Growing mustard
Brassica juncea · also called Sarson, Raya, RaiIndian mustard, the main winter oilseed of the north and centre. It needs little water, grows on most soils that drain, and wants a cool start and a warmer finish.
Sub-tropical foothills: Jammu, Kangra, Dehradun
At a glance
Mustard in the Sub-tropical foothills
Rabi: sown in October, harvested in spring1
Timely sown varieties take about 125 to 150 days: RSPR-01 140 to 150 days, Varuna 135 to 140, Kranti 125 to 130, Pusa Bold 145. Early types are shorter: Pusa Mustard-25 matures in 100 to 107 days and Pusa Bahar in 108 to 110.1
15 to 25 October (timely sowing)1
Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Across India
When to sow it
Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.
Sow now
The window here is First half of November, late sown.
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See the dates as a table
| Region | Sow | Nursery | Transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-tropical foothills | 15 to 25 October (timely sowing)September, for early varietiesFirst half of November, late sown | March to early April | ||
| Temperate Himalaya | Late September to October | Late April to May | ||
| Cold desert | Not suited here | |||
| North-west plains | Mid October to mid November | March | ||
| Gangetic plains | 10 to 25 October | Late February to March | ||
| North-east hills and valleys | Late October to mid November | February to early March | ||
| Arid west | 10 to 25 October | Late February to March | ||
| Central plateau | 10 to 25 October | Late February to March | ||
| Deccan plateau | Late October to mid November | February to early March | ||
| South interior | Late October to November | February to early March | ||
| West coast | Not suited here | |||
| East coast | November | February | ||
From seed to harvest
One season, day by day
Days from sowing
Before sowing
field preparation
Well rotted farmyard manure
8 to 10 tonnes per hectare
Mix in while preparing a fine seedbed (AI suggestion)
1Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Day 0
Sow
at sowing
Neem cake
200 kg per acre
Apply as a basal dose; SKUAST-Jammu lists it among the cultural steps against mustard aphid
1Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Before sowing
Well rotted farmyard manure1Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
8 to 10 tonnes per hectare · Mix in while preparing a fine seedbed (AI suggestion) · field preparation
Day 0
Sow
Neem cake
200 kg per acre · Apply as a basal dose; SKUAST-Jammu lists it among the cultural steps against mustard aphid
Day 4 to 7
Seeds come up1,2,4Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Day 140 to 150
Last picking1
Mostly grown rainfed. If no rain comes, irrigate once at thinning and once when the pods are forming. With timely rain no irrigation is needed.1
What it needs
Soil, sun and warmth
Soil pH1,2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
6 to 8
Grows on heavy and light soils alike, and does well on well drained light to medium loam. Slightly tolerant of salt, not of waterlogging. Needs a fine, firm seedbed.
SunlightNo published guide covers this for the Sub-tropical foothills, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
At least 6 hours a day
Full sun in an open field.
Temperature1Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Grows best at 15 to 25 °C
Takes light frost.
Monthly temperatures for the Sub-tropical foothills aren't in the library yet.
Water and feeding
Watering1
Mostly grown rainfed. If no rain comes, irrigate once at thinning and once when the pods are forming. With timely rain no irrigation is needed.
Weeding1
Hoe within 30 days of sowing to kill weeds and save moisture, and thin the plants to 30 cm by 10 cm at the same time. Weeds can cut the yield by 30 to 60%.
| When | What | How much | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| field preparation | Well rotted farmyard manure | 8 to 10 tonnes per hectare | Mix in while preparing a fine seedbed (AI suggestion) |
| at sowing | Neem cake | 200 kg per acre | Apply as a basal dose; SKUAST-Jammu lists it among the cultural steps against mustard aphid |
Varieties and yield
15 to 20 quintals a hectare
Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.
