Crop production techniques

1. Presented by
Muchhadiya Ravindra M.
M.Sc. (Agri.) in Agronomy
Junagadh Agricultural University,
Junagadh

2. Contents
1) Introduction of Jute
2) Area, production and economic importance of Jute
3) Climatic & soil requirements
4) Land preparation
5) Time of sowing
6) Varieties
7) Method of sowing
8) Cropping system
9) Seed rate, seed treatment & spacing
10) Nutrient management
11) Irrigation
12) Weed management & interculturing
13) Plant protection measures
14) Harvesting and post-harvest operations

3. Introduction of Jute
Botanical name: Corchorus olitorius (Native Africa) – Tossa Jute
Corchorus capsularis (Native Indo Burma) – White Jute
Family: Tiliaceae
➢ Jute is an important natural fibre cash crop in India next to cotton and grows well in hot
and moist climate.
➢ Jute is one of the cheapest and the strongest of all natural fibres and considered as fibre
of the future.
➢ India and Bangladesh are biggest jute producer in the world.
➢ Jute is one of the most important cash crops of eastern and north eastern India. The crop
is grown in West Bengal, Assam, Northern Bihar, south-eastern Orissa, Tripura and
eastern Uttar Pradesh.

4. ➢ Emergence of technologies for quality improvement and diversification of jute includes
blending of jute with other natural or man-made fibres for furnishing, interior decoration,
garments, dress materials, geotextiles, agrotextiles, handicrafts, soft luggage, rope,
twine, sacks, carpet, rugs, hessian cloth, mats, tarpaulins etc.
➢ The jute sticks are largely used as fuel and also for making gunpowder, charcoal, as a
raw material for coarser paper. Resin-bonded pressed jute sticks make durable
hardboard.
➢ Raw jute being biodegradable and annually renewable source, it is considered as an
environment friendly crop. Its silky lusture, high tensile strength, low exhaustibility,
considerable heat resistance and long staple length are the qualities that cannot be
matched by synthetic fibre.
➢ So it is called Golden fibre.

5. Differences between Corchorus capsularis and Corchorus olitorius
Characteristics Corchorus capsularis (White Jute) Corchorus olitorius (Tossa Jute)
1. Plant height Shorter than C. olitorius plant Taller than C. capsularis plant
2. Leaf color Leaves are dark green Leaves are light green
3. Test of leaf Leaf is bitter in taste Sweet/bitter less in taste
4. Seed color Seeds are dark color Seeds are bluish green in color
5. Fiber color Fibre is white in color Fibre is golden in color
6. Fruit size Fruits are round Fruits are elongated
7. Culture area Both upland and lowland culture Mostly upland culture.
8. Pictures

6. Area, production and economic importance of Jute
➢ Global production of jute and allied fibres is around 3.0 million tonnes, 92.5% of which comes
from India and Bangladesh.
➢ In India, Ganga delta region is excellent for jute cultivation as this region has fertile alluvium soil
& favorable temperature along with sufficient rainfall.
➢ India ranks first in area and production of jute followed by Bangladesh and earns approximately
Rs.1400 crores/annum through export of jute goods mainly jute diversified products (JDPs).
➢ During the last six decades, the total raw jute production in India has increased from 36 lakh
bales to 100 lakhs bales. The productivity of jute had also increased from 11.0 q/ha during 1950-
51 to 25.85 q/ha during 2017-2018.
2017-18 average Cultivated area Production
(1 bale jute = 180 kg)
Productivity
India 0.76 m ha 10.96 million bales 2585 kg/ha
West Bengal 0.54 m ha 8.35 million bales 2803 kg/ha

7. ➢ It is estimated that the jute industry provides direct employment to 0.37 million workers in
organized mills and in diversified units including tertiary sector and allied activities and
supports the livelihood of around 4.0 million farm families.
➢ In India, total 97 composite jute mills are working. Out of which the state of West Bengal has
71 jute mills with Andhra Pradesh having 12 mills, Uttar Pradesh 3 mills, Bihar 3 mills,
Orissa 3 mills, Assam 2 mills, Chhattisgarh 2 mills and Tripura 1 Jute Mill.
➢ Over the last few years jute cultivation area has remained constant at about 9 lakh hectares
in India. Increased cost of production particularly due to enhanced cost of labour and
fertilizers and lack of sufficient water for retting etc.
➢ Till early seventies, white jute varieties occupied more than 80% of the jute growing areas
as they were suitable for mid-March to mid-April sowing. After that pre-mature flowering
resistant tossa jute varieties were developed & 80% of the jute area came under tossa jute
owing to its higher fibre yield.

