Mustard Sowing and Fertilizer Schedule for High Oil Yield: Sowing Time, Seed Rate, NPK and Sulphur Dose Per Acre

Sow irrigated Indian mustard between 10 and 25 October, ideally finishing by 20 October, when day temperature is not above 32 degrees C (ICAR-DRMR). ICAR advises 80:40:40 kg N:P2O5:K2O per hectare for timely sowing (about 32:16:16 kg per acre, our conversion) and 100:50:50 for late sowing, plus 40 kg sulphur per hectare (about 16 kg per acre), with half the nitrogen at sowing and half at the first irrigation, 30 to 45 days after sowing. Zinc sulphate at 25 kg and borax at 10 kg per hectare are for soils that need them. ICAR-DRMR reports that 40 kg sulphur per hectare can raise seed oil content by up to 2 percent and seed yield by up to 25 percent. Let your soil test decide the final dose.

ICAR-DRMR advises sowing mustard between 10 and 25 October, and finishing by 20 October where irrigation is available. Do not sow when the day temperature is above 32 degrees C. Sowing runs from mid-September to late November across India, so check your district date with your KVK.

Timing matters for disease and pests. The ICAR-DRMR authors write that timely sowing reduces disease, that sowing in the first fortnight of October helps the crop escape severe white rust, downy mildew and Alternaria blight, and that mustard sown before 15 October in north India often escapes aphid damage (Indian Farming, September 2024).

Local practice varies. A Bundelkhand University organic trial (Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh) found the best sowing time to be mid-October to the first week of November, and in one season a 4 November sowing did better than 18 November (Indian Farming, July 2023). If you cannot sow in the main window, ask your KVK which variety and row spacing fit your date. Our mustard farming guide covers the whole crop from sowing to harvest.

ICAR gives the optimum seed rate as 3.0 to 3.5 kg per hectare, which is about 1.2 to 1.4 kg per acre (our conversion). Sow in lines 45 cm apart with 15 cm between plants, 2 to 3 cm deep. Late-sown crops use 30 cm between rows. Always check the germination of your seed lot.

The sources differ, and that is normal because seed size, germination and sowing method change the need. The point of the rate is to reach the right number of plants, not to sow thick. Thin the extra plants 15 to 25 days after sowing so plants stand 15 cm apart (ICAR). Thick, uneven stands compete with each other, so thinning and gap filling matter (ICAR-DRMR authors, 2024).

• Line sowing beats broadcasting. ICAR notes that line sowing with a seed drill gives a higher yield per unit area than broadcasting.
• Late sowing: keep rows at 30 cm (ICAR). Toria and yellow sarson are also kept at 30 cm rows.
• Depth: mustard seed is small. The ICAR articles give 2 to 3 cm (2018) and 3 to 4 cm in moist soil (2024); sow shallow into moisture, not deep into dry soil.

No single variety wins everywhere. Pick one released for your sowing condition: timely irrigated, late sown, rainfed, salinity-tolerant or heat-tolerant. In 2022-23 cluster demonstrations across Rajasthan, ICAR-ATARI Jodhpur found RH-749 the best performer, followed by RH-725 and DRMR 2017-15 (Radhika). Oil content of rapeseed-mustard varies from 33 to 46 percent.

The Rajasthan demonstrations give a useful sense of scale. Across 3,151 demonstrations in 2022-23 the average yield was 17.61 quintals per hectare against 14.41 in farmers' own practice. By variety, the demonstration averages were 18.73 for RH-725, 17.93 for DRMRIJ-31, 17.82 for DRMR-1165-40, 18.17 for DRMR 2017-15, 17.46 for RH-761 and 16.36 for PM-30 q/ha; RH-749 was tested at one location and gave 20.85 q/ha (Indian Farming, February 2025). These are demonstration-field averages in one state and one season, not a promise for your farm. In the Bundelkhand organic trial, Giriraj, Pusa Bold, Varuna and Super Gold were the promising varieties for that region.

Checked sources do not show an official page giving a verified oil percentage for each named variety, so none is printed here. Ask the seed supplier for the released oil-content figure on the variety notification and buy certified seed.

