Detailed Explanation of Key Points for High-Yield Cultivation Techniques of Snow Mustard
Perhaps many people are not very clear about what snow mustard is. It is a vegetable that is very delicious whether stir-fried, steamed, or boiled in daily life, and its nutrition is also very rich. It is deeply loved by urban and rural residents. Therefore, as people's demand for it grows more and more, its planting area is also becoming larger and larger.
What Is Snow Mustard
Snow mustard, scientific name: Brassica juncea var. crispifolia, also known as snow mustard greens, nine-head mustard, shaocai, paicai, etc., belongs to the genus Brassica, phylum Angiospermae, and is a type of mustard. Snow mustard belongs to the mustard species of the genus Brassica in the family Brassicaceae and is a variety of tillering mustard. Snow mustard has many aliases. In Jiangsu and Zhejiang it is called "xuelihong", "nine-head mustard", and "shaocai"; in Hunan and Hubei it is called "paicai". It is an important vegetable widely cultivated in the Yangtze River Basin of China during the winter and spring seasons. Its leaf stalks and leaf blades are eaten, and its nutritional value is very high. According to analysis, every 100 grams of snow mustard contains 91% water, 1.9 grams of protein, 0.4 grams of fat, 2.9 grams of carbohydrates, 3.9 grams of ash, 73-235 milligrams of calcium, 43-64 milligrams of phosphorus, and 1.1-3.4 milligrams of iron.
It is rich in vitamins essential for normal human life activities. In 100 grams of fresh vegetable there are 1.46-2.69 milligrams of carotene, 0.07 milligrams of thiamine (vitamin B1), 0.14 milligrams of riboflavin (vitamin B2), 8 milligrams of nicotinic acid, and 83 milligrams of ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Moreover, because it is rich in mustard oil, it has a special pungent and spicy flavor, and after its protein is hydrolyzed it can also produce a large amount of amino acids. After pickling and processing, snow mustard has a bright yellow color, a rich aroma, and a crisp and delicious taste. Whether used as a condiment in stir-frying, steaming, boiling, or soup, or served on the table alone, it is deeply loved by urban and rural residents.
How to Plant Snow Mustard for High Yield
1. Variety selection: Jiaxing cockscomb mustard.
2. Sowing and seedling raising
1. Seed soaking and germination acceleration: The soaking time generally should not exceed half an hour; the germination acceleration temperature should preferably be around 20°C. During germination acceleration, the seeds should be turned frequently and rinsed with clean water. Snow mustard seeds are small, and generally after one day and two nights they begin to show white (that is, the seed coat breaks and they germinate). When 20%-30% of the seeds have germinated, they can be sown.
2. Seedbed selection: The seedbed should be selected near the field, with fertile soil, good drainage, and clay loam where cruciferous crops have not been planted for many years, with rice paddies as the previous crop. If dry land is used as the seedbed, it should be flooded with deep water for 3-5 days before sowing, then drained and dried before plowing, or after deep water flooding the surface soil should be covered with film and sterilized at high temperature to reduce pathogen infection.
3. Carefully level the seedbed: The seedbed must be leveled to a high standard. After plowing, make ditches and hoe finely, achieving deep ditches and high beds, with the soil on the bed surface finely broken, and the broken soil in the ditches must be cleared away completely.
4. Apply sufficient base fertilizer: For each mu of seedbed, 30 kilograms of superphosphate should be broadcast before land preparation. After land preparation is completed, 1000 kilograms of decomposed human manure should be poured over the bed surface, and a 1000-fold dilution of 25% Nongdile should be used for soil treatment to prevent underground pests from damaging the seedlings.
Sowing Snow Mustard at the Appropriate Time
Spring mustard is mostly sown from the end of September to the beginning of October.
Following the principle of “sparse sowing”, the sowing rate per mu of seedbed is 500g, and the seedbed should be watered sufficiently with bottom water; sowing should be as even as possible. After sowing, shade netting or rice straw should be added to reduce water evaporation and promote seed germination and emergence. When 80% of the seeds have germinated, the rice straw should be removed promptly in the evening to avoid causing “tall-foot seedlings”.