Varuna
Rainfed and irrigated, Jammu region; 135 to 140 days
Kranti
Jammu region; 125 to 130 days; more tolerant of Alternaria than Varuna and more resistant to downy mildew and white rust
RSPR-01
Jammu region; 140 to 150 days
Giriraj (DRMR IJ-31)
Timely sown, irrigated; 143 days
RH-749
Timely sown, irrigated; 146 days
RL-1359
Tolerant to aphid; 147 days
RH-406
Rainfed, timely sown, second half of October in the plain zones of Jammu, Kathua, Reasi, Rajouri, Samba and Udhampur
NRCHB-101
Late sown, first half of November
Pusa Mustard-25
Early, 100 to 107 days; a substitute for toria, with late wheat after it
Good neighbours1
Organic and cultural controls only.
Mustard aphid
Signs
Green plant lice cover the flower shoots and pods and suck the sap. Plants stay stunted, pods shrivel and seed does not form.
What to do
- Sow early, preferably in the first half of October
- Neem cake at 200 kg an acre as a basal dose
- Once the count passes 50 to 60 aphids on 10 cm of twig, spray 2.5% castor seed extract
Prevention
- Conserve ladybird beetles, hover fly larvae, lacewings (Chrysoperla) and parasitic wasps
Hairy caterpillars
Signs
Caterpillars eat leaves, young shoots and green pods.
What to do
- Collect and destroy the caterpillars while they gather together
Mustard sawfly
Signs
Larvae attack the young crop, bite holes in the leaves and can skeletonise them; such plants bear no seed.
What to do
- Irrigate on time: many larvae drown
- Collect and destroy larvae in the morning and evening
Painted bug
Signs
Nymphs and adults suck sap from leaves and pods, which wilt and dry.
What to do
- Give the first irrigation 3 to 4 weeks after sowing
- Hand-collect and destroy the bugs
Alternaria blight
Signs
Brown round spots on stems and branches, and black spots with rings on the leaves.
What to do
- Destroy diseased debris
- Sow on time
White rust and downy mildew
Signs
White blisters and grey down, mostly under the leaves. Flowering shoots swell and become sterile stag heads.
What to do
- Sow in the first half of October
- Grow resistant varieties
- Destroy diseased debris
Prevention
- Do not force a late crop with extra nitrogen and water: that is when this complex strikes hardest
Seed and the season's end
Saving seed2,4
For pure seed keep raya at least 300 m from other raya, gobhi sarson and African sarson. Pull off-type plants before flowering and again before harvest. Save seed only from plants free of stag heads.
When the seed is ready
About 75% of the pods brown or golden yellow.
Cleaning the seed
Stack the cut plants to dry, then thresh.
Sun-dry for about a week to below 8% moisture and store dry. Hybrid seed cannot be saved: buy fresh every year.
After the last picking3,4
Plough the residue back in: mustard straw at 2.5 tonnes a hectare followed by a Sesbania green manure in kharif gave the highest yields in ICAR-DRMR trials. Burn or remove stag heads and diseased debris. Rotate with cereals and legumes.
Plough mustard straw back in; followed by a Sesbania green manure in kharif it gave the highest yields in ICAR-DRMR trials.
Rotation
Do not follow mustard with mustard where broomrape appeared. Rotate with cereals and legumes; cowpea, black gram, moth bean, sunhemp, cluster bean or sesame before mustard cut broomrape.
Sources
Where this comes from
Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.
These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.
- Package of Practices for Rabi Crops 2020 (Rapeseed-mustard: mustard)Directorate of Extension, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-Jammu)Read the source
- AESA based IPM package: Mustard/RapeseedNational Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM) with the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Ministry of AgricultureRead the source
- Package of practices for organic production of rapeseed-mustard (Indian Farming 74(9): 14-18, September 2024)ICAR-Directorate of Rapeseed-Mustard Research, Bharatpur (Choudhary, Jat, Singh and Dotaniya), in Indian Farming, ICARRead the source
- Scope for large-scale economic cultivation of mustard (Brassica juncea L.) in non-traditional areas of Karnataka (Journal of Oilseed Brassica 17(2): 109-113, July 2026)ICAR-IARI Regional Station Wellington, ZARS Kalaburagi (UAS Raichur), IARI-RRC Dharwad, ICAR-KVK Hirehalli and ICAR (Nanjundan and others)Read the source
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