In Rajasthan, sow mustard (Indian mustard, sarson or raya) between the last week of September and the end of October, aiming at mid-October (roughly 10 to 20 October) when day temperatures are near 25°C. Mustard sown before about 15 October in north India often escapes the January to February aphid peak, and early sowing also gives the crop time to finish before March heat.
The incentive is strong this year: on 30 September 2026 the Cabinet raised the rapeseed-mustard MSP for the 2027-28 marketing season to ₹6,613 per quintal, up ₹413 from ₹6,200 and the second-largest rise among the six rabi crops (safflower rose more). This is the crop you are sowing now, and with the monsoon 13% short and the Centre asking states to push less water-hungry crops, mustard needs far less irrigation than wheat.
Rajasthan has long been India's biggest mustard state; the ICAR-DRMR overview credits it with more than 47% of national area and production (2006-07 figures). The Indian Institute of Rapeseed-Mustard Research (formerly DRMR, Sewar, Bharatpur) sits in the state, so most of what follows comes from its variety lists and trials. Rajasthan's soils and rainfall differ widely between the north-west and the east, so confirm the final variety and dose with your KVK or the agriculture university (SKRAU Bikaner, SKNAU Jobner, MPUAT Udaipur).
Sowing window
| Situation | Window | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Irrigated, timely sown | Last week of September to end of October; best mid-October | The Department of Agriculture (oilseeds division) gives this window for Rajasthan, with about 25°C as the ideal sowing temperature. |
| Early sowing (before about 15 October) | Up to 15 October | ICAR-DRMR notes that crops sown before 15 October in north India often escape the worst of the mustard aphid. |
| Late sown irrigated | November to early December, with a late-sown variety | Yield falls with each week of delay; Radhika, Pusa Mustard 26, BPM 11 and NRCHB 101 are the late-sown options in the lists below. |
| Rainfed | As soon as the first usable moisture is in the seedbed, normally October | Use a rainfed or drought-hardy variety (for example DRMR 1165-40) and 40 kg N/ha at sowing. |
Which variety for Rajasthan
ICAR-DRMR lists Rajasthan under both Zone II (Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, J&K and Rajasthan) and Zone III (Rajasthan, UP, MP, Uttarakhand and others). Ask your KVK which zone list your district follows. These are DRMR's recent notified varieties, with trial yields (not what every field gives):
| Variety (year) | Maturity | Trial yield (kg/ha) | Oil % | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DRMR 2018-25 (BPM 1825), 2025 | 145 days | 2,596 | 40.6 | Zone II, timely irrigated; white rust resistant |
| BPMQ 47, 2025 | 144 days | 2,348 | 40.5 | Zone II, timely irrigated; low erucic acid; white rust resistant |
| DRMRCI (Q) 172, 2025 | 131 days | 2,304 | 41.8 | Zone III, timely irrigated; low erucic acid; white rust resistant |
| DRMRIJ-31 (Giriraj), 2013 | 137 to 153 days | 2,225 to 2,750 | 39 to 42.6 | Zone II, timely irrigated; bold seed |
| NRCDR 2 (2006) and NRCDR 601 (2009) | 131 to 156 days | 1,939 to 2,626 | 36.5 to 42.5 | Zone II; tolerate salinity and high temperature; NRCDR 601 has less white rust |
| DRMR 1165-40, 2020 | 142 days | 2,200 to 2,600 | 41.2 | Zone II, timely sown rainfed |
| DRMR 2017-15 (Radhika), 2021 | 131 days | 1,686 to 1,847 | 40.7 | Zone II, late sown irrigated |
| BPM 11, 2024 | 123 days | 1,859 | 37.8 | Zone III, late sown; white rust resistant |
| NRCHB 101, 2008 | 105 to 135 days | 1,382 to 1,491 | 34.6 to 42.1 | Late sown irrigated and rainfed (Zones II and III) |
| DRMR 150-35, 2020 | 114 days | 1,200 to 1,800 | 36.7 to 42.8 | Zone III, rainfed |
From IARI, Pusa Mustard 28 matures in about 107 days with high-temperature tolerance (Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi), Pusa Mustard 26 is the late-sown, terminal-heat-tolerant choice (126 days), Pusa Mustard 30 is released for eastern Rajasthan, UP and MP, and Pusa Mustard 32 is a low-erucic-acid, timely-sown variety (142 days). Low-erucic types only pay if your buyer or oil mill asks for them.
What did the varieties do in farmers' fields? ICAR-DRMR's 2019-20 frontline demonstrations under irrigation in Rajasthan recorded:
| Variety | Demonstrations | Average yield (kg/ha) | Gain over farmers' practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giriraj | 292 | 2,196 | 9.7% |
| RH 725 | 70 | 2,311 | 11.4% |
| NRCHB 101 | 45 | 2,122 | 19.6% |
| RH 749 | 16 | 2,200 | 11.2% |
| CS 60 | 9 | 2,320 | 8.5% |
These are all within about 10% of one another, so seed that is genuinely fresh, certified and available on time matters more than hunting for the "best" name.
Seed rate, spacing and seed treatment
- Seed: about 5 kg per hectare (about 2 kg per acre), as in the Bihar university (RPCAU) package. Sow in lines 30 cm apart with 4 to 5 cm depth, and thin about three weeks after sowing to a plant-to-plant gap of 10 to 15 cm (roughly 3.3 lakh plants per hectare). Crowded, unthinned mustard is the commonest reason for thin, aphid-prone plants.
