Effect of Dates of Sowing and Topping on Seed Production of Tossa and White Jute in Red and Laterite Zone of West Bengal

Aim: To assess the effects of date of sowing and topping on seed production of tossa and white jute.

Design: Split plot.

Place and Duration of Study: Field experiment was conducted during Kharif season of 2014 and 2015 at Regional Research Sub-station, Raghunathpur, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Purulia, West Bengal, India.

Methodology: Two separate experiments were carried out on tossa jute, Corchorus olitorius L.(cv. JRO-8432) and white jute, Corchorus capsularis L. (cv.JRC-698), each having 3 replications, with 3 main plots of dates of sowing (D1-15th June, D2-15th July and D3-15th August) and 4 sub plots for topping treatments [T1-No topping, T2-Topping at 30 Days After Sowing (DAS),T3-Topping at 45 DAS and T4-Topping at 60 DAS] under rainfed condition.

Results: In both the jute varieties, the first date of sowing (15th June) proved superiority over other sowing dates irrespective of topping, however, topping at 45 DAS revealed best results as compared to other topping treatments in both the years. First date of sowing (15th June) along with topping at 45 DAS (30th July) recorded the highest number of primary branches plant-1, number of pods plant-1and the highest seed yield which contributed to significantly higher gross and net return in both the varieties in both the years of experimentation.

Conclusion: Early sowing i.e. around 15th June and topping at 45 DAS could be recommended for enhancement of total seed production in olitorius as well as capsularis jute in red and laterite zone of West Bengal.