9. Climatic & soil requirements
➢ Jute requires a warm and humid climate, the optimum being around 34 ̊C. Relative humidity
of 57-97%.
➢ Temperatures below 15 ̊C and above 43 ̊C during growth are not suitable for its cultivation.
➢ Jute crop thrives well with alternate rains and sunshine. In the ideal situation, 120-150 mm
pre monsoon rain followed by a dry period of 30-40 days and 1200 to 1500 mm of
precipitation over last 75-80 days is considered to be the most ambient condition for growth of
jute crop.
➢ Constant rain or water logged conditions are harmful. In the seedling stage, water-logging is
not tolerated. Corchorus olitorius (Tossa jute) cannot withstand water logging, however, C.
capsularis (White jute) can withstand water logging for a short period.
➢ Alluvial sandy loam, clay loamy soils are best suited for jute production. In India, it is grown in
mainly colluviums, red, lateritic and calcareous soils.
➢ The optimum pH is around 6.4.

10. Land preparation
➢ Plain land or gentle slope or low land is ideal for jute cultivation. Since the jute seeds are
small in size, land should be prepared to fine tilth. Jute requires a clean, clod-free field with
fine tilth. The land is ploughed, cross ploughed, and planked several times. All weeds are
thoroughly removed.
Time of sowing
➢ 10th March to 15th April.
➢ In Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, sowing is done up to mid June or some time upto end June as
per the onset of monsoon.
➢ Sowing time of jute may differ from area to area on the basis of the receipt of pre-monsoon
showers, availability of residual moisture and variety.
➢ Sowing should be done when there is sufficient moisture in the soil. A minimum of 21% soil
moisture content is required for germination.

11. State Variety
West Bengal JBO-2003H (Ira), JRO-204 (Suren), S-19 (Subala), JRO-8432 (Shakti), JRO-128 (Surya), JRO-66
(Golden Jubilee Tossa), JRC-80, JRC-698, CO-58 (Sourav), JBO-1 (Sudhangshu), JBC-5 (Arpita), RRPS-
27-C-3 (Monalisa)
Assam AAUOJ-1 (Tarun), JBO-2003H (Ira), JRO-204 (Suren),
S-19 (Subala), JRO-8432 (Shakti), CO-58 (Sourav), JBO-1 (Sudhangshu)
JRC-698, JRC-80, JBC-5 (Arpita), RRPS-27-C-3 (Monalisa)
Bihar JBO-2003H (Ira), JRO-204 (Suren), S-19 (Subala), JRO-8432 (Shakti), JRO-128 (Surya), JRO-66
(Golden Jubilee Tossa), CO-58 (Sourav), JBO-1 (Sudhangshu), JRC-698, JBC-5 (Arpita), RRPS-27-C-3
(Monalisa)
Meghalaya JRO-204 (Suren),
S-19 (Subala), JRO-8432 (Shakti), CO-58 (Sourav), JBO-1 (Sudhangshu), JBC-5 (Arpita)
Nagaland AAUOJ-1 (Tarun), JBO-2003H (Ira), JRO-204 (Suren), S-19 (Subala), JRO-8432 (Shakti), CO-58
(Sourav), JBO-1 (Sudhangshu), JBC-5 (Arpita)
Orissa JBO-2003H (Ira), JRO-204 (Suren), S-19 (Subala), JRO-8432 (Shakti), JRO-128 (Surya), JRO-66
(Golden Jubilee Tossa), CO-58 (Sourav), JBO-1 (Sudhangshu), JBC-5 (Arpita), RRPS-27-C-3 (Monalisa)
Tripura AAUOJ-1 (Tarun), JBO-2003H (Ira), JRO-204 (Suren), S-19 (Subala), JRO-8432 (Shakti), CO-58
(Sourav), JBO-1 (Sudhangshu), JBC-5 (Arpita)
Uttar Pradesh JBO-2003H (Ira), JRO-204 (Suren), S-19 (Subala), JRO-8432 (Shakti), JRO-128 (Surya), JRO-66
(Golden Jubilee Tossa), JRC-80, CO-58 (Sourav), JBO-1 (Sudhangshu), JBC-5 (Arpita), NDC 2008
(Ankit)
State-wise recommended varieties of Jute

