Control methods for the three common diseases of Angelica sinensis

I think everyone is fairly familiar with Angelica sinensis. It is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine in our country, and it has very good regulating effects on many aspects of the human body. Especially when taken by women, it has very good effects on nourishing and harmonizing the blood, and on regulating menstruation and relieving pain. However, everyone may not know much about its cultivation. Now let us take a look together!

What is Angelica sinensis

Angelica sinensis (scientific name: Angelica sinensis), with the aliases Gan Gui, Qin Na, Xi Danggui, Min Danggui, Jin Danggui, Danggui Shen, Han Gui Wei, Danggui Qu, and Tu Danggui, is a perennial herb, 0.4-1 m tall. The flowering period is June-July, and the fruiting period is July-September. China introduced European angelica from Europe in 1957. It is mainly produced in southeastern Gansu, with Min County having the largest output and the best quality, followed by Yunnan, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Hubei and other provinces, all of which are cultivated. Some provinces and regions in China have also introduced and cultivated it. Its root can be used as medicine and is one of the most commonly used traditional Chinese medicines. It has the effects of nourishing and harmonizing the blood, regulating menstruation and relieving pain, moistening dryness and promoting bowel movement, anti-cancer, anti-aging, and immune support.

Morphological characteristics of Angelica sinensis

Perennial herb, 0.4-1 m tall. Root cylindrical, branched, with many fleshy fibrous roots, yellow-brown, with a rich aroma. Stem erect, green-white or purplish, with deep longitudinal grooves, smooth and hairless. Leaves ternate, bipinnate to tripinnate; petiole 3-11 cm long, base enlarged into a tubular membranous sheath, purple or green; basal leaves and lower stem leaves ovate in outline, 8-18 cm long, 15-20 cm wide, with 3 pairs of leaflets; the lower pair of leaflets has a petiolule 0.5-1.5 cm long, the pair near the apex is sessile; terminal lobes ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 1-2 cm long, 5-15 mm wide, 2-3 shallowly lobed, margins with incised serrations, tooth tips pointed; lower leaf surface and margins sparsely covered with papillate white fine hairs; upper stem leaves reduced to bladder-like sheaths and pinnately divided blades. The inflorescence of Angelica sinensis is a compound umbel; peduncle 4-7 cm long, densely covered with fine soft hairs; rays 9-30; involucral bracts 2, linear, or absent; umbellules with 13-36 flowers; involucels 2-4, linear; flowers white, pedicels densely covered with fine soft hairs; calyx teeth 5, ovate; petals long ovate, apex narrowly pointed, inflexed; styles short, stylopodium conical. Flowering period June-July. The fruit of Angelica sinensis is elliptic to ovate, 4-6 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, dorsal ribs linear, raised, lateral ribs forming broad and thin wings, equal to or slightly wider than the fruit body, wing margins pale purple, with 1 oil tube in the rib valleys and 2 oil tubes on the commissure. Fruiting period July-September.

The three common diseases of Angelica sinensis

1. Angelica sinensis root rot

1. Symptoms. Aboveground leaves turn brown to withered yellow, soften and droop; roots initially turn brown, then rot and become black and water-soaked, and finally the whole plant dies.

2. Disease occurrence pattern. The pathogen overwinters in the soil or on Angelica sinensis seedlings. The disease begins in early May, causes severe damage in June, and continues until harvest.

3. Control measures. 

(1) Choose sandy soil with good drainage and strong water permeability as the cultivation site. Plant on high ridges, and avoid continuous cropping.

(2) Soil disinfection. Before transplanting, evenly spray 200 times 65% mancozeb per mu.

(3) Select healthy, disease-free seedlings for transplanting. Before transplanting, soak them in 1:1:150 Bordeaux mixture for 10-15 minutes, then dry and plant. Alternatively, when raising seedlings, mix carbendazim or thiophanate-methyl at 0.3%-0.5% of seed weight for seed treatment.

(4) Promptly pull out diseased plants and burn them in a centralized manner. Apply a pinch of lime powder to the diseased holes, and thoroughly spray the diseased area with 50% quintozene 600-1000 times solution or 50% thiophanate-methyl 800-1000 times solution to prevent spread.

2. Angelica sinensis rough-bark disease

1. Symptoms. It mainly occurs on the roots. After onset, yellow-brown longitudinal cracks appear on the root epidermis, forming numerous lesions, and the internal tissue becomes spongy and lignified.

2. Cause. The main pathogenic cause is fungi dominated by Fusarium, which invade through wounds or by attaching to the mouthparts of animals. Underground pests and wounds formed by human and mechanical injury are conducive to pathogen infection. Underground pests carrying pathogens participate in the damage, thereby further leading to more severe occurrence of the disease.

