Effect of Sowing Windows and Irrigation Schedules on Growth and Productivity of Mustard

Rapeseed-mustard is a significant oilseed crop globally as well as in India cultivated primarily for edible vegetable oils. Considering the disruptions in the environmental conditions of agro-ecosystems due to climate change, the present field investigation has introduced the novel investigation on the effect of sowing windows and irrigation schedules on growth and productivity under north-western conditions of Himachal Pradesh. Sowing windows and irrigation schedules were evaluated in randomized block design with factorial arrangement and three replications. The results of the present investigation revealed that sowing of crop on 20th October resulted in substantially higher plant height (145.7 cm), leaf area index, number of leaves (3.3), number of siliquae per plant (234.6), number of seeds per siliqua (13.5), seed yield (10.35 q/ha), stover yield (30.72 q/ha) and harvest Index (25.23%) at harvest. Similarly, irrigating mustard crop by following irrigation scheduling based on Penman Monteith modified method resulted in the significantly higher plant height (146.4 cm), leaf area index, number of leaves (3.4), number of siliquae per plant (230.7), number of seeds per siliqua (13.7), seed yield (10.52 q/ha), stover yield (31.02 q/ha) and harvest Index (25.31%) for mustard crop at harvest. Therefore, sowing window of 20th October and irrigation schedule based on Penman Monteith modified method can be recommended for optimized yield levels under conditions of North-western Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh.