Key Technical Points and Experience Summary for Growing Pinellia ternata (Drought Pinellia)

AbstractSite selection: Choose fertile, loose, well-drained sandy soil; it can be planted on gentle slopes, flat land, or in orchards. Propagation methods: corms and bulbils. Management: Apply topdressing in time, do a good job of drainage and irrigation, earthing up, and flower bud removal. Pests and diseases: Prevent and control corm rot, leaf curl disease, aphids, cabbage caterpillars, and other pests and diseases. Harvest: After digging, carry out fermentation, peeling, drying, and other processing steps. Experience: Choose excellent varieties according to the terrain, decide the planting time according to temperature, and select suitable seed-soaking agents.

I. Cultivation Techniques for Drought Pinellia

1. Site Selection and Land Preparation

 (1) Drought Pinellia is a shade-tolerant plant with a short, shallow root system, and it has extremely strict requirements for the land. In the early stage, the soil should be moist; in the later stage, the soil should be dry.

(2) It likes fertile, loose, well-drained neutral sandy soil. Choose a 10-30 degree gentle slope or flat land at high altitude with no pollution sources nearby, or plant it in orchards and woods.

(3) When preparing the land, deep plowing is required. Apply about 2000-3000kg of decomposed farmyard manure per mu, and about 30-50kg of superphosphate, then make beds about 20cm high and 1.2m wide.

2. Propagation Methods

(1) Corm propagation

① Corm propagation should be carried out in a ventilated place in November-December. Select high-quality corms with a diameter of about 1-1.5cm as seed material, and plant them directly in the same year they are dug.

② If you want to store them, first dry them in the sun for 1-2 days, then place them in a cool place for preservation.

(2) Bulbil propagation

① Bulbil propagation should be carried out from late March to early April. Collect the new bulbils growing on the leaf stalks of withered old leaves. Sow about 100-120kg of corms or about 50-60kg of bulbils per mu.

② Grade the corms by size, and plant them separately at a row spacing of 15-20cm, a plant spacing of 1.5cm, and a depth of about 5cm.

③ To make future operations easier, after covering with soil, cover with rice straw or seedless weeds and water appropriately.

3. Field Management

(1) Timely topdressing

① Pinellia likes fertilizer. After seedlings emerge, apply about 1000-2000kg of decomposed organic fertilizer per mu as topdressing.

② After Xiaoman, the rhizomes of Drought Pinellia grow rapidly and require a large amount of fertilizer. At this time, heavily apply manure, cake fertilizer, and urea, and apply about 4000-5000kg per mu of a mixed fertilizer of decomposed barnyard manure and turf ash.

③ At the same time, spread 50kg of crushed and composted peanut bran on the bed surface, and after fertilizing, earth up to prevent loss.

(2) Do a good job of drainage, irrigation, and earthing up

① High temperatures and dry environments can cause Drought Pinellia to wither and turn yellow, and in severe cases even cause seedling collapse. During the growing period, keep the soil moist, cool it appropriately, and drain water in the rainy season to prevent corm rot.

② After the seed bulbils fall to the ground in June, carry out earthing up during the period from Mangzhong to Xiaoshu to promote the growth and development of rhizomes and bulbils.

③ Earthing up twice is enough. After breaking up the soil, spread it on the bed surface to a thickness of 1.5cm, and level it to prevent water accumulation.

(3) Remove flower buds at the right time

Drought Pinellia propagates quickly and is difficult to clear out. When it bolts, remove the flower buds in stages and batches. In particular, the spathe grows rapidly, so remove it as soon as it appears. This reduces consumption by the mother plant, so the corms can accumulate enough nutrients and increase yield.

4. Pest and Disease Control

(1) Corm rot

Corm rot usually occurs in the rainy season and in low-lying waterlogged areas. The main symptoms are corm rot and withered stems and leaves. In the early stage of the disease, pull out the diseased plants in time, pour 5% lime water into the diseased holes, or spread lime powder for control, and pay attention to drainage.