12. ❖ Jute varieties recommended for early sowing: JRO 204 (Suren), JRO 524 (Navin),
JRO 8432 (Shakti) JRO 128 (Surya), S-19 (Subala), JRO-2407 (Samapti), JRO 7835
(Basudev), KOM-62 (Revati), JRO 878 (Chaitali tossa) and Hybrid C (Padma)
❖ Jute varieties recommended for late sowing: JRO 66 (Golden Jubilee Tossa), JRO
3690 (Savitri), JRO 632 (Baisakhi tossa) andTJ-40 (Mahadev), Bidhan Pat – 3
❖ Jute varieties tolerant to Root & stem rot and Anthracnose: JBO 2003H (Ira), AAU-
OJ-1 (Tarun), JRO 204 (Suren) and JRO 524 (Navin)
❖ Jute varieties tolerant to Yellow mite: JBO 1 (Sudhangsu), JRO 524 (Navin) and JRO
204(Suren)
❖ Jute varieties tolerant to water logging / submergence: JRC 532 (Sashi), JRC-517
(Sidhartha), Bidhan Pat-1, Bidhan Pat-2, Bidhan Pat-3
❖ Jute varieties tolerant to draught: JRC 80 (Mitali), NDC 2008 (Ankit), JRO 204 (Suren),
JRO 524 (Navin

13. Method of sowing
➢ Broadcasting and line sowing
➢ Advantages of line sowing: 1) Seeds are placed at proper & uniform depths. 2) Along
the rows, intercultural operations can be done. 3) Uniform row to row spacing is
maintained. 4) Seed requirement is less than ‘broad casting’ method. 5) Sowing is done at
proper moisture level. 6) produces 10-15% higher fibre yield.

14. Cropping system
➢ Jute is one of the most suitable crop to fit in crop rotation. Since the harvesting duration of
the crop is variable and accordingly it can be fitted in different crop rotations. Besides,
shedding of jute leaves improves the soil fertility. The recommended/common practices of
crop rotations with jute are indicated here under:
❖ Rainfed condition
❑ Jute-paddy-pulses
❑ Jute-gram
❑ Jute-paddy-mustard
❑ Jute-mustard
❑ Jute-paddy
❖ Irrigated condition
❑ Jute-paddy-potato
❑ Jute-paddy-gram
❑ Jute-paddy-mustard
❑ Jute-paddy-wheat

15. Seed rate, seed treatment & spacing
➢ Seeds can be sown either by broadcasting or by line sowing.
➢ Seedlings, are thinned out in broadcast, plots. This operation is carried out in two instalments,
once when the seedlings are about 10 cm and subsequently when they are about 15 cm tall.
➢ In row cropping a single row seed drill is used. Sowing is always done shallow. The depth of
sowing is maintained at 2.5 to 3 cm.
➢ Seed should be treated with Carbendazim @ 2 g/kg or Trichoderma @ 10 g/kg seed for control
of seed borne diseases.
Jute type
Seed rate (kg/ha)
Spacing (cm)
No. of
Plants/ Sq.
Mtr.
Line sowing Broad casting
Tossa Jute
Corchorus olitorius
4 - 6 7 25 cm × 5 - 7 cm 80 - 85
White Jute
Corchorus capsularis
6 - 8 10 30 cm × 5 - 7 cm 67 - 70

16. Corchorus olitorius Corchorus capsularis
N
(kg/ha)
P2O5
(kg/ha)
K2O
(kg/ha)
N
(kg/ha)
P2O5
(kg/ha)
K2O
(kg/ha)
Low fertility 80 40 40 80 40 40
Medium fertility 60 30 30 60 30 30
High fertility 40 20 20 60 30 30
Nutrient management
➢ Application of fertilizers should be done according to the fertility status of the soils.
➢ Application of manure is not necessary for soils where silt is deposited normally but
application of well decomposed Farm Yard Manure (FYM) at the rate of 5-10 t/ha at the time
of land preparation will not only maximize the yield but also promote sustainable agriculture.
➢ Acid soils require amendment with 3-7 tonnes of lime in 3 years.
➢ Azotobactor / Azospirilium @ 6 Kg/ha should be broadcasted before sowing by mixing with
FYM.
➢ Recommended fertilizer doses both for olitorious and capsularis jute are given below.

