Brown Mustard is an oilseed crop that is growing increasingly popular in PEI over the past decade. Mustard crops can be harvested for food, with brown mustard going to make high-quality Dijon-style mustards. In PEI, farmers primarily grow mustard because it naturally combats against certain pests and diseases. Mustard plants are high in a natural chemical (called glucosinolates) that naturally repel or kill a number of pests and diseases that live in the soil. One of the most important benefits of brown mustard in PEI is its use in fighting wireworm, which can cause poor establishment in many crops and can create many holes in potatoes and other root vegetables, making them unsaleable. It is an important tool for farmers to break disease cycles in a very environmentally sustainable fashion.
Many confuse mustard with canola as the plants look remarkably similar (they are both plants from the Brassica family), but mustard plants have a slightly paler yellow colour and their leaves and pods are shaped differently. Canadian is the second-largest exporter of mustard seed in the world.
