Detailed Explanation of Key Points for High-Yield Water Chestnut Cultivation
Water chestnut (pinyin: bí qi, English: water chestnut , scientific name: Eleocharis dulcis), also known as horseshoe, water chestnut, water chestnut, Chinese water chestnut, water chestnut, water chestnut, ground pear, is a species in the Cyperaceae family, genus Eleocharis. It is a shallow-water perennial herb in the Cyperaceae family, genus Eleocharis, with its corms used as a vegetable. The water chestnut has dark purple skin, white flesh, a sweet and juicy taste, and a crisp and pleasant texture, earning it the reputation of “underground snow pear.” People in the north call it “Jiangnan ginseng.” It can be eaten raw as a fruit or cooked as a vegetable, and is a seasonal favorite among the public.
Water chestnut has a sweet and crisp taste and is rich in nutrients, containing protein, fat, crude fiber, carotene, vitamin B, vitamin C, iron, calcium, and carbohydrates. It can be used for cooking and can also be made into starch. The Cantonese snack water chestnut cake is made from the starch called “water chestnut flour” produced from water chestnuts. Its fiber is spherical, easily adsorbs debris, and has a very good function of cleaning the intestinal tract. If eaten raw, the bud eyes and outer skin must be thoroughly removed, otherwise it is easy for Fasciolopsis buski eggs to enter the intestinal tract and become parasitic.
How can water chestnut be cultivated for high yield?
Weeding and protecting seedlings
10 to 12 days after transplanting, pull out weeds in the field, press the exposed root stumps of the previous crop into the mud, and level the field surface. When the seedlings grow in a basin shape, if corms are found exposed, press the corms into the mud by hand. Plants with yellowing leaves and rotting corms should be pulled out as early as possible. From End of Heat to White Dew, in places where seedlings are dense, some thin and weak seedlings can be pulled out to facilitate ventilation and light transmission. Timely topdressing
10 to 12 days after transplanting, combine weeding with topdressing, applying 5 to 7 kg of urea or 200 to 400 kg of human and animal manure per mu. Apply the second fertilizer according to seedling condition; apply less fertilizer when seedlings are strong, and more fertilizer when seedlings are weak. Generally, apply 400 to 800 kg of human and animal manure or 7 to 10 kg of urea per mu. If the plants still have not closed the rows from White Dew to Autumn Equinox, apply another 5 to 7 kg of urea per mu 7 days after the second topdressing. Scientific water management
At transplanting, irrigate the field with a shallow water layer to stabilize the seedlings. After the plants survive, gradually deepen the water layer. During the tillering stage, irrigate to a depth of 2 to 3 cm. From Autumn Equinox to Cold Dew, during the corm enlargement stage, deepen the water layer to 5 to 6 cm. In high-temperature and dry weather, appropriately deepen the water layer, and after heavy rain, drain promptly to the normal depth. Around the Start of Winter, when the corms mature, drain the field water to facilitate harvest. For fields with excessive application of organic fertilizer, overly soft soil, or a high groundwater table, pay attention to drainage and exposing the field so that the soil settles, thereby promoting root growth and corm enlargement. Pest and disease control
The main diseases and pests harming water chestnut are water chestnut blast, yellow dwarf disease, water chestnut borer, and aphids. To control water chestnut blast, spray 600 to 800 times diluted 50% carbendazim solution or 1000 to 1500 times diluted 70% thiophanate-methyl solution at the early stage of disease onset. To control yellow dwarf disease, mainly rely on sprouting and raising seedlings and avoiding bruising the mother plants during transplanting for prevention. To control water chestnut borer, during the peak hatching period to the 3rd instar stage of larvae, spray 1500 times diluted 5% fipronil solution, or use 200 mL of 25% bisultap per mu, or 35 g of 70% monosultap, add 60 kg of water, and spray. When applying pesticide, maintain a 3 cm water layer in the field to prevent connected drainage and connected irrigation. If aphid damage is found, spray 2000 to 2500 times diluted 10% imidacloprid solution for control.