Mustard

Morphology And Growth

• Mustard belongs to the Family Cruciferae and the genus Brassica.
• A mustard plant is an annual and usually about 45-150 cms high.
• The parts of a mustard plant are as follows:
  1. Root.
  2. Stem
  3. Leaf
  4. Inflorescence and flowers.
  5. Fruits.
  6. Seeds.

Roots:

• The mustard plant bears long tapering roots.
• The Torrai roots are surface roots as the roots have a limited working depth and an extensive lateral spread.

Stem:

• In Torrai the stems are 45 cms long.
• In yellow sarson, the stems are 150 cms long.
• The stem are covered with a waxy deposit known as "Bloom".
• Some mutants of Torrai and sarson are bloomless.

Leaves:

• The leaves of mustard are usually auricled and stem clasping.
• Sarson and Torrai usually posses glabrous and hairy leaves.

Inflorescence and flowers:

• Mustard has a corymbose raceme.
• The size of the flower varies from variety to variety.
• In case of yellow sarson, the four petals are spaced apart.
• In case of brown sarson or Torrai, the four petals may be overlapping.
• The colour of the petal may range from deep yellow to creamy white.
• The petals are shed on the third or fourth day of flowering.
• Due to inbreeding in some varieties of brown sarson and Torrai the petals are held long after they are fully dried.

Fruits:

• The mustard fruit is a siliqua.
• The pods are usually straight with smooth surface having short and stout beaks.

Seeds:

• The seed colour may be brown to yellow depending on the variety.
• The seeds are usually very small and round.
• They weigh from 455-2450seeds per grime.

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