How to grow root mustard? Detailed planting methods and techniques
How to grow root mustard? What should you pay attention to? Please guide. Root mustard cultivation and management can refer to the following methods: (1) Cultivation season. Root mustard is sown in autumn regardless of north or south. In regions where autumn temperatures drop rapidly and winters are severely cold, autumn sowing is earlier; in regions where temperatures drop slowly and winters are not very cold, autumn sowing is later. From North China...
How to grow root mustard? What should you pay attention to? Please guide
Root mustard cultivation and management can refer to the following methods:
(1) Cultivation season
Root mustard is sown in autumn regardless of north or south. In regions where autumn temperatures drop rapidly and winters are severely cold, autumn sowing is earlier; in regions where temperatures drop slowly and winters are not very cold, autumn sowing is later. From North China to the Yangtze River Basin and south of the Yangtze River, the sowing period can range from around August 5 to around September 5. Sowing too early tends to cause premature bolting; sowing too late results in insufficient early vegetative growth, affecting yield and quality, and in colder regions the plants may suffer frost damage before harvest. In high-cold regions such as Northeast China, the growing season is too short, so spring sowing is mostly practiced.
(2) Sowing and seedling raising
Root mustard can be direct-sown, but in the Yangtze River Basin seedling transplanting is the main method. Direct-sown plants develop fewer branches on the fleshy root and have a more uniform shape; transplanted plants develop more branches, but centralized management is more convenient and the land can be fully utilized. To reduce branching of the fleshy root, the method of transplanting with soil and transplanting early can be used.
For direct sowing, when the soil is dry, dig holes 2 cm deep for dibbling, then cover with soil and irrigate. When the soil is moist, do not dig holes; dibble according to the row and plant spacing, then use a rake to rake the seeds into the soil. The seeding rate is about 1500 grams per hectare. Root mustard seeds are small, so the soil covering should not be too deep. Seedlings thinned from direct-sown plots can also be transplanted to the field.
The seedling bed should be a loam soil with good water and fertilizer retention. Half a month before sowing, plow deeply 20 cm, and apply 37500 kg of organic fertilizer, 600 kg of superphosphate, and 3000 kg of plant ash per hectare as base fertilizer. Before sowing, refine and level the soil, and make raised beds 130 cm wide and 15 cm high. Broadcast seeds at 4.5-6 kg per hectare, which can supply 15 hectares of field for planting. After sowing, cover with sieved compost just until the seeds are no longer visible, then water, and cover with rice straw to prevent heavy rain and drought. Remove the covering promptly after emergence.
When the true leaves have 2-3 leaves and again at 3-4 leaves, thin the seedlings once each time, removing weak seedlings and poor seedlings with pests or diseases, with a seedling spacing of 6 cm. After thinning, apply dilute liquid fertilizer and control aphids 3 times. Growing strong, disease-free seedlings with a compact plant shape is the foundation for high yield and good quality.
(3) Land preparation and planting
Root mustard has no strict requirements for soil, but clay loam rich in organic matter with good water and fertilizer retention is best. Although root mustard likes a moist environment, when cultivated on soil with a high groundwater table, the fleshy root grows poorly, has a higher water content, and has poor processing quality, so plots with good drainage and aeration should be selected.
Before planting, plow the soil 20-30 cm deep and make beds 1.5-2 m wide and 15 cm high. Depending on the spread of different varieties, the row spacing is 37-47 cm and the plant spacing is 33-40 cm, generally planting 45000-52500 plants per hectare. If planted too densely, fleshy roots smaller than 250 grams are not suitable for processing.
Plant when the seedlings are about 30 days old and have about 5 true leaves, when a slightly swollen fleshy root can already be seen. Water before planting so the seedlings can be taken with soil. When planting, place the seedling's taproot vertically in the center of the planting hole, and do not bury soil above the shortened stem, so that the root is not twisted or damaged; only then will the fleshy root grow uniformly in the future with few branch roots.
Root mustard requires sufficient fertilizer. Because the fleshy root is the main product, in addition to mainly applying nitrogen to promote leaf and root growth, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should especially be applied in combination. As base fertilizer, apply 37500 kg of compost, 600 kg of superphosphate, and 3000 kg of plant ash or 300 kg of potassium chloride per hectare.
(4) Field management
Topdressing for root mustard follows the principle of light, heavy, light. For the first application, after the transplanted plants have survived or after direct-sown plants are thinned, apply 15000 kg of dilute livestock manure plus 75 kg of urea per hectare to promote the formation of a strong leaf rosette. For the second application, when the leaves and fleshy root are growing rapidly, apply 15000 kg of thicker livestock manure water plus 225 kg of urea; the timing of this fertilization is about late October. For the third application, apply thicker livestock manure as appropriate based on seedling growth; if growth is very vigorous, no more fertilizer is needed. The three applications use a total of 4000-5000 kg of livestock manure. Topdressing should be applied 1 month before harvest.
Budding, bolting, and flowering in root mustard have no strict low-temperature requirement, and premature bolting often occurs before the end of the year. In particular, early-maturing varieties sown too early are prone to premature bolting, affecting the yield and quality of the fleshy root. Therefore, pinch the growing tip as early as possible, remove the flower buds, or cut off the flower stem with a sharp knife close to the base, with the cut surface slightly slanted to prevent water accumulation and rot. Pinching too late affects the quality of the processed product.
(5) Harvest
In regions with heavy winter frost, root mustard cannot overwinter in the open field and must be harvested before frost. North China has severe winter cold, autumn sowing is earlier, and the total growing period is relatively short, generally only about 90 days, so harvest should be from late October to early-to-mid November. In warmer regions such as Yunnan and Sichuan, the growing period is about 120 days for early-maturing varieties, about 130 days for mid-maturing varieties, and about 140-150 days for late-maturing varieties. Generally, late December to early-to-mid January is the suitable harvest period.
The sign of maturity is that the basal leaves turn orange-yellow, the root head changes from green to yellow, and lateral branches emerge from the leaf axils or flower buds first appear; at this time, harvest promptly. If harvested too late, the skin thickens, fiber increases, and bolting or hollowing occurs, affecting processing quality. After digging up the fleshy root, trim off the lateral roots. According to processing needs, either remove all leaves or keep a few green leaves, then handle according to processing requirements. Generally, the yield is about 30000 kg per hectare.
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