Kern 171 Toria Mustard

Kern 171 is an improved toria (Brassica rapa) grown first for saag — tender mustard greens — with grain as an option for farmers who can leave the crop standing.

Sowing window

• Sowing: 1 September – 10/15 October
• Ideal month: September — PAU recommends the whole of September for toria in Punjab, and ICAR-DRMR the first fortnight of September for the plains. The earlier you sow within the window, the more saag cuttings you get before wheat
• Fits: the early-vacating Kharif field, sown ahead of wheat. The saag crop clears the field in time for timely wheat sowing
• Rule of thumb: this crop goes in before wheat, not after paddy — paddy fields usually vacate in late October, past the toria window
• Soil: loamy soils with a fairly moist seedbed — toria germinates poorly in both dry and waterlogged seedbeds (PAU)

How to sow

• Seed rate: about 1.5 kg per acre (PAU). Mix the small seed with dry soil so the drill or pora spreads it evenly
• Spacing: 30 cm between rows, seed 4–5 cm deep. For a grain crop thin to one plant every 10–15 cm about 3 weeks after sowing — the thinnings are your first saag
• Seed treatment: as per your state advisory; keep the seed lot clean and sow only healthy seed
• Pack size: 1 kg

Manure and fertiliser (per acre)

• Base dose: about 25 kg N and 8 kg P₂O₅ per acre on a medium soil — 55 kg urea + 50 kg single superphosphate, both drilled at sowing (PAU toria, irrigated)
• Sulphur: prefer single superphosphate, which supplies sulphur as well; if you use DAP instead, add 80 kg gypsum per acre at sowing in sulphur-deficient soils
• Zinc: 10 kg zinc sulphate (21%) per acre at sowing in zinc-deficient soils

Water, weeds and pests

• Irrigation: sow after a heavy pre-sowing irrigation (rauni). For saag, keep the soil moist with light irrigations as needed; for a grain crop PAU recommends one irrigation at flower initiation if the soil has dried
• Weeds: one hoeing about 3 weeks after sowing is enough (PAU); or pendimethalin 38.7 CS at 350 mL per acre in 200 litres of water within two days of sowing
• Pests: painted bug on the germinating crop in September–October, sawfly larvae chewing holes in young leaves, and aphid later in the season. On a saag crop avoid sprays wherever possible — PAU sets a waiting period of 7–30 days between any insecticide spray and cutting saag, depending on the chemical
• Diseases: white rust and Alternaria blight — destroy old crop debris and do not sow too thick

Harvest

• Saag (main use): cut green as tender leaves
• Grain (optional): suits the late-wheat farmer who sows wheat in December–January and can leave the toria to seed maturity
• Grain stage: toria matures in about 88–90 days (PAU); cut when the pods turn yellow — it shatters easily — then stack for 7–10 days and thresh

Please quote product code KERN-171 when ordering.

Crop practices follow state agricultural university recommendations for North India; confirm doses for your district with your Kern dealer or KVK.

Agronomy helpline: 9107062062