- Seed treatment: thiram at 2 to 3 g per kg of seed (RPCAU). ICAR-DRMR reports that seed treatment with Trichoderma harzianum at 5 g per kg cut Sclerotinia and Alternaria diseases by up to 30%, and that seed dressing with Azotobacter can save up to 30 kg N/ha and with phosphorus-solubilising bacteria raises phosphorus use efficiency. DRMR also notes that farmers in Rajasthan, Haryana and UP adopt seed treatment least.
- Tillage: 3 to 4 ploughings or harrowings give the same yield as 6 to 10 (DRMR). A furrow-irrigated raised-bed system gave about 10% more seed and saved about one third of the water.
Fertiliser per hectare and per acre
| Nutrient | Per hectare | Per acre | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | 80 kg irrigated (40 kg rainfed) | 32 kg (16 kg) | About 70 kg urea per acre for irrigated; half at sowing and half after the first irrigation, which gives better use of N than all at sowing |
| Phosphorus (P₂O₅) | 40 kg | 16 kg | 30 to 50 kg/ha is the range used across north India; single superphosphate also supplies sulphur |
| Sulphur (S) | 40 kg | 16 kg | The most important extra: DRMR reports up to 25% more seed and up to 2% more oil. Gypsum or elemental sulphur; or use SSP (12% S) |
| Zinc | 5 kg Zn (about 25 kg zinc sulphate) | 2 kg Zn (about 10 kg zinc sulphate) | Up to 12% more seed (DRMR); Zn deficiency is common, about 21% of Rajasthan soils |
| Boron | 1 kg B (about 10 kg borax) or 0.25% boric acid sprayed at 40 and 60 days | 0.4 kg B | Up to 21% more seed (DRMR); improves pod and seed set |
DRMR's standard recommendation is 80:40:0 kg N:P₂O₅:K₂O per hectare; adding 2.5 tonnes of vermicompost or FYM, 40 kg S, 5 kg Zn and 1 kg B gave more than 10% extra seed in its trials. Potash response is usually small in mustard areas (20 to 40 kg K₂O/ha where states recommend it). A Soil Health Card test tells you which of these your field really lacks. See also fertilizers.
Irrigation: do not overdo it
Give a pre-sowing irrigation if the field is dry. After that, the critical stages are flowering and pod formation: RPCAU recommends irrigation at the flowering stage (about 35 days after sowing) and at the pod stage (about 55 days), and the Department of Agriculture advises protective irrigation at flowering and pod formation. With only one irrigation available, give it around flowering. Sprinkler or drip irrigation raised mustard seed yield by 25 to 30% over check-basin irrigation in DRMR trials and cut irrigation water by 50% and nitrogen by 25% (see sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation).
Weeds
Two hand weedings at 25 and 50 days gave more than 12% extra seed over weedy fields. For chemical control, DRMR recommends pendimethalin at 1.0 kg active ingredient per hectare as a pre-emergence spray (about 3.3 litres of 30 EC per hectare, or 1.3 litres per acre) or clodinafop at 0.06 kg a.i./ha at 25 to 30 days after sowing for grasses. Read the label for the amount per acre and the crop-safety notes.
Aphid, white rust and Alternaria
- Aphid peaks in January to February and can cause very heavy loss. Sow on time, avoid extra nitrogen (it attracts aphids), pull out and bury infested twigs when the attack starts in patches, and spray only when your state's economic threshold is crossed, with a product registered for mustard aphid on your KVK's advice.
- Alternaria blight (up to 47% loss), white rust (up to 47%) and Sclerotinia rot (up to 40%) are the main diseases. Use white rust-resistant varieties (BPM 1825, BPMQ 47, DRMRCI (Q) 172, BPM 11), treated seed, balanced fertiliser and good drainage.
Intercropping
Rajasthan's tested rainfed combinations are gram + mustard in a 3:1 row ratio and lentil + mustard at 6:1; potato + mustard at 3:1 is the irrigated pattern. If you want gram for pulses and mustard for oil on the same plot, see the sister guide on gram (chana) farming.
Costs and returns, with the arithmetic
ICAR-DRMR's 2019-20 frontline demonstrations in Rajasthan recorded a cost of cultivation of about ₹25,000 to ₹33,000 per hectare (₹10,000 to ₹13,500 per acre) and benefit-cost ratios of about 3.0 to 3.7. Costs have risen since then, so redo your own cost list. For gross income at the 2027-28 MSP:
| Yield per acre | Yield per hectare | Gross at ₹6,613/quintal (per acre) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 quintals | about 15 q | ₹39,678 |
| 8 quintals | about 20 q | ₹52,904 |
| 9 quintals (the demonstration average, about 2,200 kg/ha) | about 22 q | ₹59,517 |
Procurement under the Price Support Scheme for pulses and oilseeds has been approved for this rabi; ask your agriculture office when registration opens in Rajasthan, and compare with the open market on mustard mandi prices and the MSP list. Rabi insurance under PMFBY usually closes about 31 December; confirm the date locally.
Sources
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Rapeseed-Mustard Research (DRMR), Indian mustard varieties for Zones II and III
- ICAR-DRMR, Technologies developed (nutrient, weed and water management)
- ICAR-DRMR, AICRP-RM frontline demonstrations 2019-20 (Rajasthan results and costs)
- ICAR-DRMR Bharatpur, Rapeseed-mustard cultivation in India: an overview (GCIRC bulletin)
- Department of Agriculture, Rapeseed and Mustard, Oilseeds Division (sowing times by state)
- IARI, Pusa mustard varieties
- RPCAU Pusa, Package and practices: rai, toria, yellow sarson
- Business Today, Cabinet clears Rabi MSP hike for 2027-28 (30 Sep 2026)
- Global Agriculture, Chouhan launches Rabi Campaign 2026 (PSS and water advisory)
- Tech Times, India monsoon 2026 ends with worst deficit in over a decade