Spices and Condiments (1+1)

Protective Irrigation and Intercropping

Protective irrigation
Mustard has a low water requirement. In command areas, atleast one irrigation is given at flowering, but two irrigations are beneficial. In Gujarat however, six irrigations have given better monetary returns. These should be given on 1, 5, 33, 50, 63 and 79 days after sowing. The requirement is 400 mm of irrigation water.
The first two irrigations should be light and the remaining with 75 mm water each. It is better to delay the first irrigation as much as possible. This helps the plants to branch well which, in turn, results in profuse flowering and fruiting.
The best time for the first irrigation is 25-35 days after the sowing. The second irrigation should be given at the fruiting stage; i.e., 55-60 days after sowing. It is recommended to irrigate the crop at 0.8 IW/ CPE with mulch to obtain the maximum yield.

Inter-cropping
Mustard can be inter-cropped with wheat, barley, gram, pea, sugarcane, lentil, toria, potato, etc., for better economic returns. It can also be grown sporadically as a sprinkle crop along with finger millet, ground¬nut, etc., or as a mixed crop along with chickpea, coriander, jowar, etc. In orobanche endemic areas, it is recommended to adopt crop rotation with cereals or legumes.