Seedling Stage Management of Snow Mustard
Thinning and final thinning. This should be done early, following: “with 1 true leaf do not let seedlings touch, with 2 true leaves do not let seedlings crowd, with 3 true leaves carry out final thinning”. That is, thinning should begin when there is 1 true leaf, removing dense seedlings and crowded seedlings; at 2-3 true leaves, carry out a second thinning, removing leggy seedlings, thin and weak seedlings, heartless seedlings, diseased seedlings, and other inferior seedlings, with a seedling spacing of 3-5 cm. When the seedlings grow to have 3-4 true leaves and a height of 10-13 cm, carry out final thinning, at which time the seedling spacing is 6-7 cm, that is, leaving 135 seedlings per square meter. When the seedlings are 13-16 cm high and have 5-6 true leaves, transplant them. At transplanting, the ratio of seedling bed to field should reach 1:15-20. When thinning and evening seedlings, weeds should also be pulled out by hand.
If the seedling stage is dry, water in the morning and evening, and keep the soil moist regularly, but do not water too much, otherwise it is easy to cause root rot. Fertilizer application during the seedling stage can be carried out in combination with watering, thinning, and evening seedlings. Generally after the 4-leaf stage, depending on seedling condition, apply 2.5-3 kilograms of urea per mu diluted in water and poured, or apply 8-10 Baume decomposed human urine. 5-6 days before transplanting, apply a starting fertilizer, using about 4-5 kilograms of urea per mu.
The main pests during the snow mustard seedling stage are aphids, cabbage caterpillars, and striped flea beetles. For striped flea beetles, spray with a 1500-fold dilution of 80% dichlorvos emulsion or an 800-fold dilution of crystalline trichlorfon. For aphids, spray with 10-20 grams of “Yibianjing” diluted in 50 kilograms of water. For cabbage caterpillars, spray with Bt or a 500-fold dilution of Suterling. Generally spray once a week, and spray 3~4 times throughout the seedling stage, in order to achieve the purpose of preventing viral diseases by killing aphids. If there is rainy weather, also promptly spray a 800-fold dilution of 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder to prevent the occurrence of diseases.
Land Preparation and Field Planting of Snow Mustard
1. Fine land preparation
The previous crop of spring snow mustard is mostly late rice stubble, and most of it is no-till cultivation. Earnestly achieve “bed ditches, waist ditches, and drainage ditches in complete coordination, with all ditches connected, free drainage and irrigation, and ensuring no accumulated water in the ditches after rain stops”. The soil from making ditches is all placed on the bed surface, and after hoeing flat and fine, it can be transplanted. The bed width is generally set at 1.2-1.4 m.
2. Apply sufficient base fertilizer
Before making ditches, evenly apply 1500-2000 kg of high-quality decomposed organic fertilizer on the rice field surface, plus 40 kg of ternary compound fertilizer. If ternary compound fertilizer is not used, it can be replaced by 30-50 kg of superphosphate + 40 kg of potassium fertilizer or 30-50 kg of superphosphate + 40 kg of ammonium bicarbonate. Then cover with soil and hoe the mud, covering the fertilizer under the surface soil.
3. Transplant at the appropriate time
The transplanting period for winter mustard is mostly in late September, and the seedling age generally does not exceed 25-30 days; spring mustard is mostly transplanted from early November to mid-November, and the seedling age is mostly about 30-40 days.
4. Ensure transplanting quality
When transplanting, achieve “four carries” and “seven musts”. The four carries are: carry medicine, carry fertilizer, carry water, and carry soil. The seven musts are: first, use a rope to open holes and position them; second, apply sufficient root-setting fertilizer; third, prevent root damage; fourth, grade large and small seedlings and plant evenly and densely; fifth, have strong seedlings and straight roots; sixth, plant deeply and bank soil firmly; seventh, lift seedlings, transplant, and water the “root-settling water” all at the same time. After field planting, if there is drought, also promptly water (irrigate) once with live-root water to promote survival.
For planting density, spring mustard is planted at 4000-4500 plants per mu, and winter mustard at 5000-6400 plants per mu. One day before transplanting, the seedbed should be sprayed with sufficient water to soften the seedbed and facilitate lifting seedlings the next day. At the same time, fertilizer should also be applied once and pesticide sprayed once, so that the seedlings are “married off” with fertilizer and medicine. When lifting seedlings, also carry as much soil as possible to facilitate survival.