(2) Leaf curl disease

Leaf curl disease is more common in summer and is caused by a virus. After onset, the main symptoms are shrunken and twisted leaves, and stunted deformity. Control methods include eliminating the source of transmission or selecting disease-free plants for seed production.

(3) Aphids

Aphids like to suck the juice from the rhizomes of Drought Pinellia, causing leaves to turn yellow. During the aphid growth period, spray with a 1500-2000 times dilution of 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate, or spray with a 1000-1500 times dilution of menazon (Mieyaling).

(4) Cabbage caterpillars

Cabbage caterpillars mainly bite and eat the leaves of Drought Pinellia, causing notches in the leaves and, in severe cases, eating the entire leaf. Spray with a 1500 times dilution of 90% trichlorfon or a 1000 times dilution of dichlorvos.

5. Harvesting and Processing

(1) Dig at the right time

① The harvest time of Drought Pinellia is very important. Too early or too late will result in insufficient starch content and affect yield.

② Studies show that in autumn, when the temperature is below 13°C and the leaf color of Drought Pinellia turns yellow-green, it is most suitable for harvesting.

③ In the Huang-Huai region, the temperature around the Autumn Equinox is exactly 13°C. In the Yangtze River basin, it should be appropriately delayed according to temperature differences. In Northeast China, where the temperature is lower, dig earlier.

(2) Digging method

At harvest, first loosen the soil so that soil moisture can evaporate quickly. When digging, turn out the entire Drought Pinellia plant with leaves, and pick out the tubers. Pick out the bulbils that fell after seedling collapse before digging. After digging, clean up dead leaves and residual branches in time to prevent pests and diseases.

(3) Processing techniques

① Fermentation: Pile fresh Drought Pinellia tubers for 15-20 days, with the pile height at 50cm, until the outer skin of the Drought Pinellia ferments and slightly rots and falls off with light rubbing.

② Peeling: When the quantity is small, peel by hand. After fermentation, screen and grade, put into containers, wash clean, tread repeatedly or rub and push for 10 minutes, then pour out and screen to remove the peel. If larger tubers still have a “cocoon” at the bottom, you can remove it directly by hand or put them in a bag and rub it off until they become pure white. When the quantity is large, use mechanical peeling.

③ Drying: After peeling, dry in the sun and turn them over. At night, bring them indoors and spread them out to air-dry, then take them out again the next day and sun-dry until completely dry. If the quantity is large, to avoid the effects of climate, you can build a drying room and dry them as they are peeled. After processing, the quality of Drought Pinellia is excellent.

II. Experience in Growing Drought Pinellia   

1. Choose excellent varieties

(1) Drought Pinellia has many leaf types. The bamboo-leaf type and apricot-leaf type are widely distributed and are grown in all regions.

(2) The bamboo-leaf-like type and palm-leaf type are mainly distributed in parts of Guizhou, Jiangxi, and other provinces, and in the Yangtze River basin.

(3) “Narrow Three-Leaf” Pinellia is mainly distributed in the Shandong area. Among excellent varieties, the native “Narrow Three-Leaf” from Heze, Shandong, and Fengxian, Jiangsu, is especially outstanding, with many branches, vigorous growth, large and thick leaves, strong photosynthesis and resistance, early and numerous bulbil formation, and very good yield and quality.

2. Choose the planting time

(1) Choosing the best sowing time can maximize the growth time of Pinellia and thereby improve economic benefits.

(2) The most suitable planting temperature for Drought Pinellia is 5-7°C. In some areas, such as southern regions with no frost or a short frost period, it is suitable to plant in late autumn or winter.

(3) In the Huang-Huai region, it is suitable to plant from Yushui to Jingzhe; in certain areas of the Northwest and Northeast, where temperatures are low, planting should be delayed.

3. Choose seed-soaking agents

(1) In artificial cultivation of Drought Pinellia, treating pests and diseases not only easily leaves pesticide residues but also increases planting costs.

(2) Before sowing, choosing the agent for soaking and dressing seed corms is crucial. Choose high-efficiency, low-toxicity, low-residue fungicides and seed-dressing agents, and use them correctly and reasonably. Avoid arbitrary or excessive application.