Plough deep in summer, then give three to four ploughings or harrowings with planking after each to make a fine seedbed. Treat seed before sowing: ICAR-DRMR advises metalaxyl at 6 g per kg seed against white rust and downy mildew, and Trichoderma at 6 g per kg seed against soil-borne disease. Follow the product label.

• Deep summer ploughing helps destroy pests (ICAR). Under irrigation, the first ploughing uses a soil-turning plough, followed by 3 to 4 harrowing or ploughing operations with planking after each.
• Seed treatment with fungicide: metalaxyl 35 SD at 6 g per kg seed reduces yield loss from white rust and downy mildew (ICAR). A metalaxyl 35% WS seed-treatment fungicide is one such product; its page lists mustard white rust and gives its own seed dose, so use the label for the pack you buy.
• Seed treatment with bio-agents: Trichoderma viride at 6 g per kg seed or Trichoderma harzianum at 10 g per kg seed (ICAR-DRMR authors, 2024). A Trichoderma viride bio-fungicide powder is one such product; use it as its label says.
• Seed treatment with bio-fertilizers: ICAR-DRMR reports Azotobacter seed dressing saves up to 30 kg N per hectare and raises seed yield up to 21 percent, and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) can raise yield up to 37 percent over phosphorus alone (ICAR-DRMR). An Azotobacter bio-fertilizer is one such product.
• Soil kit for sowing time: a mustard soil kit is listed for mustard on its page, for use at soil preparation and sowing; it contains NPK Bio Consortia, Trichoderma Viride, Bhumiraja (VAM), Vasistha (a granular insecticide) and Mix Micronutrient, so check what you already apply to avoid doubling up.

Mustard removes a lot of sulphur: ICAR counts 16 kg of sulphur taken up for every tonne of seed. ICAR-DRMR reports that a basal 40 kg sulphur per hectare, through gypsum or elemental sulphur, raises seed oil content by up to 2 percent and seed yield by up to 25 percent.

Source: Indian Farming, ICAR-DRMR. These are removal figures from the crop, which is why ICAR says to apply fertilizer on the basis of a soil test. The same article lists replacing diammonium phosphate (DAP) with single super phosphate (SSP) at 250 kg per hectare as a way to supply sulphur. "Up to" means the best result seen on soils short of sulphur; fields with enough sulphur will gain less. For a full dose and timing walk-through see our sulphur for mustard guide.

For irrigated, timely sown mustard, ICAR recommends 80:40:40 kg N:P2O5:K2O per hectare, about 32:16:16 kg per acre. Late sown crops need 100:50:50 per hectare, about 40:20:20 per acre. Add 40 kg sulphur per hectare (16 kg per acre), plus zinc sulphate and borax where the soil needs them.

Source: Indian Farming, ICAR-DRMR. The article lists zinc sulphate and borax with the main dose and says to base the dose on a soil test; use them where the soil is short of zinc and boron. ICAR also advises neem-coated urea as the nitrogen source.

When to apply

• Irrigated crop: half the nitrogen as basal dose at sowing, and half at the first irrigation, 30 to 45 days after sowing (ICAR). Put phosphorus, potash and sulphur in at sowing.
• Rainfed crop: apply the full recommended dose at sowing (ICAR).
• Different from wheat: do not copy a wheat plan of DAP plus urea for mustard, because ICAR points out DAP gives no sulphur; see our wheat yellowing guide for the wheat side.

State agricultural universities may publish their own doses. For example, the Bundelkhand study quotes a state recommendation of 60:40:40 kg NPK per hectare with 12 to 15 tonnes of FYM per hectare for Uttar Pradesh (Indian Farming, 2023). If your state has a different recommendation, follow your state agriculture department or KVK.

Divide the kilograms of nutrient you need by the percentage printed on the bag, then multiply by 100. The bag grade, not a fixed number, decides the quantity. Always work from the label of the fertilizer you actually buy, because grades and brands differ, and keep the sulphur plan separate from the NPK plan.