3. Control measures.

(1) Choose black soil or plots with few underground pests for planting.

(2) For seedbeds and transplanting sites, use 0.5 kg of 50% phoxim emulsion per mu, add 2.5 kg of water, spray onto 15 kg of fine soil, broadcast, turn into the soil, and rake level.

(3) Practice reasonable crop rotation and deep plowing. Generally rotate with wheat, beans, potato, flax, and rapeseed. Where rotation is not possible, deep plow the land to about 20 cm.

(4) Minimize root wounds to Angelica sinensis during seedling raising, lifting, and cultivation management to avoid microbial invasion.

(5) Regularly drench the roots with broad-spectrum, long-lasting insecticides and fungicides. Use 250 g of 40% carbendazim suspension or 600 g of thiophanate-methyl per mu, add 150 kg of water, and pour 50 g of the diluted solution per plant, once in early May and once in mid-June.

3. Angelica sinensis rust

1. Symptoms. It damages Angelica sinensis leaves. Uredinia are scattered or clustered on the underside of leaves, exposed, brown. Telia form on both sides of leaves, exposed, black.

2. Disease occurrence pattern. The pathogen overwinters latent on diseased remnant branches, leaves, and rhizomes. The following year it infects newly emerging leaves. Urediniospores are spread by wind, rain, and seedlings, and can cause repeated infection multiple times. Under conditions of 18°C-22°C and 75%-80% relative humidity, it spreads rapidly.

3. Control measures.

(1) After harvest, collect and burn diseased plant residues and leaves to reduce overwintering inoculum.

(2) After digging out diseased plants, spray 1:1:200 Bordeaux mixture once every 7-10 days, for 2-3 consecutive times.

(3) In the early stage of disease, spray 0.2 degree Baumé lime sulfur mixture. Once every 7 days, for 2-3 consecutive times.

New cultivation techniques for Angelica sinensis  

The production cycle of Angelica sinensis is generally 3 years. In the first year, seeds are used for seedling raising; in the second year, Angelica sinensis seedlings are used for cultivation, and the medicinal roots can be dug in that same year; in the third year, it flowers and sets seed, producing seeds. Therefore, when digging the medicinal roots in the second year, leave a portion to provide seeds for the next year's Angelica sinensis seedling raising.  

1. Site selection: choose cool, slightly acidic, well-drained, fertile, loose, slightly red sandy loam soil; it is not suitable for growing on black soil with high water content. When selecting a site, wheat is best, followed by beans, potatoes, and other preceding crops, but continuous cropping must be avoided.  

2. Seedling selection: excellent seedlings are those with a relatively large head and no damage, uniform and long, not lignified and relatively tender, with white cortex at the tail.  

3. Fertilizer preparation: apply 3000 kg/mu of farmyard manure, plus 36 kg/mu of diammonium phosphate, 16 kg/mu of urea, and 50 kg/mu of phosphate fertilizer as base fertilizer. Oil cakes after oil pressing can be applied in the autumn of the year before cultivation along with plowing.  

4. Planting: before planting, first level the plowed land and break up clods. When planting, use a shovel to dig planting holes, with a plant-row spacing of 25 cm x 30 cm, bury the soil and press firmly by hand, then cover with soil. The soil cover must not be too deep; covering the seedling by 5 cm is best. After covering with soil, pat the soil firm with a small shovel.  

5. Management: 20 days after emergence, begin weeding. During the seedling stage, weed 3-5 times. After entering the rapid growth period, also loosen the soil and weed. At the time of the second weeding, apply 4 kg/mu of urea along with weeding. In mid-June, during moderate rain, apply 8 kg/mu of urea or ammonium nitrate. From late June to early July, root fertilization can be carried out: about 8 cm away from the Angelica sinensis seedlings, use a small shovel to dig a 5 cm deep furrow, apply a mixture of diammonium phosphate (12 kg/mu) and urea (6 kg/mu), then cover with soil. In July, foliar fertilization can be carried out by spraying potassium dihydrogen phosphate, gibberellin, auxin, etc. After the Beginning of Autumn, during moderate rain, apply 8 kg/mu of urea. In late July, 300 mL of PP333 can be sprayed. Common diseases include powdery mildew, and the main pest is the seed maggot.

In the process of cultivating Angelica sinensis, what we fear most is the invasion of insect pests. In fact, this is true not only for Angelica sinensis but for any cultivation industry. The prevention and treatment of diseases are very important. Only by mastering certain prevention methods and treatments can we greatly increase the product, or greater profits.