Jute

Corchorus capsularis
Corchorus olitorius
Tiliaceae
Fibre crops : Jute, cotton, sunnhemp and kenaf.

Introduction

Jute is the most important long vegetable fibre in the world and is surpassed only by
cotton.

The fibre and the plant by itself is known as jute and derived from the two species of the
genus Corchorus, namely C. capsularis, locally known as ‘deshi’ or ‘white’ or ‘tita’ pat,
and C. olitorius known as ‘tossa’ or ‘mitha’ pat belonging to the family Tiliaceae.

 Cultivation of tossa jute is preferred to deshi for its superiority in fibre quality
and better resistance to common pests and diseases. But its extension faces
problems due to its limitation for tolerance to water stagnancy.

Origin

Corchorus capsularis- Burma, Indian subcontinent including Bangladesh.

Corchorus olitorius- Africa

Climate
Intermittent rain and dry is highly convenient for jute cultivation, i.e., warm and humid
climate is suitable for jute cultivation. 25-30 0 C temperature is suitable for jute
cultivation.
RH = 80-90%
Rainfall- 125-200c m annual average rainfall but 50 cm rainfall must be occurred in the
month of March-April and May-June.

Soil
For Corchorus capsularis- medium low, medium high to highland. Can tolerate water
logged to some extent at later stage of growth.
Clay loam soil is the best for Corchorus capsularis.

For Corchorus olitorius- highland, but can be cultivated in medium high land provided
good drainage system.
Sandy loam soil is the best.

Sowing time
Corchorus capsularis- 15 March to April.
Corchorus olitorius- 15 April to May
Variety:
Corchorus capsularis- D-154-2, CVL- 1 (Sabuj Pat), C-6, CC-45 (Jo pat), CVE-3
(AshuPat), atom Pat-38.
Corchorus olitorius- O-2, O-3, O-4, O-9897 (Falguni tossa), O-5, CG (Chinsurah
Green).

Special features of recommended varieties of Jute

Name of Special features Sowing time Days to Heigh Harvesting Average

cultivar flower t (m) time yield
(t/ha)
JO-Pat Free from precocious Mid Feb-Mid 135-180 3-4 120 days or 5.16
(CC-45) flowering even if sown April, if earlier/later
Photosensitive early in February; necessary till whwn
variety adjustable to a 3- crop mid June required
pattern; after early
harvest early aman
paddy can be
transplanted. More
profitable when relayed
with onion or garlic.
Ashu Pat Quick growing; after Last week of 95-105 3-3.5 At flowering 4.52
(CVE-3) harvest early Aman March to 1st
(Early paddy can be week of April
maturing) transplanted
Dhaka 154-2 Wider adaptability; Last week of 115-125 2.5-3 120 days or 4.89
(D-154-2) more diseases and March to mid earlier or
stress tolerant. April later
according to
need
Sabuj Pat Most tolerant to jute Last week of 122-132 3- 120 days or 5.16
(CVL-1) mosaic virus (JMV); March to mid 3.25 earlier or
fine fibre, less cutting April later
according to
need
Tossa
Falgooni Free from precocious Mid March to 130-180 4-5.5 120 days or 4.61
Tossa (0- flowering even if sown Late May earlier/later
9897) from mid March; according to
adjustable to a 3-crop need.
pattern’ indehiscent
pod; fine fibre; after
early harvest early
Aman paddy can be
transplanted.
0-4 Wider adaptability; fine Third week of 130-135 3.5- At flowering 4.52
fibre April to mid 4.5 or earlier
may according to
need
Seed rate: (kg ha-1 )
Methods Corchorus capsularis Corchorus olitorius
Line sowing 6-7.50 5-6
Boradcasting 10-12.5 7.5-9

Land preparation
Land should be prepared with 8-10 ploughins and cross ploghings, and laddering. Soil
clods will be broken down properly.

Fertilizer application
For fibre
Urea 95-110 kg ha-1
TSP 22-29 kg ha-1
MP 32-40 kg ha-1
Gypsum 45 kg
ZnS04 11 kg

For seed
Urea 80-100 kg ha-1
TSP 30-40 kg ha-1
MP 32-40 kg ha-1

 The gypsum or elemental sulphur and Zinc sulphate are to be applied only when
the soils are deficient in sulphur and zinc.
 Double amounts of NPK fertilizers per ha should be used for the Falgooni Tossa
(0-9897).

