Field Preparation

• Clean, clod free field with fine tilth.
• The field should be ploughed and cross harrowed 5-6 times followed by planking.
• Tap root system spreading to depth of 30-45cm. So, deep ploughing is required.
• Soil moisture between 21-45% is considered ideal for germination.
• In acidic soil, liming should be done 4-6 weeks before sowing.
• For soil pH around 6.0 or below, 7-15 quintals of lime/ha should be used after every 4th year.

Crop Rotation

Seed and Sowing

a. Seed Selection and Treatment:

• Bold, healthy, true to type with >80% germinability.
• Selected seeds should be treated with Captan, Ceresan or Agrosan GN @5g/kg of seeds.

b. Sowing Time:

• Optimum time of sowing for capsularis types is March-April and for olitorius types is April-May.

c. Sowing Method:

• Sowing either by broadcasting or line sowing with seed drill.
• Line sowing is preferred over broadcasting.
• In broadcasting method, jute seeds are mixed with sand or loose soil and broadcasted uniformly.
• Sowing should be done immediately after pre-monsoon shower to utilize soil moisture.

d. Spacing:

• capsularis= 30cm*5-7cm
• olitorius= 20cm*5-7cm

e. Plant population:

• capsularis= 3,00,000 plants/ha
• olitorius= 5,00,000 plants/ha

f. Depth of Sowing:

• 3-4 cm is ideal

g. Seed Rate:

Gap Filling and Thinning

• Thinning is done when plants are 10-12cm tall.

It is carried out in two steps:

• 1st thinning is done along with 1st weeding after 2-3 weeks of crop age leaving a distance of 3-4cm between plants.

2nd thinning is done along with 2nd weeding after 5-6 weeks of crop age leaving a distance of 5-7cm between plants.