Botanical name: Corchorus olitorius L. (Native Africa)
Corchorus capsularia (Native Indo Burma)
Family : Tiliaceae
Origin : Africa and Indo Burma
Economic importance
Jute is an important fiber crop next to cotton. It is one of the major foreign exchange earning crop. It is exported as manufactured goods and as raw fiber; it earns foreign exchange of around 3000 million rupees per annum.
The fiber is used extensively in the manufacture of gunny cloth, gunny bags and other packaging materials for storing and transporting grains, pulses, spices, cement, sugar, cotton,
fertilizers, wool, etc. all over the world. Jute is also used in making ropes, carpets, rugs and wines. Different types of cloth in different qualities are made out of fiber for the purpose of upholstery, for linoleum, for tapestries etc.
The jute stalks stripped of fiber are used an fuel and also for making gum powder charcoal. Since recently, the paper industry has been using it as a raw material for coarser paper and hard-board.
Land preparation
Land is prepared by giving 3 to 4 ploughings followed by 1 to 2 harrowings and planking to crush the clods.
Time of sowing - April
Method of sowing
By broadcasting or drill method at 30 to 45 cm spacing.
Seed rate : 5 to 10 kg/ha
Seed treatment
Before sowing, seed should be treated with Agrosan GN or Ceresan @ 5 g per kg of seeds.
Spacing : 30 to 45 cm when sown by seed drill.
Manures and fertilizers
Well decomposed FYM @ 10 tonnes/ha should be applied at the time of land preparation.
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Nitrogen P2O5 K2O Remarks
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40 40 60 kg/ha
20 40 60 Basal at sowing time
20 0 0 4-5 weeks after sowing
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Irrigation
One pre-sowing irrigation and three post-sowing irrigations before onset of monsoon are needed.
Weeding : Two to three weedings are necessary.
Harvesting
Jute crop may be harvested for fiber purpose at any time before flowering between 120 and 150 days after sowing. Early harvesting gives finer fiber of good quality, whereas, late
harvesting gives a larger yield but a coarser fiber. The ideal stage of harvest is when the plants are in small pod stage viz., 135-140 days after sowing.
Harvesting is done by cutting the plants close to the ground level with sharp sickles. The harvested plants are tied into separate bundles of 18-20 centimeter diameter and left standing
in the field for 2 to 3 days for shedding of leaves.
Retting
Retting is a process by which the fibres in the bark get lossened and separated from the woody stalk. It is a microbial process affected by various aerobic and anaerobic micro-flora.
Retting is best done in a shallow canal with slow running clear water, where such facilities are not available, tanks witha depth of about two metres are quite suitable. The harvested jute bundles should be kept standing in 30-60 centimetres deep water for three to four days before entire bundle is steeped. Later on bundles of jute should be placed side by side usually in two to three layers and together. They are covered with acquatic weeds. The float is than weighed down with seasoned logs or with concrete blocks or are kept submerged atleast 10 centimetres below the surface of water. Retting is best dined at 340 C. At the end of the eighth day onwards, the reeds (stems) are to be examined. If fiber slips out easily from the wood on pressure from the thumb and fingers, retting is considered complete. Over retting results in dazed weak fiber.
Extraction
Fiber should be extracted from the retted stalks gently, keeping the stalks in water. Beating stalks for fiber with wood sticks should be avoided as it spoils the fiber quality. Extraction should be done from each reed (stem) separately. It gives cleaner jute fiber. The extracted fiber should be dried in mild sun over a bamboo frame or clear surface of any sub-stratum for two to three days.
