This content is created for helping the students pursuing Agriculture Science. It deals with the cultivation practice of Broad Leaf Mustard which is one of major leafy vegetable grown in Nepal.

1. Bijay Shrestha
Leafy vegetables

2. Leafy Vegetables
English Name Nepali Name Scientific Name Family
Broad Leaf
Mustard
रायोको साग Brassica
campestris var.
Rugosa
Brassicaceae
Spinach पालुंगो Spinacea oleracea Amaranthaceae
Swiss Chard स्विस चार्ड (ससाग) Beta vulgaris var
Clicla
Chenopodiaceae
Cress चम्सर Lepidium sativum Crucifarae

3. Broad Leaf Mustard

4. Introduction and uses
 Nepali Name: रायोको साग
 Scientific Name: Brassica campestris var. rugosa
 Family: Brassicaceae
 Cool season crop
 Benefits:
Rich in Vitamin A, B, C and E
Rich in calcium and iron
Higher amount of protein
Has good amount of fiber

5. Climate and Soil Requirement
 Climate:
Grows well in full sunshine and can also grow in the shade.
Mustard seed germinates at 7°– 35°C temperature.
For good vegetative growth, optimum temperature is 10° to
25°C in general.
It is cold tolerant and thrives even at temperatures up to 0°C
Above 25°C leaves become a little hard and some varieties
develop a bitter taste
 Soil:
Can be cultivated in various types of soil
Grows best in loamy soil with adequate amount of organic
matters
Requires slightly acidic soil with pH range 5.5 to 7.0
Waterlogged condition of field is detrimental to its growth

6. Variety
Variety Maturity days Sowing time Harvesting
time
Area
Khumal
Chauda Pat
25-30 Feb. – May
Sep. – Feb
May – Aug.
Nov - March
Terai, mid/high
hills
Marpha
Chauda Pat
30-35 Feb. – May
Sep. – Feb.
May – Aug.
Nov. – Mar
Terai, mid/high
hills
Khumal Rato
Pat
30-40 Feb. – May
Sep. – Feb.
May – Aug.
Nov. – Mar
Terai, mid/high
hills

7. Land preparation and Manure
Application
 Land Preparation:
A clean and well pulverized soil with good tilth - for better
germination of seed.
1–2 rounds of deep corrosive plowing followed by 2–3 rounds
of light plowing
 Manure Application:
A heavy feeder
30-35 bamboo baskets (900-1000 kg) of well decomposed
FYM or compost manure
To supplement the FYM, apply 80 kg of nitrogen, 20 kg of
P2O5 and 40 kg of K2O per ha.

8. Seed rate
 For one hectare land, 500 to 600 g of seeds are required
depending on germination percentage and seed vigor.
 Healthy 70,000 to 80,000 seedlings per hectare are
required including for gap filling.

9. Sowing
 BLM can be cultivated in two ways
a. Directly sowing in soil (Either as mix cropping or
single crop)
Sowing or transplanting broad leaf mustard seeds either
single or mixing the seed space should be at 45 cm between
each seed.
If only broad leaf mustard seed are sown, thinning, weeding
and irrigation should be done when seedling gets 4-5 leaf
stage.
b. Making seedlings in nursery bed and transplantation
 In this method, the seedlings are grown in nursery bed.
Size of the nursery bed should be 1meter wide with
convenient length, plough it well.
It should be made 15 – 20 cm raised bed for rainy season;
whereas sunken nursery bed for winter season.

