White mustard (Sinapis alba) – an annual plant of the Brassicaceae family, widely used as a green manure and green fertilizer. Seeds have a light yellow color, and plant height ranges from 25 to 100 cm depending on growth conditions. Leaves are lyrate, upper ones more acute, and flowers – pale yellow or white, collected in a raceme.
Advantages of mustard as a green manure: rapid germination and growth allow covering free bed areas in a short time, suppressing weed development and protecting soil from erosion. Root system penetrates deeply into the soil (up to 2-3 m), improving soil structure, increasing its permeability and water content. Upon decomposition of mustard biomass, rich humus is formed, enriched with organic substances: 22% content, as well as nitrogen (0.71%), phosphorus (0.92%) and potassium (0.43%). This makes it a more effective fertilizer than manure.
Mustard has strong phytosanitary activity: essential oils in the plant repel pests and suppress the development of fungal diseases, including phytophthora, rhizoctonia, tuberous blotch and rot. Root system serves as food for earthworms, improving soil aeration and creating favorable conditions for useful microflora. Due to its properties, mustard also helps retain snow in winter, protecting soil from freezing and retaining moisture.
Thus, white mustard is a universal product that simultaneously improves soil fertility, increases its structure, provides protection against pests and diseases, and contributes to the resilience of agroecosystems in various climatic conditions.
