What are the control methods for leaf blight in Atractylodes macrocephala?
Just from the name Atractylodes macrocephala, it is hard for us to know what kind of thing it is. In fact, Atractylodes macrocephala is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine. As we all know, traditional Chinese medicine culture has always been deeply rooted in people's hearts in our country, because traditional Chinese medicine does much less harm to the human body when treating diseases, and traditional Chinese medicine can treat the root. Many diseases can only be completely cured through the slow conditioning of traditional Chinese medicine.
Control of leaf blight in Atractylodes macrocephala
It occurs on the leaves. The leaves become iron-black, and in the later stage the center of the diseased spot becomes grayish white, with small black dots forming on it.
Control methods:
① Clean up field sanitation and burn the remaining diseased plants and leaves.
② At the early stage of the disease, spray 1:1:10O Bordeaux mixture or 50% Tuzet 1000-fold solution, once every 7-10 days, for 3-4 times in succession.
What is Atractylodes macrocephala
Atractylodes macrocephala is the dried rhizome of the Asteraceae plant Atractylodes macrocephala. In terms of effects, Atractylodes macrocephala has the functions of strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi, drying dampness and promoting diuresis, stopping sweating, and calming the fetus. It is used for poor appetite due to spleen deficiency, abdominal distension and diarrhea, phlegm-fluid dizziness and palpitations, edema and spontaneous sweating, and restless fetal movement. In terms of shape, commercial Atractylodes macrocephala appears as fist-shaped lumps with irregular tumor-like protrusions. The surface is grayish yellow or grayish brown, with shallow and fine longitudinal wrinkles. The lower part swells on both sides, resembling a ruyi head, commonly known as the “cloud head”. It gradually narrows upward, and the middle part that is enlarged and smooth is customarily called the “Atractylodes macrocephala leg”. In terms of processing, besides being divided by harvesting season into “raw rhizome”, “sun-dried rhizome” and “winter rhizome”, it is also specially processed according to clinical needs. Common examples include stir-fried Atractylodes macrocephala and scorched Atractylodes macrocephala prepared by direct stir-frying, or stir-fried with auxiliary materials such as bran, loess, honey water, ginger juice, rice soup, and alcohol.
The rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala contains volatile oil, about 1.4%. The main components in the oil are atractylone, atractylol, and atractylenolide A and B. It also contains 3-β-acetoxyatractylone, 3-β-hydroxyatractylone, and others. It also contains oxycoumarins, sugars, and resins. Mannan Am-3 has also been isolated from Atractylodes macrocephala.
These components may be somewhat similar to the components of Atractylodes lancea, but the components of Atractylodes lancea are more numerous and a bit more complex. Therefore, when identifying Atractylodes macrocephala, physicochemical identification methods can be used: take 2g of powder, place it in a 100ml stoppered conical flask, add 20ml of ether, shake for 10 minutes, filter, take 10ml of the filtrate and evaporate to dryness, add 10% vanillin sulfuric acid solution, and it appears purple; separately take 1 drop of the filtrate, spot it on filter paper, evaporate to dryness, spray with 1% vanillin sulfuric acid solution, and it appears peach-red. This is to examine the volatile oil.
Effects and functions of Atractylodes macrocephala
The main effects of Atractylodes macrocephala include sedation, vasodilation, anticoagulation, anti-gastric ulcer, liver protection and bile promotion, diuresis, strengthening, immune enhancement, antioxidation, and antibacterial effects. Atractylodes macrocephala is good at strengthening the spleen and drying dampness; the raw form is mostly used to dry dampness and promote diuresis. Atractylodes macrocephala is sweet and bitter, warm, and nontoxic; it secures the exterior, stops sweating, and helps digest the five grains. It treats restless fetal movement and phlegm-dampness, and can be taken for diarrhea due to spleen deficiency.
1. Sedative effect: the essential oil of Atractylodes macrocephala has a sedative effect.
2. Vasodilation: Atractylodes macrocephala has a vasodilatory effect and shows an inhibitory effect on the heart.
3. Anticoagulation: daily gavage of the decoction in rats can significantly prolong clotting time. It has a clear blood sugar-lowering effect.
4. Anti-gastric ulcer: Atractylodes macrocephala can inhibit gastric juice secretion in pylorus-ligated mice and has a preventive effect on gastric mucosal injury.
5. Liver protection and bile promotion: Atractylodes macrocephala can inhibit the increase in serum AST, ALT, and LDH in mice caused by carbon tetrachloride.
6. Diuretic effect: Atractylodes macrocephala can promote the excretion of electrolytes, perhaps because it inhibits reabsorption in the renal tubules.
7. Strengthening effect: it can increase body weight gain, muscle strength, and swimming endurance in mice.
8. Immune enhancement: Atractylodes macrocephala can increase the phagocytic function of the reticuloendothelial system and increase lymphocytes and immunoglobulins.
9. Antioxidant effect: Atractylodes macrocephala can reduce lipid peroxidation and enhance the body's ability to remove free radicals.
10. Antibacterial effect: Atractylodes macrocephala has an inhibitory effect on Epidermophyton floccosum, Nocardia asteroides, and meningococcus.
11. Antitumor: Atractylodes macrocephala has an inhibitory effect on mouse sarcoma S180, Ehrlich ascites carcinoma, and lymphosarcoma.
Cultivation techniques for Atractylodes macrocephala
1. Land selection and land preparation
For flat land, choose uncultivated wasteland or sandy loam where crops have not been planted for more than 3 years; for mountainous land, choose sandy soil with deep soil layers and no or few root weeds, and the slope of the land should not be too large; clay land or heavily alkaline land cannot be planted. Apply 3000 kg of farmyard manure or soil-mixed manure per mu as base fertilizer. If there is no or little farmyard manure, potassium sulfate-type compound fertilizer (chlorine-containing fertilizer must not be used) 80 kg + superphosphate 50 kg can be applied. If there are underground pests in the soil, pesticide for killing insects should also be applied before plowing; after fertilizing, plow the soil 20 cm deep, harrow it fine, and level it, then make beds 1-1.2 m wide.
2. Seed treatment
Carefully remove all debris from the seeds, then use thiophanate-methyl + carbendazim + avermectin, each at 1000-fold solution (that is, 100 jin of water plus 1 liang of medicine), prepare the above three medicines into an aqueous solution, soak the Atractylodes macrocephala seeds in the medicinal solution for 36 hours, then take them out and dry them in the shade (until the outer skin is dry) before sowing.
3. Field management
When about 80% of the seedlings have emerged, remove the covering grass. When the seedlings are 10-15 cm tall, shallowly loosen the soil once together with weeding, and at the same time thin the seedlings to a spacing of 3-4 cm (it should not be done after rain or when dew has not dried). In dry weather, water frequently with a small amount of water. After thinning, apply 25 kg of urea per mu; in June-July, during the mid-growth period, apply 20 kg of urea + 20 kg of potassium sulfate compound fertilizer per mu; in August-September, apply another 30 kg of potassium sulfate compound fertilizer. Water immediately after each fertilization.
Although many people do not know much about Atractylodes macrocephala, this is actually quite normal. In our country, there may be thousands upon thousands of kinds of traditional Chinese medicines, and even professional traditional Chinese medicine doctors may have some they do not recognize or have never seen. But the cultivation of traditional Chinese medicine is indeed a project with very good development prospects, because the market demand for traditional Chinese medicine in our country has always been relatively stable.