Chicory (Cichorium intybus)
A deep-taprooted winter weed of mustard fields with jagged leaves and pale blue flowers, easiest to remove while still young.
- Type
- Broadleaf weed (deep taproot)
- Life cycle
- Annual/biennial; grows through winter
- Spreads by
- Seed
- Main harm
- Competes for nutrients and moisture; taproot makes older plants hard to pull
Overview
Chicory (Cichorium intybus, known locally as kasni) is a winter broadleaf weed of mustard fields. It starts as a low rosette (a circle of leaves close to the ground) of deeply cut, jagged leaves, similar in shape to a wild lettuce. Later it sends up a tall, branching, somewhat rough stem, with pale blue flowers, usually later in the season, on the tips of the branches.
Once established it has a long, deep taproot (a single thick main root growing straight down). It competes with young mustard plants for nutrients and soil moisture, especially where it establishes early. Because of its deep taproot, an older plant is much harder to pull out fully by hand than a shallow-rooted weed.
How to identify it
- Starts as a low rosette (a circle of leaves close to the ground) of deeply cut, jagged leaves, similar in shape to a wild lettuce.
- Later sends up a tall, branching, somewhat rough stem.
- Produces pale blue flowers, usually later in the season, on the tips of the branches.
- Has a long, deep taproot (a single thick main root growing straight down) once established.
Why it is a problem
- Competes with young mustard plants for nutrients and soil moisture, especially where it establishes early.
- Its deep taproot makes an older plant much harder to pull out by hand than a shallow-rooted weed.
- If left to flower, it produces seed that can build up in the field for coming seasons.
- A scattered stand does not usually devastate the crop, but a thick patch can noticeably reduce yield in that part of the field.
Cultural & preventive control
- Hand-pull it while still young and in the rosette stage — the taproot is short and comes out easily before it deepens.
- Do not leave pulled plants on moist soil for long if any root piece remains, since a fragment of a mature taproot can occasionally regrow.
- Crop rotation with a different winter crop over a season or two reduces its build-up in fields where it has become common.
- Keep field bunds and boundaries clean, since it can establish there and spread seed into the field.
Herbicide control
- The pre-emergence herbicide (pendimethalin) already used for mustard's other broadleaf weeds also checks chicory seedlings.
- Since fewer herbicides are officially cleared for mustard than for wheat, the hand-weeding pass carries more of the weed-control work here, as with mustard's other weeds.
- Spot-pull any older plants that develop a deep taproot rather than only relying on a spray.
- Confirm the current recommended herbicide for your area with your local KVK before spraying.
Integrated management
- Combine the standard pre-emergence herbicide with a timely hand weeding at 25–30 days, which also thins the crop stand — a good time to catch chicory while it is still small.
- Remove it before it flowers so it does not add seed to the field for coming years.
- Watch field edges and bunds too, since that is often where it first establishes before spreading inward.
Crops most at risk
Where this problem is called out in our crop guides — open a crop for the full package of practices.
Frequently asked questions
What is this weed with jagged leaves and pale blue flowers in my mustard field?
A weed that starts as a low, flat rosette of deeply cut, jagged leaves and later sends up a tall branching stem with pale blue flowers is chicory (Cichorium intybus, kasni). It has a long, deep taproot, so it is much easier to pull when young than after it matures. Hand-pull it early, along with your normal pre-emergence herbicide pass, before it flowers and sets seed.
Why is chicory harder to remove once it is fully grown?
Chicory develops a long, deep taproot (a single thick main root growing straight down) as it matures, unlike shallow-rooted weeds such as bathua. This makes an older plant harder to pull out fully by hand — a piece of root can sometimes be left behind and regrow. Removing it while it is still a small rosette, before the taproot deepens, is much easier and more reliable.
Will my normal mustard herbicide control chicory?
The pre-emergence herbicide (pendimethalin) you already use for mustard's other broadleaf weeds also checks chicory seedlings. But since fewer herbicides are officially approved for use in mustard compared to wheat, a timely hand weeding at around 25–30 days after sowing does more of the work here — pull chicory plants while they are still young and the taproot is short.
Symptoms and control measures follow ICAR, KVK and state agricultural-university package-of-practices; any named chemical is a registered use. Always read the product label and confirm the dose for your crop and zone. editorial policy.