Sustaining Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) productivity and soil health through varietal diversification under diverse production systems

Abstract

Indian mustard is one of the most important oilseed crop in India as it contributes maximally in domestic edible oil production. Inclusion of Indian mustard in cereal based cropping system is increasingly felt due to its beneficial effect in the system and comparatively lesser requirement of resources, hence lesser environmental footprints. To assess the feasibility of different cultures for profitable diversification, as field experiment was conducted during rabi 2020–21 at the research farm of IARI, New Delhi. The varietal diversification in Indian mustard has further helped in bringing the resilience in the production system. The study revealed that Pusa mustard 26 under integrated crop management system resulted in higher seed yield (2,206, kg/ha), biological yield (10,711 kg/ha), oil yield (877.0 kg/ha) and also enhanced net return (`76,060/ha).