Method of application:

For fibre

50% urea and all other fertilizers should be applied at the time of final land preparation.
The rest 50% urea should be applied at six to seven weeks after sowing (i.e. at final
weeding time).

Fertilizer recommendation for late jute seed production

Very recently BJRI has developed fertilizer recommendations for late jute seed
production of Var. o-9897. A balanced fertilizer is needed for maximum seed yield per
unit plot. For the maximum economic yield of late jute seed production 100-30-10-20-4
kg/ha N-P-K-S-Zn, respectively should be applied. But the methods of application of urea
are different from those of fibre crop. For late jute seed production 1/3rd amount of urea
and all other fertilizers in full dose should be applied at the time of sowing. The second
dose of urea (i.e. 1/3rd amount) should be applied at 15-20 days after sowing and the last
one to be applied at 30-35 days after sowing.

Seeding
Normally jute seeds are broadcasted but if seeded in lines better yield and reduced costs
are assured. Better yield is obtained when lines are spaced 30 cm apart with a plant to
plant distance from 5 to 7 cm . Chief advantages due to line seeding are highlighted
below.

 Weeding and thinning of excess plants can be accomplished at 20-30 percent

below the normal cost.
 Raking, weeding or other intercultural operations like spray against insects and
pests can be easily performed with less time, energy and money.
 Plants grow uniformly and uniform growth enhances yield and facilitates easy
harvest at less cost.

Post seeding cultural operations

 Timely thinning of excess plants with simultaneous loosening of soil is beneficial
for healthy growth.
 Two to three weedings from 3rd to 6th week of growth depending on weed
infestation is necessary for optimum growth.
 Neither excess water should be allowed to stand in the plot at growing stages, nor
the crop should be allowed to suffer from water deficiency.
 The jute field should be kept clean to avoid infestation from insects and pests.
 The crop may be harvested any time between 90-120 days to accommodate
subsequent crops in the sequence.

Irrigation: Generally irrigation is not necessary but 2-3 irrigations may be required before
the onset of the monsoon at the interval of twenty days.

Pest management:
Disease
Stem rot :
1. Seed should be treated with Vitavax-200 @ 0.2-0.4% of seed weight.

2. Crop residue should be burnt.

3. Crop rotation should be followed.
4. Timely weeding and thinning should be done.
5. Uprooting and destroying of disease infested plants.
Anthracnose:
1. Spray the crop with cooper oxychloride.
2. Crop residue should be burnt.
3. Seed should be treated with Vitavax-200 @ 0.2-0.4% of seed weight.
4. Crop rotation with Corchorus olitorius.
5. Timely weeding and thinning should be done.
6. Uprooting and destroying of disease infested plants.
Soft rot
1. Spray the crop with 1% Bordeaux mixture or Copper oxychloride.
2. Drainage systems should be improved.
3. Crop residue should be burnt.
4. Seed should be treated with Vitavax-200 @ 0.2-0.4% of seed weight.
5. Crop rotation should be followed.
6. Timely weeding and thinning should be done.
7. Uprooting and destroying of disease infested plants.
Black band:
1. Crop residue should be burnt.
2. Seed should be treated with Vitavax-200 @ 0.2-0.4% of seed weight.
3. Crop rotation with Corchorus olitorius.
4. Timely weeding and thinning should be done.
5. Uprooting and destroying of disease infested plants.
6. Irrigation should be applied when necessary.
7. Prophylactic spray of copper oxychloride should be applied
Insect
Jute hairy caterpillar
1. Making trench around the jute field may control it.
2. Nuvacron 40EC/Diazinon 60EC may be applied @ 1.5ml/litre water.

Jute semi looper

3. Diazinon 60EC may be applied @ 1.5ml/litre water.
Jute mite
Kelthane-42EC/ Ethion-46EC/Torque-50EC @ 1.5ml /l water or Thiovit 80WP may be
applied @ 3g in 1 litre of water.

Harvesting
Maturity symptoms
1. At the time of flowering or few days before flowering.
2. Jute is cut generally 120-135 days after sowing.
3. It is also opined that jute should be cut flowering to immature seed formation.
Jute retting

On low land, where the jute plants may be standing in water, retting is usually carried out
immediately after the harvest. On high land, however, the plants are left in the fields for
two or three days after cutting, until the leaves have dried. The stems are then tied into
bundles and shaken so that most of the leaves fall off. In many places the cut plants are
immediately made into bundles and laid on the ground in lines. The leaves fall of after 2
to 4 days, and the bundles are then taken to the retting pond or ditch.

