How to cultivate Atractylodes macrocephala for high yield

Atractylodes macrocephala is a herbaceous rhizomatous medicinal plant of the Asteraceae family, with its rhizome used as medicine; it has effects such as strengthening the spleen and boosting qi, resolving dampness and promoting diuresis, calming the fetus, and stopping sweating. It is naturally fond of warmth and coolness, can tolerate low temperatures, and fears high-temperature sunscald, drought, and waterlogging; it is not suitable for growing on saline-alkali land, heavy clay land, or sandy land, and is best cultivated on slightly acidic to alkaline sandy loam on shady slopes with fertile, deep, moist but not waterlogged soil. Atractylodes macrocephala dislikes continuous cropping; the previous crop is best a grass-family crop, and newly opened wasteland can also be planted. It should not be rotated with other crops to prevent disease infection. Its high-yield cultivation techniques are as follows.

I. Sowing and raising seedlings   In early spring, apply 2000 kg of decomposed barnyard manure and 50 kg of cake fertilizer per 667 sq m, then deep-plow, harrow level, and make beds. Between "Qingming" and "Guyu," open sowing furrows with a row spacing of 25 cm, a width of 10 cm, and a depth of 4-5 cm. The furrow bottom should be level, and 30 kg of superphosphate should be applied at the bottom of the furrow. Before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water at 25-30°C for 12 hours, then remove them, put them in a burlap sack, and place them indoors at 25-30°C, rinsing them once each morning and evening with warm water at 25-30°C. After 4-5 days, the seed sprouts begin to germinate; to prevent bacterial infection, they can be soaked for 5 minutes in a 1000-fold dilution of 50% thiophanate-methyl, then dried before sowing. After evenly broadcasting the fine seeds, cover the seeds with plant ash or fine scorched soil ash, and cover with rice straw to keep warm, retain moisture, and block wind. The seeding rate is about 5 kg (1 sq m of seedling bed can supply 7 sq m of field planting); after about 8-10 days when seedlings emerge, remove the straw. After the seedlings are uniform, weed promptly. When the seedlings are 7 cm tall, thin to a spacing of 4-6 cm, remove weak and slender seedlings, and promptly dig drainage ditches. On sunny mornings after the dew on the leaves has dried, use a small hoe to gently weed and loosen the soil. Apply dilute human manure water once about every 20 days, starting light and then becoming stronger. In dry weather, irrigate promptly. After "Shuangjiang," dig up the stem roots, cut off the stems and leaves and fibrous roots, place them in a ventilated indoor spot and spread them out for 3-5 days; after the surface turns white, store them in a dry, ventilated place. First build a storage pool 50 cm high with bricks on the ground, then spread a layer of clean dry river sand 5 cm thick on the ground, then place a layer of rhizomes 15 cm thick, but insert a handful of rice straw in the middle to facilitate ventilation and heat dissipation. Then cover with a layer of fine dry sand, place a layer of rhizomes, and finally cover with a layer of river sand 7-10 cm thick. These rhizomes are called planting stock seedlings.

II. Planting management

(1) Planting. In mid-December of the same year or mid-to-late February of the following year, choose a shady, light-protected spot, and after applying sufficient base fertilizer and deep plowing and fine harrowing, make high beds 1.2 m wide, and dig planting holes at a plant-row spacing of 20×25 cm. Then, select rhizomes that are uniform in size, with plump apical buds, slender tops, tender skin, and uniform size, place one planting stock seedling in each hole with the apical bud facing up. Then cover with soil, press firm, and level off. The seeding rate is about 50 kg per 667 sq m. When planting in winter, cover with plastic film to keep warm, so as to promote early sprouting and early seedling emergence and make the plants grow robustly.

(2) Intertillage and weeding. After seedling emergence, loosen the soil and weed on sunny days after rain once the dew has dried. After the seedlings turn green, keep only one main stem and promptly remove tillers. After the plants close rows in mid-May, only pull weeds without loosening the soil.

(3) Topdressing. The first topdressing is in early April, applying 800 kg of dilute decomposed human manure and urine per 667 sq m. The second topdressing is in late May, applying 1000 kg of human and livestock manure water per 667 sq m. The third is during the underground rhizome expansion period; after removing flower buds in early to mid-July (not removed in seed-production fields), apply 2000 kg of manure water and 100 kg of decomposed cake fertilizer or 50 kg of ternary compound fertilizer per 667 sq m.

III. Pest and disease control   Common diseases of Atractylodes macrocephala include damping-off, southern blight, leaf spot, and rust. Control methods: 1. During the rainy season, dig drainage ditches promptly so that water does not accumulate after rain, and loosen the soil on sunny days to prevent soil compaction. 2. Pull out diseased plants and spread lime for disinfection. 3. Chemical control. In the early stage, irrigate the diseased area with a 1000-fold dilution of 50% carbendazim or 50% thiophanate-methyl, or spray once a week with 1:1:1 Bordeaux mixture for 3-4 consecutive times. The main pests include Atractylodes seed aphids, long-tube aphids, small cutworms, and white grubs. In the early stage, spray the seed worms with a 800-fold dilution of 50% dichlorvos, once every 7 days, for 3-4 consecutive times. For long-tube aphids, spray with a 1000-fold dilution of 40% dimethoate emulsion. For small cutworms and white grubs, drench the roots with a 1000-fold dilution of 75% phoxim emulsion or use poison bait to trap and kill them.

IV. Harvesting and processing   From late October to mid-November, when the stems turn from green to yellow-brown, choose a sunny day to cut the stems and dig up the rhizomes. The dug rhizomes must not be damaged, nor washed with water; after cutting off the fibrous roots and shaking off the soil, sun-dry or oven-dry them to obtain the commercial product. The yield is 800-1000 kg of dry product per 667 sq m.