Sarepta Mustard

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Sarepta mustard (Latin Brassica juncea) - an annual plant of the Cruciferous family, or Cabbage. Other names are Russian Mustard, Gray Mustard, Sarepta Cabbage. Natural habitat - steppes of South Siberia, Central Asia, Mongolia and North China. Sarepta mustard is widely cultivated in China, India, Indochina, North Africa and Asia Minor, as well as in some European countries. Today, India is the largest center for the cultivation of culture. In Russia, Sarepta mustard is grown mainly in the Saratov, Volgograd, Rostov regions, as well as the Stavropol Territory and some regions of Western Siberia.

Characteristics of culture

Sarepta mustard is a herbaceous plant with an erect, branched at the base stems 50-150 cm high. The root system is powerful, pivotal, individual roots reach a depth of 2-3 m. At a young age, the plants form a large rosette. The lower leaves are green, large, petiolate, whole, curly-pinnate or lyre-pinnately incised, glabrous or pubescent. The upper leaves are short petiolate or sessile, whole, with a bluish bloom.

The flowers are small, bisexual, collected in racemose or corymbose inflorescences. Petals with a limb, golden yellow color. Sepals are horizontal. Sarepta mustard blooms in April-May. The fruit is a thin, lumpy pod of an oblong or cylindrical shape with a subulate nose. The fruit is equipped with lateral intertwining veins and a pronounced midrib. The fruits ripen in August-September. Seeds are small, cellular, dark brown or reddish-brown, sometimes yellow, and remain viable for 9-10 years.

Sarepta mustard is a cold-resistant plant, seedlings can easily tolerate frosts down to -4C, quickly recovering without visible damage. Also, the culture has drought-resistant properties, it is not demanding on growing conditions and care, but it is often affected by various pests, in particular cruciferous flea beetles. In a neglected state, the crops of Sarepta mustard quickly run wild, as a result they multiply by self-seeding.

Growing conditions

Sarepta mustard does not have any special requirements for growing conditions, but it develops best on moderately moist, fertile soils with a neutral pH. Cereals and legumes are good predecessors. Saline soils are not prohibited, but in this case, wide-row sowing is performed with a row spacing of 45-70 cm.

Soil preparation and sowing

The site for Sarepta mustard is prepared in the fall: the soil is dug to a depth of 25-27 cm and mineral fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorus and potash) are applied. In the spring, the ridges are carefully loosened. Seeds are sown in an ordinary way in the spring. Sowing early will prevent cruciferous flea beetles from infesting the plants. Late sowing threatens with premature ejection of the peduncle. The seeding depth is 0.5-1 cm.

You can also sow a crop in the aisles of other plants without occupying a separate bed. In winter, Sarepta mustard is grown indoors. The seeds are sown in seedling boxes or pots filled with light humus soil. Cutting is carried out 2-3 weeks after germination. To get fresh greens throughout the winter, you need to sow mustard every 10-15 days.

Care

Sarepta mustard crops are thinned with the appearance of the first leaves. The distance between the plants should be 5 cm. Immediately after thinning, fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers is carried out (at the rate of 5-10 g per 1 square meter). Mustard needs regular and moderate watering, top dressing and loosening.

Pest and disease control

Very often, mustard is affected by various pests and diseases. White rust is dangerous for culture. The disease most often develops in years with cold, wet springs. On all parts of the plants, convex whitish spots with a shine are formed, as a result, the stems bend and thicken, and then completely die. In order to avoid damage to crops, crop rotation and care rules are observed. Of the pests, the greatest damage to Sarepta mustard is caused by cruciferous fleas and rape sawflies. Permitted insecticidal preparations are effective with them.

Harvesting leaves and seeds

After about three weeks, the mustard is ready to eat. Before discarding the flower stalks, the plant is pulled out along with the roots, washed, dried, placed in plastic bags and put into the refrigerator. Sarepta mustard is harvested for seeds in the phase of waxy ripeness, to be more precise, when the leaves of the plants acquire a yellow color, the middle and lower pods turn brown, and the seeds acquire a characteristic color. The pods are cut, threshed, the seeds are cleaned, dried and placed in a cool room.