Is NPK better than DAP? They are different things. NPK is the three-nutrient name (nitrogen, phosphorus, potash), and complex NPK bags carry all three in one grade, while DAP carries nitrogen and phosphorus only. ICAR says DAP gives no sulphur, which is why it lists SSP in its place for mustard. If DAP is scarce, our DAP alternatives guide compares options, and our DAP and urea shortage post explains the supply side.

Ask your dealer for a bill with the grade written on it, and keep the soil health card with you when you buy. Our soil health card guide explains how to read it. A nitrogen and sulphur fertilizer (21 percent N, 24 percent S as named on its page) is one product that carries both nutrients; its page does not name mustard, so work out the quantity from its label and your plan.

ICAR-DRMR names gypsum or elemental sulphur as basal sources, and ICAR names SSP as a way to supply sulphur in place of DAP. Choose by the sulphur percentage on the bag, your soil, price and ease of spreading. Compare sources by sulphur content, not by bag price, and apply at sowing.

Checked sources do not show an ICAR page that states one fixed sulphur percentage for gypsum, SSP or elemental sulphur sold in India, so none is printed here. The percentages differ by grade and maker; read the label.

ICAR-DRMR reports that 5 kg zinc per hectare at sowing can raise mustard seed yield by up to 12 percent, and that boron, either 1 kg per hectare basal or two foliar sprays of 0.25 percent boric acid at 40 and 60 days after sowing, raises yield by up to 21 percent. Apply only if the soil test shows a need.

Source: ICAR-DRMR technologies page and Indian Farming, ICAR. A zinc sulphate fertilizer and a boron 20 percent fertilizer are product types that fit these two lines; neither page names mustard, so use them only if the soil test shows a shortage, and follow the label dose. Browse the fertilizer range by the nutrient and grade on the bag, not by the name.

In part. ICAR-DRMR reports that 2.5 tonnes per hectare of vermicompost or FYM along with 75 percent of the recommended fertilizer gave 5 to 10 percent more seed than the recommended 80:40:0, and a combined plan of manure plus 80 N, 40 P2O5, 40 S, 5 Zn and 1 B gave over 10 percent more.

• Bio-fertilizers: Azotobacter seed dressing saves up to 30 kg N per hectare (ICAR-DRMR). ICAR adds that this holds only when the strain is efficient and the soil is rich in organic matter (ICAR).
• Green manure and residue: incorporating 2.5 tonnes per hectare of mustard residue followed by Sesbania green manuring in kharif raised mustard seed yield up to 50 percent over a fallow-mustard sequence (ICAR-DRMR).
• Organic package: ICAR-DRMR authors advise FYM and vermicompost in a 1:1 ratio, with vermicompost placed 2 to 3 cm below the seed in moist soil (Indian Farming, 2024). A vermicompost fertilizer is one such input; check the pack for its nutrient content.
• Biofertilizer basics: see our rhizobium, PSB and KMB guide for how PSB and similar cultures work in rabi crops.

Mustard needs about 190 to 400 mm of water and two key irrigations: pre-flowering (35 to 45 days after sowing) and siliqua formation. The first irrigation is also when you give the second half of the nitrogen. ICAR advises no irrigation between 25 December and 15 January to help manage Sclerotinia rot.

Irrigation method matters too. ICAR reports mustard seed yield rises 24 percent with micro-sprinkler and 18 percent with drip over check-basin irrigation, and ICAR-DRMR reports sprinkler or drip raising yield 25 to 30 percent while halving irrigation water. A furrow irrigated raised bed system raised yield by 10 percent and saved 33 percent water over conventional practice (ICAR-DRMR). The number of irrigations in practice runs from 1 to 6 depending on soil and climate (ICAR, 2024).

Thin the crop 15 to 25 days after sowing so plants stand 15 cm apart, and weed twice with a hand hoe at 15 to 20 and 35 to 40 days after sowing. ICAR-DRMR reports two hand weedings at 25 and 50 days raised seed yield by more than 12 percent over a weedy field.