Retting is the process by which the fibres in the bark are loosened and separated from the
woody part of the stem and from the green matter by removal of the pectines, gum and
other mucilaginous substances in the stem. This is usually affected by the combined
action of water and microorganisms.

Bundles are retted or steeped in gently flowing, fairly deep (1-1.5m) clean, soft and tepid
water for 10-15 days in July to December to rot out softer, gummy tissues; sometimes
retting may taken 25 days or more, specially, when the temperature of water is low. In
this process, complete submergence of stalks is essential; to ensure proper retting of the
root and the bundles with their root ends are generally kept in water for 2-3 days before
entire bundle are fully submerged.

After retting is complete, the stalks are stripped. This process is known as “beat-break-
jerk”. In this process 8-10 stalks are taken at a time, their root ends beaten with a wooden
or bamboo mallet until the fibres are loosened. Loosened fibres are then wrapped round
the fingers and the stalks or stems are jerked forward and backward over the surface of
water till the fibre is completely separated. The separated fibre is then rinsed, washed,
cleaned, wrung and piled on the ground. Finally, strands are opened out and dried in the
sun for 2 to 4 days.

Yield: The yield of dry fibre varies with the variety, fertility of soil, spacing and time of
harvest. Through the scientific management practices, 30-50 mounds of jute per acre can
be produced.. Generally olitorius jute gives better yield than capsularis variety.

Hand ribboning and ribbon retting

In certain areas of Bangladesh jute grows very well but for want of sufficient retting
water the fibre produced is of very poor quality. To solve this retting water problem
ribbon retting is evolved. Since the barks of the jute plants produce fibre and if barks are
taken off from the jute plants at green leaves stage (Just after harvest) before retting and
they are retted instead of the whole plants the water requirement is reduce to almost half.
Bangladesh Jute Research Institute evolved a new technology of hand ribboning with
bamboo hook. Through this technique ribbon (bark of the plants) can be very easily
separated out from the woody core in green stage.
Hand ribboning techniques are discussed below:

About 180 cm long bamboo (borak) is to be taken and a ‘U’ shaped notch would
be cut at its one end. The other end of the bamboo is to be strongly fixed in the ground.
Several bamboo hooks of this kind may be fixed side by side at a distance of 90-120 cm
or as needed, so that several workers can work side by side. One long thin bamboo(Muli)
should be tied with the hooks (fixed the ground) which would help in keeping the jute
plants leaning on it. Prior to keeping the plants on the frame, 8-10 cm at the basal parts
of the jute plants are to be malleted by an wodden hammer.

At the malleted area bark of the plants are separated in two halves and the woody
core is placed in the middle of the hook. Now the two halves of the barks are taken
around the two knotches of the hook and drawn inward with a sudden forceful pull. This
will throw the woody core (Jute stick) to a long distance in front, leaving the barks or
ribbons of the plants in the hands of worker (operator). Three to four plants could be
ribboned in this way at a time.

Ribbon retting

Before retting ribbons should be arranged in to ring form. If retting water is not available
in the nearby places, ribbons may be retted in big earthen vats, filled with clear water.
One may ret 30 kg of ribbons in one of such big earthen vats.

If shallow small pond/ditchs or canals are available in the nearby places, the ribbons may
be retted by putting the ring of ribbon in a bamboo pole and steeping under tying with
two bamboo poles fixed in the bottom of the pool. Retting may be conducted in
artificially made small ditches dug around homestead of the farmers or in jute field
covering the ditches with polythene sheets. The ditches may be filled with clear water
from tube well or from any other water sources.

Advantages of ribbon retting

1. Lesser amount of water is required for retting.
2. The quality of fibre improves.
3. The jute sticks remain stronger since it is not retted.
4. Minimum transportation cost is involved.
5. Retting requires lesser time and space.
6. Cuttings free better quality fibre fetches better price.

Acceleration of the retting speed

The retting speed of ribbon may accelerated in the following two ways.
i) By applying urea@0.01% of green ribbon.
ii) By applying one bucket full of retting effluent of any retting pool. The retting
effluent can also be made by retting some small pieces of jute plants in a small
earthen pot and used in artificially dug ditches.

Determination of end point of retting

Ribbon retting requires half the time than the whole plant retting. After 7-8 days from the
day of steeping the ribbons in water, it should be tested to determine the end point. This
may be done taking 1-2 ribbons fro rets, washed and examined for fibre separation.