17. ➢ In heavy soils with low to moderate rainfall, all nutrients are applied as basal. In light
soils and high rainfall situations, N is applied in 2 equal splits, ½ basal and ½ top
dressing, i.e. preferably after weeding and thinning operations.
➢ Ammonium sulphate was found to be the better source of nitrogen for jute.
➢ Sulphur stimulates root growth, seed formation and helps in various enzymes synthesis.
Sulphur @ 30 kg/ha was found to be optimum for higher productivity and improvement
in fibre quality.
➢ Foliar application is beneficial during draught period. Application of foliar fertilizer like N-
P-K 19 : 19 : 19 @ 5 gm / L during 21 DAS and 45 DAS is also beneficial.
➢ During periods of drought and fertilizer shortage, spray 8 kg of urea as 2 per cent urea
solution (20 g urea in one litre of water) on jute foliage on 40 - 45 as well as 70 - 75
DAS.

18. Irrigation
➢ Jute is predominantly grown as a rainfed crop. In India about 15% jute area is irrigated and
the remaining area is rainfed. Jute requires about 500 to 600 mm water for its growth and
development.
➢ Since rains are uncertain, irrigation become very helpful for sowing and establishment of
the crop. Yield is increased if irrigation is provided. Irrigation treatment has recorded an
increase of 20.8% fibre yield of jute over the no irrigation.
➢ For germination of jute seed, about 18-20% soil moisture is required.
➢ At sowing time, if the soil moisture is not sufficient, then one pre-sowing irrigation is to be
given and life irrigation on fourth day after sowing. Afterwards usually one or two irrigations
at an interval of about 15-20 days is required at the initial stages of growth. Four irrigations
including the pre-sowing irrigation were required for jute to supply 26.78 cm of water.
➢ It was found that 1.98 cu.m. or 1980 liters water is used to produce 1 kg jute fibre.
➢ Jute fields should be connected with a safe outlet to romove excess water.

19. Weed management & interculturing
➢ Maximum weed infestation is found up to the 3rd to 6th week of crop age. The critical
period of crop-weed competition in jute was found to be between 15 and 60 days after
sowing.
Cultural Methods of weed control in Jute:
➢ Line sowing of jute with 25cm × 5-7cm spacing and maintaining optimum plant population
(5.5 - 6.0 lakhs/ha) facilitate the intercultural practices resulting in competitive advantage
of jute crop over weeds.
➢ Intercropping with red amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor) and summer radish (Raphanus
sativus) suppress the weeds and gives additional revenue to small and marginal farmers.
➢ Intercropping with green gram / summer moong is also reduces weed pressure and
increase the profit. It also enriches the soil.

20. Pre-emergence / pre-plant Application :
➢ Pre-emergence application of Butachlor 50 EC @ 1.0-2.0 kg a.i./ha or Fluchloralin @ 1.5
kg/ha or Pretilachlor 50 EC @ 0.5 to 0.9 kg a.i./ha within 24 to 48 hours of sowing following
rain or irrigation is beneficial.
Post emergence herbicide:
➢ Hand weeding twice on 20 - 25 DAS and 35 - 40 DAS. Hand weeding is costly (35 % of total
cost) and time taking. Application of herbicides alone or in combination with one hand
weeding (35 days after sowing) is very economical to control the weeds in jute field.
➢ Application of post emergence herbicides like Propequizafop 10 EC @ 150 g a.i./ha or
Quizalofop ethyl 5 EC @ 60 g a.i./ha at 21 DAE followed by one hand weeding recorded
better control of grassy weed.

21. CRIJAF nail weeder is used for simultaneous composite weed control, thinning,
automatic line development and soil mulching for moisture conservation

22. Plant protection measures
Insect/Pest:
➢ Jute Semi-looper, Stem Weevil, Yellow Mite, Bihar Hairy caterpillar, etc.
➢ Control Measures: Chlorpyriphos @ 1 ml/lit or Cypermethrin 25 EC @ 1-1.2 ml/lit or
Fenvalerate 20 EC @ 1 ml/lit of water spray twice.
Disease:
➢ Seedling Blight, Damping off, Collar Rot, Stem Rot, Root Rot, etc.
➢ Control Measures: Seed treatment with Carbendazim @ 2 g/kg or Mancozeb @ 5 g/kg
or T. viridi @ 10 g/kg. In standing crop spraying of Carbedazim 0.2 % or Copper
oxychloride 0.75 % may be done.

