland of white mustard is considered to be the Mediterranean, from where the plant spread to almost all European countries, North and South America, India, North Africa, etc. Typical places of growth are forest-steppe, woodland, fields and roadsides. On the territory of Russia, white mustard grows both wild and cultural.
Characteristics of culture
White mustard is a herbaceous plant up to 100 cm high with coarse-haired, less often bare erect stems branched from above. The lower leaves are pinnately incised, lyre-shaped, with a broadly oval upper lobe consisting of three lobes; the upper ones are short petiolate, harsh or glabrous, with fewer lobes.
The flowers are white or pale yellow, collected in multi-flowered racemose inflorescences. Loose petals. Pedicels are horizontally deflected, sometimes ascending, up to 1, 3 cm long, remain with fruits. The fruit is a straight or curved pod, tuberous, rough, covered with stiff protruding hairs, equipped with a xiphoid spout, the length of which is equal to the length of the valves. Seeds are small, round, light yellow. White mustard blooms in June-July, fruits ripen in August.
Growing conditions
White mustard is a plant that is not picky about growing conditions; it grows without problems on all types of soils, with the exception of saline, acidic, marshy and light sandy soils. The root system of mustard is strong and well developed, the bulk of the roots is able to assimilate nutrients (for example, potassium or phosphorus) from the soil, so the plants do not lack nutrition even on heavy and infertile soils.
The culture is characterized by increased cold resistance, seeds germinate at a temperature of 1-3C. Seedlings can withstand frosts down to -7C. The best predecessors of white mustard are legumes, grains and various types of herbs, except for the representatives of the Cruciferous family. Also, do not sow the crop after the sunflower.
Soil preparation
Soil cultivation for white mustard depends solely on the predecessor, it should be aimed at destroying weeds and pests, accumulating sufficient moisture, creating an even layer of soil to ensure the emergence of quick and friendly shoots.
They dig up the soil to a depth of 20-25 cm, then feed them with mineral and organic fertilizers, or rather humus, superphosphate and ammonium nitrate. When digging, it is important to provide the soil with a fine crumbly structure.
Sowing
White mustard is sown at the earliest possible date, when the soil warms up to 8-10C. Early sowing has its advantages, for example, average above-zero temperatures and high soil moisture contribute to the formation of a strong root system and a healthy leaf rosette, which increases plant resistance to weeds.
In addition, mustard is a long day plant, and when sown late, it quickly discards the flower stalk, which negatively affects yields. Seeds are sown in a row method with an interval of 15-20 cm. The seeding depth is 2 cm. The seeding rate is 2-4 g per square meter.
Care
White mustard care consists in a set of measures that contribute to obtaining good and high-quality harvests. With the emergence of seedlings, the crops are thinned out, leaving a distance between plants of 15-20 cm.
Weeding is also necessary; on large areas, it is possible to carry out treatment with permitted herbicides, for example, Dual, Butisan, Treflan or Tref-field. Preventive spraying against pests, in particular cruciferous flea beetles, cabbage aphids, etc., is important for the culture.
Application
White mustard is widely used for technical and food purposes. And this is not surprising, because the seeds of the plant contain a huge amount of nutrients. Mustard powder is made from white mustard seeds, used in the treatment of vascular sclerosis, diseases of the liver, gall bladder and gastrointestinal tract. The plant is also useful for flatulence, sciatica, rheumatism and skin eczema. This type is appreciated in cooking, especially in canning and baking.
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