Evaluation of Sowing Dates on Mustard Grown in A Coastal Saline Soil of Bangladesh

Abstract

Timely sowing of any crop is important for realizing higher yield in any climatic region and so for in southwestern coastal Bangladesh. The farmers of this region cannot cultivate any rabi crop timely due mainly to excees soil moisture after transplanted (t) aman rice harvest and salinity (water and soil) in the later part of the rabi season. By cultivating early and short duration t. aman rice and making the land vacant during the optimum window of rabi crop sowing, an additional crop may be cultivated. Keeping in mind the constraints of crop growing in rabi season and with probable interventions, an experiment on mustard was conducted in Pankhali under Dacope upazila in Khulna during November, 2016 to March, 2017 to investigate the feasibility of fitting mustard after t. aman rice and to find out the optimum sowing time of mustard. There were 3 sowing dates. (i) 24 November (ii) I December (iii) 8 December. The result showed that mustard establishment in excess moisture was possible between last week of November and I st December with satisfactory seed yield (0.7-0.6 t]ha). The yield reduction in the 3rd sowing was not due to soil and/or irrigation water salinity as the electrical conductivity of water and soil remained below 4 dS/m. The main causes were late sowing and insect infestation at the early stage of growth. During establishment the weather conditon was favourable for insect infestation. Further research should be conducted in large area and by a large farmers community by cultivating short duration T. aman rice and managing the canal water (keeping it's salinity low by disconnecting the canal from the river during the start of rabi season).