Why Does Mustard Bolt? Causes and Control Measures Explained
Mustard belongs to the Brassicaceae (cruciferous) Brassica genus of vegetables and is widely cultivated in China, but bolting during cultivation directly affects the high nutritional value and market value of mustard, bringing relatively large losses to growers. So what causes mustard to bolt? Let's find out together.
1. Causes of Bolting
Mustard, especially leaf mustard, is currently a major processing vegetable used for making salted (pickled) vegetables; it can be produced all year round with a balanced supply, rather than just one crop planted in autumn. Therefore, when planted in seasons unsuitable for cultivation such as late spring or summer, under such long-day climate conditions, mustard obtains the conditions for flower bud differentiation and reproductive development, and bolting and flowering occur very easily. In addition, under poor fertilizer and water conditions and low management levels, premature bolting can also occur.
2. Preventive Measures
According to local climate conditions as well as cultivation time and environment, choose suitable bolt-resistant varieties; do not introduce varieties blindly. In the case of direct sowing, choose varieties with flattened-round swollen stems. The sowing time can avoid or shorten the high-temperature summer drought weather that is unfavorable to mustard growth, which helps control premature bolting of the plants. For early-maturing cultivation in high-altitude areas, covered seedling raising must be adopted: the method is, when the seedlings have 3 true leaves, cover them with a shade net of over 95% shading rate for 3-4 hours at noon every day until the end of the seedling stage, while ensuring sufficient fertilizer and water supply to prevent mustard from bolting due to lack of nutrients.
3. Control Methods
For fresh mustard supplied on schedule for processing, the cultivation season and climate conditions cannot be changed, so the method of early harvesting can be adopted, that is, harvesting leaf mustard before it bolts. Although the yield is lower this way, it ensures quality and minimizes losses.
The above is an introduction to the causes of mustard bolting and control measures. We hope it helps you. To learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.