Are There Many Varieties of Shepherd's Purse? Detailed Explanation of the Key Points of Domestication and Cultivation Techniques for the Cruciferae Capsella Genus

Shepherd's purse, also called hushengcao, dicai, dimicai, lingzhacai, etc., is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant of the Cruciferae family, Capsella genus. Wild shepherd's purse cannot meet commercial demand, so domesticated cultivation techniques can be used to produce highly commercialized shepherd's purse to meet market demand. So, for plants of the Cruciferae Capsella genus, are there many varieties of shepherd's purse? What are the key points of domestication and cultivation techniques?

I. Varieties of Shepherd's Purse

1. Broad-leaf type shepherd's purse

It resembles small spinach, with leaves growing flat against the ground, a plant spread of up to 18-20 cm, deep cleft notches at the leaf base, smooth leaf surface, relatively green leaf color, and relatively high fresh vegetable yield.

2. Purple-red leaf shepherd's purse

Leaves grow flat against the ground, plant spread is 15-18 cm, leaf shape is between the above two types. Regardless of whether fertilizer and water conditions are good or bad, whether grown on shady or sunny slopes, highland or lowland, the leaves and petioles are purple-red, the leaves have slight fuzz, adaptability is strong, and the taste is good.

3. Hemp-leaf (mosaic-leaf) type shepherd's purse

Leaves grow flat against the ground, plant spread can reach 15-18 cm, leaves are pinnately parted, notches are deep, finely divided like the leaf type of Carduus, green, with a relatively good edible aroma.

II. Planting Time for Shepherd's Purse

1. Artificial cultivation

It can be planted in all three seasons: spring, summer, and autumn;

Spring: sow from late February to late April;

Summer: sow from early July to late August;

Autumn: sow from early September to early October

2. Two-season cultivation is feasible in North China

Spring: sow from early March to late April;

Autumn: from early July to mid-September.

3. Cultivation using plastic tunnels or solar greenhouses

Sow at any time from early October to early February of the following year.

III. Key Points of Domestication and Cultivation Techniques for Shepherd's Purse

1. Variety selection

The varieties currently used were directionally bred by people from wild shepherd's purse, and there are two types: board-leaf shepherd's purse, also called large-leaf shepherd's purse, and scattered-leaf shepherd's purse, also called small-leaf shepherd's purse.

2. Preparing the field plot

For contiguous planting, choose fertile, loose soil with convenient drainage and irrigation, and neutral or slightly acidic soil. In fact, the requirements for soil are not strict, but fertile, loose soil can make shepherd's purse grow vigorously, with tender and plump leaves and good quality. Apply 1000—1500kg of fully decomposed farmyard manure per 667m2 as base fertilizer, rake fine and level, and make beds 2m wide; the bed surface should be raked flat, fine, and soft.

3. Sowing

Sowing period: open-field spring sowing from late February to early April, autumn sowing from late August to early October; protected cultivation spring sowing from mid-February to late May, autumn sowing from mid-August to late November. In order to regulate the market, the sowing periods should be staggered.

For sowing, mix with fine soil and broadcast; sow as evenly as possible. After sowing, press the bed surface firm with your feet so that the seeds combine closely with the soil, maintain soil moisture, so as to help the seeds absorb water as quickly as possible and emerge earlier. The seeds must be old seeds from the previous year, because new seeds of the current year have not yet escaped dormancy. If conditions permit, after sowing, cover the bed surface with straw, wheat straw, shade net, or other mulching materials to retain moisture and help achieve full emergence. If drought occurs before emergence, water appropriately.

4. Management after emergence

After sowing, full emergence can occur in 5—10 days. After emergence, water thoroughly once to help rooting and seedling development. When the seedlings grow to 3—5 leaves, apply 1500kg per 667m2 of light, decomposed manure water as a top dressing. After that, each time you harvest, apply one round of water and fertilizer.

5. Disease and pest control

The main diseases and pests of shepherd's purse include downy mildew, mosaic virus disease, and aphids. Use 75% chlorothalonil 600-fold solution to control downy mildew; use 20% virusin A 600—700-fold solution to control viral disease; use 10% imidacloprid 300-fold solution to control aphids.

6. Harvesting

When the seedlings grow to 10—13 leaves, harvest at the proper time. Each harvest can yield 500kg per 667m2, and the total yield can reach 2500—3000kg. When harvesting, pick the large and leave the small, pick the dense and leave the sparse, pick the strong and leave the weak. Use a small knife as the harvesting tool to dig them out.

7. Seed-production cultivation

For seed-production cultivation of shepherd's purse, a separate seed-production field needs to be established. The seed-production field should choose a plot with high terrain, good drainage, and moderate fertility. The seed-production field is sown from late September to early October, with a seed rate of 1kg, and broadcasting should be uniform. In mid-February, conduct one round of plant selection, remove thin and weak inferior plants and off-type plants that do not conform to the characteristics of this variety, maintain a plant and row spacing of 12cm square, and apply top dressing once. In late March, bolting and budding occur, flowering occurs in late April, and seeds are harvested in early May. Timely harvesting is key; the suitable harvest period is when the seed pods turn from green to yellow and are 70-80% mature. Harvest before 10 a.m. on a sunny day, dry in place for a few hours, then spread film or straw mats in the field, rub out the seeds, winnow clean and air-dry, and absolutely avoid exposure to the sun. Each 667m2 of land can harvest 50kg of seeds; the seeds are orange-red and brightly colored.