Detailed Explanation of the Key Points of Standardized Cultivation Techniques for White Peony (Radix Paeoniae Alba)

White peony (Radix Paeoniae Alba) is a bulk medicinal material variety. It is a plant of the Ranunculaceae family, bitter and sour in taste, slightly cold in nature, entering the liver meridian. It nourishes the blood and astringes yin, softens the liver and relieves pain, and calms liver yang. It is used for irregular menstruation, menstrual abdominal pain, flooding and spotting, as well as spontaneous sweating, night sweating and other conditions. The annual demand is about 10,000 tons.

        I. Land Selection and Preparation        Choose loam or sandy loam with good drainage and deep, fertile soil. The previous crop is preferably maize, wheat, beans, sweet potato and other crops. Before planting, fine cultivation is required, with a ploughing depth of 25-30 cm and 1-2 ploughings. Along with ploughing, apply 2500-4000 kg of barnyard manure or compost per mu as base fertilizer, rake level, and make high beds 1.3 m wide. If there is excessive rain or poor drainage, the bed width may be about 1 m, with the ditch between beds 40 cm wide and more than 20 cm deep. In sandy loam, existing young woodlands, orchards, barren hills, sloping land, field edges and roadsides can all be used for cultivation, especially the open spaces on both sides of roads and large and small tourist attractions, mountain villas, farmsteads, etc. After planting white peony, the flowers bloom in a riot of colours and fill the air with fragrance, most enchanting. It not only plays a good role in beautifying the environment but also brings considerable economic benefits, truly achieving two goals at once.         II. Cultivation Techniques        1. Variety selection: In recent years, according to the growth characteristics and use requirements of white peony, the peony has been screened into two major series of strains. (1) Medicinal varieties, which have high yield and relatively good quality; the main varieties are: Pubang and Xiantiao.        2. Bud treatment: White peony generally uses buds as propagation material. Cut the peony buds into several pieces along their natural growth shape, with 2-3 buds per piece and a bud flesh thickness of more than 2 cm. The buds are best planted immediately after cutting. If they cannot be planted in time, they should be stored temporarily. Choose a cool, high, dry and ventilated place, spread moist fine sandy soil on the ground, stack the buds upward, then cover with moist sandy soil for storage. Alternatively, store them in a pit, taking care to drain water when it rains to avoid mildew and rot.        3. Planting time: The most suitable planting time in North China is September-October. In the south and areas with higher temperatures, planting can be done before the ground freezes. If too late, the peony buds have already sent out new roots and are easily broken during planting, affecting the next year's growth.        4. Planting method: First separate the white peony buds by size and plant them separately, so that seedlings emerge uniformly and are easy to manage. For field cultivation, the row and plant spacing is 50×30 cm, with 2800 plants per mu. For cultivation mainly for tourism and ornamental purposes, the cultivation method can be chosen flexibly and reasonably according to the specific layout of the scenic spot. For hole planting, place 1-2 buds per hole, with a planting depth of 4-5 cm being appropriate. Cover with mature soil and apply human excrement, then cover with soil mounded into a steamed-bun shape to aid overwintering. Around early March of the following year, before the peony buds sprout, open up the steamed-bun-shaped soil mound.         III. Field Management        1. Intertillage and loosening the soil: After seedling emergence, carry out intertillage and weeding 2-3 times each year. Intertillage should be shallow to avoid damaging the roots and killing the seedlings. In late October, before the ground freezes, cut off the branches and leaves 7-10 cm above the ground and earth up around the root zone to aid overwintering. In white peony cultivation, the method of "splitting the ridge and exposing the roots" is commonly used, that is, in early May of the second year after planting, gently push aside the soil around the peony plants to let the roots be slightly exposed, air them for 5-7 days, then earth up again around the roots. This can raise the ground temperature and kill insects and sterilize, achieving a yield-increasing effect, but the airing time should not be too long.        2. Topdressing and irrigation/drainage: From the second year onward, topdress 3 times each year. The first time is in late March to early April, applying dilute human excrement. The second time is in late April, applying 500 kg of human excrement per mu. The third time is between October and November, mainly using pen manure, 1500-200 kg per mu. In late March of the third year, apply 750 kg of human excrement per mu, 50 kg of decomposed cake fertilizer, and 25 kg of superphosphate. In late April, apply 1000 kg of human excrement per mu. In November, apply 1500-2000 kg of barnyard manure. In the fourth year, topdress 2 times before harvest. In late March, apply 1000 kg of human excrement per mu, plus 10 kg of ammonium sulfate and 25 kg of superphosphate. In late April, apart from phosphate fertilizer, apply once more according to the above fertilization amounts. Each fertilization should preferably be applied in holes opened on both sides of the plant. Peony prefers dry conditions and fears waterlogging, so irrigation is generally not needed. In case of severe drought, it is suitable to give one thorough watering in the evening. In rainy seasons, clear the ditches and drain water in time to reduce root diseases.       IV. Harvesting and Processing       1. Harvest time: White peony is harvested 3-4 years after planting. As for the harvest season, in Zhejiang it is late June to early July, in Anhui, Sichuan and other places it is in August, and in Shandong it is in September. If too late, the starch in the roots is converted, and after drying the quality is not firm and the texture is light and spongy. Choose a sunny day, cut off the stems and leaves, and dig out the whole roots. Apart from keeping the buds as seed material, cut off the peony roots and process them for medicinal use.        2. Processing method: Separate the peony roots into large and small ones, blanch them in boiling water for 5-15 minutes, stirring frequently during blanching. When the outer skin of the peony roots turns white, has no raw core, and has a fragrance, quickly take them out and soak them in cold water, then immediately remove and scrape off the outer skin, trim both ends evenly, and dry them separately according to thickness. They may also be boiled first after scraping off the outer skin, then sun-dried. Sun-drying peony is an important part of processing. If dried too rapidly, the outside will be dry while the inside remains moist, and the surface will crack, making it prone to mildew and deterioration. Generally, put them out to dry in the morning, shade-dry for 3 hours at noon, put them out to dry again after 3 p.m., and in the evening bring them in and pile them up, covering with gunny bags or straw mats so that the internal moisture of the peony roots seeps out, then put them out to dry again the next day. Repeat this until they are thoroughly dry inside and out, and they are then ready for sale as a commodity. Generally, the commodity yield is 600-700 kg per mu.