Asexual Propagation Methods and Cultivation Management Techniques for Chuanxiong

Propagation method: Use asexual propagation. Sichuan Chuanxiong planted in flatland (i.e., level ground) is called flatland Chuanxiong and is the main source for medicinal use. That planted in mountainous areas is called mountain Chuanxiong and serves as propagation material for flatland Chuanxiong.

1. Site selection and land preparation For propagating mountain Chuanxiong in mountainous areas, choose wasteland on a sunny slope or semi-sunny slope, clear all weeds, burn them on-site into ash for fertilizer, plow deeply 25-30 cm, rake level, and make raised beds 1.7 m wide. The preceding crop for flatland Chuanxiong cultivation is mostly early rice. After the early rice grains fill, drain the paddy field, and after harvest plow about 25 cm deep, apply 2500-3000 kg of compost per 667 sq m, make beds 1.6 m wide, loosen and finely break up the topsoil, and shape the bed surface into a turtle-back form.

2. Propagation material Use the stem nodes of the above-ground stem with internodes, commonly called “lingzi”.

(1) Cultivating lingzi in mountainous areas In early February, dig up flatland Chuanxiong, called “fuxiong”, remove fibrous roots and soil, transport to mountainous areas, and transplant in mountain land above 1000 m elevation. With row spacing and plant spacing of 24-27 cm square, dig holes about 7 cm deep, apply compost in the holes, plant 1 fuxiong per hole, or 2 if small, with buds facing upward, cover with soil and press firm. Use 150-250 kg of fuxiong per 667 sq m. Seedlings emerge in early March. When seedlings are 10-13 cm tall, thin the plants, selecting 8-12 robust above-ground stems, and cut off the rest from the base. After thinning, cultivate and weed. In mid-April apply a topdressing once, using a mixture of livestock manure water and decomposed cake fertilizer poured into the holes. Mid-to-late July is the suitable harvest period. Dig up the whole plant, remove insect-damaged stems, remove leaves, cut off the rhizome (dried for medicinal use), tie into small bundles, place indoors or in a cool mountain cave, with a layer of thatch above and below, turn once a week, store until early August, then take out, cut the stems into short sections 3-4 cm long with one node disc in the middle, which become the lingzi used for propagation, serving as propagation material for flatland cultivation.

(2) Cultivating lingzi in flatland In March, dig up fuxiong and plant on the spot; management is basically the same as cultivating lingzi in mountainous areas. Harvest in early July, tie the stems into small bundles, store in a low-temperature dry cellar, and plant after 20-30 days.

(3) Planting Mid-August is the suitable planting period. When planting, open shallow furrows across the bed. Shallow planting is the key to high yield. Row spacing 30 cm, furrow depth 2-3 cm, plant 8 lingzi per row, plant spacing about 20 cm. Plant 2 lingzi at each end between rows, and every 6-10 rows plant 1 dense row of lingzi between rows for filling gaps. When planting, place lingzi flat in the furrow, press into the soil with buds upward, so that they are in close contact with the soil, with some node discs exposed above the soil surface. After planting, cover with compost or soil manure, then cover with rice straw.

Cultivation management: If there is continuous clear weather without rain after planting, irrigate to keep the soil moist. After about 15 days, when seedlings have all emerged, remove the covering straw. Thereafter, cultivate and weed once every 15-20 days, loosening the surface soil shallowly to avoid damaging roots, and fill gaps where seedlings are missing. After the first 3 cultivations and weedings, apply topdressing once each time. The first time apply 1500-2000 kg of dilute human and livestock manure water; the second and third times use a higher concentration and add some compost and cake fertilizer. In winter, cut off withered yellow stems and leaves, weed and loosen the soil, and cover Chuanxiong with a thin layer of topsoil to protect the rhizome through winter. In late February of the following spring, stems generally bolt. As temperature rises, stems and leaves grow rapidly, and in early March apply dilute human and livestock manure water once as topdressing.