Chinese Mustard

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Chinese Mustard Links

• GPPIS (FAO)
• Grains Research and Development Corporation
• Purdue University, Indiana

Species: Brassica juncea var. rugosa

Family: Cruciferae

Crop status: New

Varieties

An extremely diverse range of varieties are cultivated (Waters et al. 1992). Most varieties are pickled, but bamboo mustard green can be eaten fresh as it is less bitter (Chew and Morgan 1997). See Seedquest for a list of seed companies. Magnus Kahl Seeds have been conducting selection trials since 1996 (Rod Ockerby 1998, pers. comm).

Agronomic trials

Preliminary trials at Myrtleford (Vic) were conducted by Stephen Moore and Greg Hayes.

Production

Produced in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and NT (Chew and Morgan 1997). Production is similar to Chinese cabbage (Waters et al. 1992).

Mixed cropping: Chinese mustard and canola are both very good rotation crops for wheat, since they can greatly increase subsequent wheat yields by suppressing cereal root disease organisms. Glucosinolates in their roots break down into isothiocyanates, which are used commercially as fumigants. Wheat yields may be increased by as much as 25% (CSIRO 1997). As a break crop, they generally have less benefit on the subsequent wheat yield than legumes such as lupins (Asseng et al. 1998). It appears possible that a breeding program could produce a Chinese mustard variety with high yields and enhanced biofumigation potential without compromising seed quality (Kirkegaard and Sarwar 1999). See also the GRDC website for information regarding broadacre production. Chinese mustard and Chinese broccoli can be used as a bait crop for daimondback moth (Yu et al. 1998), though intercropping cabbage with Chinese mustard did not appear to be a viable pest management practice in West Texas (Bender et al. 1999).

Phytoremediation: Chinese mustard is one of the best known terrestrial plant species for selenium phytoremediation (Pilon-Smits et al. 1999). Above ground cadmium accumulation is maximised at a pH and nutrient application that maximises growth, rather than cadmium concentration in above ground biomass (Zaurov et al. 1999). Accumulation of lead is much greater below than above ground (Begonia et al. 1998), but translocation to the shoots can be achieved by applying EDTA (Epstein et al. 1999).

Climate: It is a cool season crop planted mainly in Spring and Autumn, but can be produced year round (Waters et al. 1992).

Temperature: Generally sensitive to the cold, preferring warm, humid conditions, but some varieties are cold tolerant and can survive frosts. Nevertheless, it is usually grown under cover in temperate climates (Chew and Morgan 1997).

Soil type: Chinese mustard prefers well drained sandy loams with high organic matter, but will grow on a wide range of soils (Waters et al. 1992).

pH: Prefers 5.5-6.8 and is quite tolerant to soil acidity (Waters et al. 1992).

Salinity: Considerable variation in salt tolerance exists among Chinese mustard cultivars, but generally they are moderately salt sensitive (Shannon and Grieve 1999).

Transplant: Plant into the field at 3-4 weeks when plants are 7-8 cm high (Waters et al. 1992).

Plant spacing: Rows 30-46 cm apart (Waters et al. 1992).

Water: The plant tolerates high rainfall but is susceptible to dry conditions (Chew and Morgan 1997).

Nutrition: A Singaporean study of mustard grown in peat found 120 kg/ha N to be optimal, preferably as calcium nitrate (Koay and Chua 1979). A study at Ludhiana, India, identified an optimum NPK application of 180, 40 and 20 kg/ha respectively (Dhingra et al. 1998).

Harvest: The plant matures 45-50 days after planting. Hand cut for the fresh market (Waters et al. 1992).

Postharvest

Temperature: Cool to just above 0°C (Waters et al. 1992). Can use ice to keep fresh but may not be necessary (Welby and McGregor 1997).

Relative humidity: Highly susceptible to water loss, hence 95-100% and crushed ice is optimum (Welby and McGregor 1997).

Shelf life: 10-14 days (Welby and McGregor 1997). At 10ºC and the appropriate modified atmosphere packaging, it is possible to achieve a shelf life of 23 days (O'Hare et al. 1998).

Pests and diseases

Potential viruses are listed at Plant viruses online (Brunt et al. 1996). See Hawaiian pests & diseases.
 
White spots on the leaves have been observed in Victoria, caused by Alternaria brassicae, A. brassicicola and Pseudocercosporella capsellae (Chew and Morgan 1997).

Chinese mustard is more resistant to blackleg than commercial Australian B. napus cultivars, but is still strongly affected (Purwantara et al. 1998).

Daimondback moth tends to prefer Chinese mustard and Chinese broccoli over other Brassica crops (Yu et al. 1998).

Figure 1: High and low prices of Chinese mustard at Flemington Markets during 1996 (green), 1997 (blue) and the first half of 1998 (red), recorded on a half monthly basis. Note that the weight of one dozen cuttings can vary with season (Flemington Market Reporting Service, NSW Agriculture).

Export market

(click here for exchange rates).

Export potential is low due to the low price of Chinese exports and the difficulty of postharvest preservation. There may be a market for pickled mustard (Vinning 1995).

