Cultivation and Planting Techniques and Management Methods for Chuanxiong (Szechuan Lovage)

Chuanxiong, also known as Fuxiong or small-leaf Chuanxiong, is an authentic medicinal herb of Sichuan. It is mainly produced in Xindu District of Chengdu, Shiyang Town of Dujiangyan, Aoping Town of Pengzhou, Liaojia Town of Chongzhou, Huayuan Town of Pixian, and Shifang, among other places. Chuanxiong has very high requirements for natural conditions; apart from the above areas, other places are not suitable for developing Chuanxiong.

Chuanxiong prefers a mild climate, abundant rainfall, sufficient sunshine, and a relatively humid environment. However, during the ling-zi seed cultivation stage and storage period, it requires cool climatic conditions. The growth period is 280-290 days. In flat plain areas, it is advisable to choose sandy loam soil with deep soil layers, loose and fertile texture, good drainage, rich organic matter content, and neutral or slightly acidic pH. It prefers organic fertilizer; on the basis of applying ordinary farmyard manure, adding nitrogen fertilizer can significantly increase yield, and combined application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers can further increase yield.

Chuanxiong adopts asexual reproduction. The propagation material of Chuanxiong is the aboveground stem nodes, commonly known as “ling-zi” or “xiong ling-zi”. In the main production area of Sichuan, mountain areas at an altitude of 900-1500 m are mostly chosen to specially cultivate “ling-zi” for planting in flat land or hilly land.

Ling-zi Seed Cultivation

Site Selection and Land Preparation: Choose cool-climate high mountain sunny slopes, or virgin land or clay loam on low mountain semi-shaded and semi-sunny slopes. Before planting, remove weeds thoroughly, clear and burn the land, loosen the soil to 30 cm deep, and then make beds 1.5 m wide.

Propagating Ling-zi: From late December to early February of the following year, dig up Chuanxiong from the dam areas, remove fibrous roots and soil, and the result is called “Fuxiong”. Then transport them to mountain areas above 1000 m in altitude to cultivate “ling-zi”.

Before the Beginning of Spring, level and rake the bed surface finely, and plant Fuxiong by grading into large, medium, and small sizes. Dig holes at row and plant spacings of 30×30 cm, 25×25 cm, and 20×20 cm respectively, with a hole depth of 6-7 cm. Plant 1 large Fuxiong per hole, or 2 small ones, with the bud opening facing upward, plant firmly and press down, then apply compost or liquid manure, and cover with soil to fill the hole surface evenly.

Tending and Management: Seedlings emerge in early March. After the seedlings are fully established, carry out 1 intertillage and weeding, and combine with thinning; first scrape away the soil to expose the top of the rhizome, select and retain 8-10 evenly thick and robust stems, and pull out all the rest. From late March to the end of April, carry out intertillage and weeding once each, and shallow hoeing is advisable during intertillage to avoid damaging the roots. Combine intertillage and weeding with 1 topdressing of organic fertilizer, applying 2500 kg of human and livestock manure water and 100 kg of rapeseed cake per mu each time.

Harvesting Ling-zi: In mid-to-late July, when the stem node disks are noticeably enlarged, slightly purple, and the stems are flower-red, harvest on a cloudy day or a sunny morning. After digging, remove rotting plants, select and retain healthy plants, remove the leaves, and cut off the rhizomes, which are called “mountain Chuanxiong” and can also be used medicinally. Then, bundle the harvested stems into small bundles and transport them to cool mountain caves for storage as propagation material.

Ling-zi Storage: Ling-zi is stored in mountain caves or cool indoor rooms. When storing, first spread a layer of thatch on the ground, stack the stems crosswise on it, and then cover well with thatch. Turn them over once every 7-10 days. Take them out before the Beginning of Autumn, cut them into short sections 3-4 cm long according to node size, and each section must retain 1 node disk in the middle, thus forming “ling-zi”. Every 100 kg of “Fuxiong” can produce 200-250 kg of “ling-zi”. Then, carry out individual selection and grading, and plant them separately.

Planting Techniques

Site Selection and Land Preparation: For cultivating propagation material in mountain areas, after selecting the site, remove weeds thoroughly, burn ash on site as base fertilizer, plow about 25 cm deep, rake finely and level, and make beds 1.7-1.8 m wide according to terrain and drainage conditions. For cultivation in flat plain areas, the previous crop is mostly early rice (the best preceding crop for early rice is green manure such as vetch and Chinese milk vetch); after harvesting, remove the rice stubble, open ditches and make beds, with a bed width of about 1.6 m, a ditch width of 33 cm, and a depth of about 25 cm, and loosen the topsoil and shape it into a fish-back form. It is best to first broadcast compost or barnyard manure on the bed surface, and mix it evenly with the topsoil when digging.

Timely Planting: Carry out around the Beginning of Autumn, and no later than the end of August. If too early, seedlings are likely to wither under the influence of high temperatures; if too late, the temperature has already dropped, which is unfavorable for rhizome growth. Planting should be carried out on sunny days, and it is best to finish planting on the same day. Before planting, remove all ling-zi that have no buds or damaged buds, whose stem nodes have been bitten by insects, or whose node disks carry insects or whose buds have already sprouted. Then, plant by grading according to ling-zi size. When planting, open shallow horizontal ditches on the bed surface, with a row spacing of 30-40 cm and a depth of about 3 cm. Then, at a plant spacing of 17-20 cm, place the ling-zi diagonally into the ditch, gently press the bud tip upward and to the side, and do not plant too deep or too shallow; half exposed on the soil surface is sufficient. At the same time, also plant 2 ling-zi at each end between rows, and plant 1 more

row of ling-zi every 10 rows for use in replanting. After planting, cover the node disks of the ling-zi with fine soil manure or a mixture of burned soil ash and compost. Finally, cover the bed surface with 1 layer of rice straw to avoid direct sunlight and rain erosion. Use 30-40 kg of ling-zi per mu. Sichuan medicinal farmers mostly use a special planting tool called “pu pa zi” for planting, which is fast and of good quality.