Complete Guide to Crop Cultivation Techniques and Key Points of Field Management
General crop cultivation includes several aspects such as land selection and preparation, fertilization, sowing, field management, and harvesting. Field management is the most critical aspect, including intertillage and soil loosening, weeding, fertilization, watering, and disease prevention.
The following uses buckwheat as an example to introduce crop cultivation techniques:
1. Land preparation
Buckwheat is not strict about soil conditions; it can be planted in sandy loam, light loam, acidic soil, slightly alkaline soil, and newly reclaimed land. Before sowing, deep plowing and fine harrowing are required to make the soil loose.
2. Fertilization
Buckwheat is a crop with relatively high fertilizer requirements. For every 100 kg of buckwheat produced, it needs to absorb 3.3 kg of nitrogen, 1.5 kg of phosphorus pentoxide, and 4.3 kg of potassium oxide. In addition, research shows that the buckwheat root system has a strong ability to absorb phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, and has a special ability to utilize especially insoluble phosphate fertilizer. Applying phosphorus and potassium fertilizers can significantly increase buckwheat yield; nitrogen fertilizer should not be applied excessively, otherwise it is prone to lodging. The base fertilizer is mainly farmyard manure, phosphate fertilizer, and plant ash, with appropriate topdressing during the growing period.
3. Sowing
Before sowing, select large and plump seeds and sun-dry them to promote after-ripening and improve germination vigor and germination rate. The sowing rate is 2-4 kg per mu, and the sowing period can continue until mid-to-late July. Sowing methods include broadcasting, dibbling, and drilling, with drilling being preferable; the row spacing is 35-50 cm, and the sowing depth is 3-4 cm. When the soil is dry, it can be deepened to 5-6 cm.
4. Management
After sowing, press the soil according to soil moisture conditions. After emergence, hoe the soil to eliminate weeds and prevent water evaporation. Before flowering, carry out the second intertillage together with earthing up and topdressing.
5. Harvest
Buckwheat has a very long flowering period, and the seeds mature very unevenly, and the grains are easy to shatter, so harvesting at the right time is very important; generally, when two-thirds of the fruits on most plants have turned brown, it is the suitable harvest period. The harvest time is best chosen in the morning when the dew has not yet dried, and care should be taken to cut and place them gently to reduce grain loss. If frost damage or windy weather occurs before harvest, harvesting should be rushed.