Brown mustard
Crucifer grown for oil, spice and green manure; like oilseed rape it gives ample nectar and yellow pollen and a pale mustard honey that sets very fast.
- Nectar
- Good
- Pollen
- Good
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Crystallisation
- Fast
- Pollen colour
- Height
- 1-2 m
- Life cycle
- Annual
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Brown mustard is a crucifer grown for oil, spice and green manure. Like oilseed rape, its yellow flowers give plenty of nectar and pollen, and bees visit the field intensively. Nectar flows freely in mild, sunny and humid weather.
Flowering
In temperate regions, when sown in spring, it flowers for about 3-4 weeks between April and June. In India, Pakistan and Bangladesh it is grown as a winter crop and is in flower in December-February.
Honey and pollen
Mustard honey is pale yellow with a slightly sharp scent and crystallises very quickly with a fine grain; it is produced in large quantities in South Asia. The pollen loads are yellow.
Note for the beekeeper
Because it sets quickly, the honey should be extracted before it crystallises in the frame. Its cultivation in Turkey is limited; it can be used in small plots as bee forage or green manure. Watch out for spraying during flowering in crucifer fields.