Prices in Japan have been increasing steadily, reaching ¥500/kg in 1994. Prices are steady throughout the year, but drop slightly in February to April. Throughput for 1994 was 500 t (Vinning 1995).

Prices in Taiwan have been increasing, reaching NT$9 000 in 1994, but throughput has been stable at about 7 000 t. Prices are very susceptible to seasonal conditions (Vinning 1995).

Thai prices have been rising, reaching 12 Baht/kg in 1993. Production was estimated at 145 000 t in 1993/94 (Vinning 1995).

Related projects

Tim O'Hare (Sept 1996 - Sept 1998). Extending shelf life of minimally processed Asian vegetables. RIRDC Project Number DAQ-213A. Work is extended to June 2001 under Project Number DAQ239A.

References

Asseng, S., Fillery, I. R. P. and Gregory, P. J. (1998). Wheat response to alternative crops on a duplex soil. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 38(5): 481-488.

Begonia, G. B., Davis, C. D., Begonia, M. F. T. and Gray, C. N. (1998). Growth responses of Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (l.) czern.] and its phytoextraction of lead from a contaminated soil. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination & Toxicology 61(1): 38-43.

Bender, D. A., Morrison, W. P. and Frisbie, R. E. (1999). Intercropping cabbage and Indian mustard for potential control of lepidopterous and other insects. Hortscience 34(2): 275-279.

Brunt, A.A., Crabtree, K., Dallwitz, M.J., Gibbs, A.J., Watson, L. and Zurcher, E.J. (eds.) (1996 onwards). `Plant Viruses Online: Descriptions and Lists from the VIDE Database. Version: 16th January 1997.' (URL: http://biology.anu.edu.au/Groups/MES/vide).

Chew, M. and Morgan, W. (1997). List of identified pests and diseases affecting Asian vegetables. Access to Asian Vegetables. (2): 1 (URL: http://www.nre.vic.gov.au/trade/asiaveg/nlaav-02.htm).

CSIRO (1997). Brassicas - Rotation Crops Breaking Root Disease. (URL: http://www.pi.csiro.au/brass.htm).

Dhingra, K. K., Kaur, H., Kumar, S. and Singh, J. (1998). Agronomic management for maximizing productivity of greengram (Phaseolus radiatus)-Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) cropping system. Indian Journal of Agronomy 43(3): 414-418.

Epstein, A. L., Gussman, C. D., Blaylock, M. J., Yermiyahu, U., Huang, J. W., Kapulnik, Y. and Orser, C. S. (1999). EDTA and Pb-EDTA accumulation in Brassica juncea grown in Pb-amended soil. Plant & Soil 208(1): 87-94.

Kirkegaard, J. A. and Sarwar, M. (1999). Glucosinolate profiles of Australian canola (Brassica napus annua L.) and Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) cultivars: implications for biofumigation. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 50(3): 315-324.

Koay, S. H. and Chua, S. E. (1979). Effect of N sources and levels on yield and growth characteristics of Chinese mustard (Brassica chinensis) grown on Malaysian oligotrophic peat. Vegetables for the Hot, Humid Tropics No(4): 33-39.

Nguyen, V. Q. (1992). Growing Asian vegetables. Agfact, NSW Agriculture H8.1.37.

O'Hare, T. J., L. S. Wong, et al. (1998). Extending the Shelflife of Leafy Asian Vegetables. RIRDC Publication No 98/? Canberra, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation pp.

Pilon-Smits, E. A. H., de Souza, M. P., Hong, G., Amini, A., Bravo, R. C., Payabyab, S. T. and Terry, N. (1999). Selenium volatilization and accumulation by twenty aquatic plant species. Journal of Environmental Quality 28(3): 1011-1018.

Purwantara, A., Salisbury, P. A., Burton, W. A. and Howlett, B. J. (1998). Reaction of Brassica juncea (Indian mustard) lines to Australian isolates of Leptosphaeria maculans under glasshouse and field conditions. European Journal of Plant Pathology 104(9): 895-902.

Shannon, M. and Grieve, C. (1999). Tolerance of vegetable crops to salinity [Review]. Scientia Horticulturae 78(1-4): 5-38.

Vinning, G. (1995). Market Compendium of Asian Vegetables. RIRDC Research Paper No. 95/12. Canberra, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation 386 pp.

Waters, C. T., Morgan, W. C. and McGeary, D. J. (1992). How to identify, grow and use oriental vegetables. Melbourne, Agmedia 128 pp.

Welby, E. M. and McGregor, B. (1997). Agricultural Export Transportation Handbook. USDA Agricultural Handbook 700, United States Department of Agriculture (URL: http://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/export/index.htm).

Yu, G. Q., Wu, W. J., Gu, D. J. and Zhang, W. Q. (1998). Preliminary studies on oviposition preference to host plants of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella and its application. [Chinese]. Journal of South China Agricultural University 19(1): 61-64.

Zaurov, D. E., Perdomo, P. and Raskin, I. (1999). Optimizing soil fertility and pH to maximize cadmium removed by Indian mustard from contaminated soils. Journal of Plant Nutrition 22(6): 977-986.