The seedlings should be placed according to the wind direction, and after planting, cover the roots with fire soil ash composted with phosphate fertilizer or decomposed organic fertilizer. If there is sunny and dry weather, also use clean water to spot the roots to promote survival.
Field Management of Snow Mustard
1. Timely replanting and drought resistance
About 5-7 days after transplanting snow mustard, inspect the seedlings and fill gaps. If there is continuous drought, furrow irrigation can be used to improve the survival rate. Furrow irrigation is generally carried out in the evening, preferably with half a ditch of water.
2. Reasonable topdressing
Topdressing should mainly be nitrogen fertilizer, and more organic nitrogen fertilizers such as human and livestock manure and biological fertilizers should be used, with increased application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers.
Spring mustard is generally topdressed 4 times, twice within the year. The first time is 10-15 days after planting, and the second time is before the end of the lunar year (the end of January). Each time apply 1000-1500 kilograms of human manure or 5-7.5 kilograms of urea + 10-20 kilograms of superphosphate, diluted in 1000 kilograms of water and poured. Outside the year it is also applied in two times. The first time is around Yushui (mid-February), and the second time is between Jingzhe and Chunfen (early March). Each time apply 15 kilograms of urea + 10-15 kilograms of potassium chloride per mu. If the weather is cloudy and rainy and the field is wet, shallow furrows can be opened between rows for band application or hole application, and after application, combine with clearing ditches and covering soil to improve fertilizer efficiency. If there is dry weather, it can also be diluted in 1200-1500 kilograms of water and poured. After winter mustard is planted and survives, topdressing should be carried out promptly. Generally topdress 3-4 times. Each time per 667 m2, use 750-1000 kg of decomposed human manure or 7.5-10 kg of urea combined with drought resistance, mixed with water and poured. The amount of fertilizer should go from light to concentrated, and concentrated fertilizer must never be applied. 25 days before harvest, apply a heavy fertilizer once. Generally per 667 m2, use 15 kg of urea or 30 kg of ammonium bicarbonate, and 10 kg of potassium chloride, to increase yield and improve quality.
Scientific Prevention and Control of Diseases, Pests, and Weeds
1. Chemical weeding
Before transplanting winter and spring mustard, use 500-600 milliliters of 10% glyphosate per mu and spray the entire field (including field ridges); after transplanting, before the 5-leaf stage of grass weeds, use 20 milliliters of high-efficiency glyphosate emulsifiable concentrate per mu diluted in 50 kilograms of water and spray. For dicotyledonous weeds, intertillage weeding is mostly used.
2. Disease and pest control
During the growth period of winter mustard, it is exactly the high-temperature autumn season, a period when various diseases and pests are prone to occur. The main pests of winter mustard are: aphids, cabbage caterpillars, diamondback moths, striped flea beetles, small round leaf beetles, cutworms, etc. The main diseases are: viral disease, clubroot, and downy mildew. During the seedling stage and the early stage of field growth, spray a mixed agent of “Yibianjing” and Loxiban, dichlorvos, phoxim, etc. every 7-10 days. Generally spray twice during the entire growth period.
Spring snow mustard focuses on controlling aphids and snow mustard viral disease and soft rot.
3. Harvest at the appropriate time.
The growth period of winter mustard is relatively short. Apart from about 30 days of seedling age, the growth period in the field is generally only about 60 days, and it is mostly harvested around Xiaoxue. For the harvest time of spring mustard, early-maturing varieties are mostly from late March to early April, and late-maturing varieties are in early to mid-April. At this time it is exactly between Qingming and Guyu, with more rainfall and more rainy days, so harvest should be rushed during clear weather. The appropriate harvest time is when the mustard sprout is about 8-10 cm long, and at the latest it must be harvested when the sprout and leaves are level.
In the process of planting snow mustard, there are many aspects that must be noted. For example, its field management, prevention and treatment of insect pests, and so on. These factors will directly affect its yield. Therefore, growers should not plant blindly, and it is best to learn and exchange ideas more.