23. Harvesting and post-harvest operations
Harvesting:
➢ Jute may be harvested any time between 120 and 150 days.
➢ Early harvesting gives finer fibre of good quality. The compromise between quality and
quantity is found in harvesting at the early pod stage or around 135 days of cropping.
➢ Harvesting is done by cutting the plants at or close to the ground level with sharp sickles.
➢ In flooded land, plants are uprooted.
➢ Jute plants are left in the field for 3 - 4 days for leaf shedding. Then thick and thin plants
are sorted out and bundled in convenient size. The plants are tied into bundles 20-25 cm
of diameter and the branching tops are lipped off to rot in the field.

24. Retting:
➢ Sheafs of jute stocks are immersed in flood water or ponds or stagnant water for about 2
to 3 weeks for retting. The optimum temperature is around 34 ̊C.
➢ The bundles are covered with water-hyacinth or any other weed that does not release
tannin and iron. The float is then weighed down with seasoned logs or with concrete
blocks or are kept emerged (at least 10 cm below the surface of water) with bamboo-
crating.
➢ Keeping Dhaincha (Sesbania aculeate), Sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea) plants and
Gliricidia leaves as covering materials or in between the jak(bundles) reduced the retting
period by 3-5 days.
➢ Clods of earth used as a covering material or as weighing agent produce dark fibre of low
value.

25. ➢ The traditional method of retting is commonly known as Steep method of retting as described
above and the same method is being followed widely. Some of the other and improved
methods have been developed or are in the stage of development like Ribbon Retting, Dry
Retting, Use of Microbial Consortium in retting, etc but these methods are yet to be
standardized and to make cost effective for adoption by the farmers.
➢ If fibre comes out easily from the wood on pressure from the thumb and fingers, retting is
considered complete.
Extraction of fibre:
➢ After retting is complete, the bark is peeled from the plant and fibre is removed.
Two methods of fibre extraction are practiced:
1. Single plant extraction method: In single plant extraction method, four or five reeds are
taken out and stripping started from the bottom; the fibre of each of the reeds is slipped out free
from the stick up to 8-10 cm, then gripped and pulled out slowly from the rest of the stick.
Extracted strips of the bundles are washed in clean water.

26. 2. Beat-break-jerk method: In beat-break-jerk method, a handful retted stems in left hand
are gently beaten at the base with a mallet, then the woody core is broken and the extractor
twist the bundles at the middle, grips the fibre where the bundle is broken and shakes the
bundles vigorously to and fro in water. The broken sticks slip out and water wrung out of the
fibre. The fibre is then washed in clean water, rung and eventually spread to dry, preferably
in shade or mild sun. The beat-break-jerk method often leaves the broken sticks and make
fibre somewhat entangled resulting in sticky fibre.
After this, stripping, rinsing, washing and cleaning is done and the fibre is dried in
the sun and pressed into bales. All this process is to be done by human hand for which
availability of plenty of labour at cheap rates is very essential. Luckily, this labour is readily
available because jute is cultivated in areas of high population density.

27. Grading:
➢ Grading of fibre is done based on six parameters namely, strength, defect, root content,
colour, fineness and density.
➢ As per BIS specification there are eight grade classification of jute, i.e., W1/TD1 to W8/TD8
(W indicates white jute and TD indicates Tossa jute).
Yield:
• Green plant weight yield is 45 to 50 tonnes per hectare.
• Fibre yield is 2.0 to 2.75 tonnes/ha.

28. Harvested jute crops are kept
in the field for defoliation
Jute Extraction
Raw Jute Drying Jute Processing Industry Products of Jute
Retting

29. Research stations
❖ Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibers (CRIJAF) established in 1953, is
a research institute on jute & allied fibre crops under the Indian Council of Agricultural
Research of Government of India. This institute is located in Barrackpore, West
Bengal, India.
❖ International Jute Study Group (IJSG) Dhaka, Bangladesh.