• How much do weeds cost? The two ICAR articles give different loss figures: 15 to 30 percent (2018) and 20 to 70 percent (2024). The 45 to 60 days after sowing are the critical period for weed competition (ICAR, 2024).
• Herbicide: ICAR lists pendimethalin applied before sowing (1 kg active ingredient per hectare) as effective. Check the label of the product you buy and ask your KVK.
• Broomrape (Orobanche): avoid mustard after mustard; rotate with cereals and legumes. ICAR lists cowpea, black gram, moth bean, sunhemp, cluster bean and sesame followed by mustard as lowering infestation (ICAR, 2024).

ICAR names mustard aphid, sawfly, painted bug, Bihar hairy caterpillar, pea leaf miner and diamond back moth as the main insects, and Alternaria blight, white rust, downy mildew, powdery mildew and Sclerotinia stem rot as the main diseases. Sow on time, treat seed, drain water and scout weekly.

Use sprays only when scouting shows the threshold is crossed, and follow the label and your state advisory. Pesticide choice and dose should come from the registered label and your agriculture officer; this guide does not print spray doses.

Do not guess from leaf colour alone. A soil test shows nutrients and a plant test can confirm them. ICAR says fertilizer should be applied on the basis of a soil test, which reduces excess use and raises profit. Use your soil health card and ask your KVK before adding zinc, boron or extra sulphur.

• Start with the card: the Soil Health Card lists your soil nutrient status; see our soil health card guide.
• Do not add micronutrients by habit. Zinc sulphate and borax are in the ICAR package for soils that need them.
• Yellowing has many causes: nutrient shortage, waterlogging, disease and pests can look alike, so confirm with a test before spending on inputs.
• Salty or sodic fields: need a different plan; read our gypsum guide and ask your KVK, and consider the salinity-tolerant varieties in the ICAR table.

Rajasthan is India's leading mustard state, with 46.1 percent of production in 2022-23. Nationally, 2022-23 mustard area was 88.5 lakh hectares, production 126.4 lakh tonnes and productivity 1,428 kg per hectare. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are the main producers (ICAR-ATARI Jodhpur, citing the Directorate of Oilseed Development).

The demonstration figures are averages for one state in one season, using the costs the KVKs recorded; your cost and sale price will differ. For support prices, see our rabi MSP post and check the official notification before planning.

The common mistakes are sowing late or in heat, skipping sulphur, copying the wheat DAP-and-urea plan, giving all nitrogen at sowing, thick or broadcast sowing, no seed treatment, irrigating in the cold humid fortnight and ignoring weeds. Each one is tied to an ICAR finding above.

• Sowing after the 10-25 October window, or when day temperature is above 32 degrees C.
• Leaving out sulphur on a sulphur-short soil, and so missing the oil and yield gain ICAR-DRMR reports.
• All nitrogen at sowing and none at the first irrigation.
• Broadcasting thick, then not thinning at 15 to 25 days.
• No seed treatment against white rust and downy mildew.
• Irrigating between 25 December and 15 January (Sclerotinia risk, ICAR).
• Late or no weeding in the first 45 to 60 days.
• Mustard after mustard in the same field (broomrape risk, ICAR).
• Adding zinc and boron without a soil test.

Call your KVK or state agriculture officer before sowing if your soil test is missing, your field is saline or sodic, or your sowing date has slipped into November. Call again if you see a pest or disease you cannot name. Bring the soil health card, the seed bag and the fertilizer bills.

• Before buying inputs: get a soil test and the district-specific variety and dose.
• If the crop looks wrong at 30 to 60 days: send a clear photo to the KVK or your district agriculture office; do not spray guesswork mixes.
• If you plan to spray: use only products registered for mustard and read the label first.
• If you are a dealer or FPO: ask your agriculture department for the local recommended dose before stocking; see our rabi stock list for dealers.

Conclusion

A good mustard crop starts with the calendar and the soil test. Sow in the 10 to 25 October window, use a seed rate and line spacing your KVK recommends, give the ICAR dose of 80:40:40 (or 100:50:50 if late) with 40 kg sulphur per hectare, split the nitrogen, add zinc and boron only where the soil needs them, irrigate at pre-flowering and siliqua formation, and keep weeds and diseases in check. Treat all per-acre figures as starting points and confirm them against your soil health card, your state recommendation and the product label.