10. Seedlings preparation in nursery bed is as followings:
 Prepare a nursery bed of 1 m wide and of desired length,
 Draw the line of 2 fingers (2-3 cm) depth in the bed.
 Drop two seed at the space of 6 cm between the rows, and
at 4 cm spacing from seed to seed.
 Cover the seeds by soil, ashes and sand, and then press
the place of sowing lightly and mulch the nursery bed with
straw or dried leaves.
 After the seed start germination, slowly remove the mulch
and germinated weeds.
 After 3-4 weeks of sowing, the seedlings can be ready for
transplantation and transplanting should be done in the
evening.
 While thinning the plants of broad leaf mustard, it should
be done without any damage to other plants. Thinning

11. Transplanting
 While transplanting the seedlings, there should be some
moisture in the soil. If the soil is dry, there should be
irrigation one day before for seedling transplantation.
 Seedlings are transplanted at 30 cm distance from plant to
plant and at 45 cm distance between rows to row.
 While transplanting seedlings, ¼th bottom part of main root
should be cut or pinched up, which will not let the flowering
earlier, and allows the leaves harvesting for a longer
duration.
 While transplanting seedlings, above part from roots
should not be covered by soil.
 If it is watered right after seedling transplantation, seedling
grows up well and faster.

12. 1/4th of main root is
pinched up before
transplanting.

13. Time for sowing, transplanting, and
harvesting
Area Sowing time Transplanting
time
Harvesting
time
Low hills August - November October -
December
November -
April
Mid-hills July, August-
November
August -
December
September -
May
High-
hills
March - June April - July June - April

14. Weeding
 First weeding should be done after 3-4 weeks of
transplantation, and second weeding should be in 15 days
after the first weeding.
 In case of direct sowing, the first weeding should be done
after one month, and second weeding should be done in
15 days after first weeding.
 While weeding the garden,
top dress the plant with water and
urine solution after removing
weeds.
 After top dressing, it is better
to cover around base of each plant
by the soil properly.

15. Watering (irrigation)
 A little more moisture is required in soil for the farm of
broad leaf mustard.
 So, keep watering in the field to retain moisture in soil as
per necessity, but avoid water logging.
 Watering is not necessary in rainy season; while good
drainage should be managed at that time.

16. Harvesting
 The green leaf of the broad leaf will be ready for harvest in
20-25 days after the transplantation.
 It needs to keep picking the grown up fresh leaves, and
remove the diseased and old leaves.
 The stem or roots of mustard plant should not be affected
while picking the fresh leaves.
 About 1200-1500 kg of fresh mustard green can be
harvested in a Ropani of land.

17. Seed production techniques
 Seeds of Khumal broad leaf variety
can be easily collected in mid-hills and
low-hills; while seeds of Marpha variety
can be produced in high-hills.
 For the seed production, late flowering
and vigorous plant need to be
selected.
 The leaves should not be harvested
from the selected plant for seed
production.
 The side shoot comes up automatically
in that plant, and the seed forms.
 After the maturity of those seed, it
should be harvested and dry in sun.

18. Major diseases and their control
a. Alternaria leaf spot
Symptoms
 Small dark spots appear on leaves at
initial stage
 Slowly, the dark spots turn as lesions
 Center part of the lesions become
bright color; whereas, there is brittle and crake in side of leaf.
Control
 Treat the seeds with Dithane M-45 or Thiram 2-3 gram for
per kg seeds.
 Spray solution of Blaitox-50 or Dithane M-45, 2-3 gram
with per liter of water in the gap of 10-15 days.

19. Major diseases and their control
b. White Rust Diseases
Symptoms
 Initially, white spots appear underside
of leaves.
 Slowly, spots turn to lesions.
 The spots are filled with white fungus
powder.
Control
 Solution of Dithane M-45, 2-3 gram with per liter of water in
the gap of 12-15 days should be sprayed.

20. Major diseases and their control
c. Club root
Symptoms
 Plant growth stops, turns yellow.
 When the plant is uprooted,
it can be observed that roots are clubbed.
 Roots become thick, big and large and
the tip of the root becomes unusually bigger.
Control
 Adopt crop rotation; maintain alkali at 7.2 using agro-lime.

21. Major pest and its control
a. Aphids
Symptoms
 These pests suck sap from leaves and
young stem, which makes the plant diseased
and cannot grow.
Control
 Spray soap and water solution on aphid affected areas,
 Spray tobacco and water solution.
 Spray ashes reaching body of the aphids
 Preserve friendly pest such as lady bug that feeds on
aphids.

22. Thank You