How to Grow Mustard Tuber (Zha Cai) for High Yield? Latest Cultivation Methods Shared
Although most of the zha cai (mustard tuber) circulating on the market is processed, the pre-processing product must go through careful cultivation and management to make the quality of the processed product better. Zha cai is one of the three major pickled vegetables in China and is very popular in China. It can be used as an ingredient in stir-fried dishes, added to noodles for seasoning, and so on. However, many people cannot achieve the ideal yield when growing it, so the editor has brought you the high-yield cultivation techniques for zha cai. Let's take a look below!
1. Select Good Varieties
Zha cai is processed from the tuber of shepherd's purse (Brassica juncea var. tumida), so the shepherd's purse tuber is also called zha cai. When selecting seeds, it should be decided according to the climate conditions, soil conditions and rainfall conditions of the growing area. The first-choice target is to use shepherd's purse tuber stems that are thick and large, with fresh and plump flesh, as good seeds. At present, the highest-quality and higher-yielding zha cai is the most famous one from Fuling, Sichuan. Zha cai is a vegetable that reproduces by cross-pollination and cross-fertilization. Without artificial interference, the cross-pollination rate can reach 50 percent. It will not only cross with varieties of the same kind, but also cross-pollinate with other cruciferous crops, so generally after about three years of cultivation a variety is no longer suitable for planting, because it will affect its quality and yield.
2. Raise Seedlings at the Right Time
When cultivating zha cai, you must grasp the exact time for raising seedlings. The time of raising seedlings determines the final yield at harvest and other issues. Too late will lead to insufficient germination, an unsuitable growth speed of zha cai, and will affect the harvest progress. Too early will lead to early germination, starting formal germination and growth before transplanting, with insufficient nutrient supply in the early stage of germination, ultimately leading to poor quality and affecting its commercial value. Seedlings should be raised one month before transplanting. The seedbed is the key factor in raising seedlings. The seedbed should be chosen in a place with deep soil layers, relatively loose soil, rich organic matter, and a good drainage and irrigation system. Make the field beds well, and plow the soil deep and expose it to the sun until it turns white.
3. Transplant in Time
The transplanting time also needs to be fixed at a certain time. Usually the transplanting time is after Light Snow (Xiaoxue), and after the late rice is harvested, the paddy field is plowed and turned, and field beds about 1 m wide are made. No more than two rows may be planted in each field bed, the distance between each row should be at least about 30 cm, and the distance between each plant should also not exceed 30 cm. According to this planting density, about 3800-4200 plants can be planted per mu. When transplanting, note that the seedlings should be transplanted together with the soil and roots to prevent the stems and leaves from being injured, and to prevent roots from being broken or bent. After successful transplanting, water promptly.
⟦NL>4. Field Management
After planting, water at least twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, in order to increase the survival rate of the seedlings. After they survive, fertilizer should be applied frequently, but the principle of frequent application in small amounts should be maintained. Generally, water-soluble fertilizer is applied once about every ten days, and the concentration is proportional to the growth speed of the seedlings. After the Beginning of Spring (Lichun), the temperature rises, and the growth speed of zha cai gradually accelerates. At this time, attention should be paid to fertilizing to promote the formation of the zha cai tumor. In the later stage, attention should be paid to the application of quick-acting fertilizer. This is to prevent fertilizer deficiency from causing zha cai to bolt, which leads to nutrients not being concentrated, increases the water content, increases the hollow heart rate, and results in poor quality.
The above four points are about the high-yield cultivation techniques for zha cai. In fact, growing zha cai is similar to growing shepherd's purse. Shepherd's purse is grown for its stems and leaves, while zha cai is grown for its tuber. The quality of the processed zha cai product is closely related to cultivation and management techniques. Poor quality of the processed product will cause its reputation to worsen and sales to decline, thereby affecting the planting yield of zha cai, and invisibly forming a circular chain. Therefore, I hope everyone will still have correct cultivation and management techniques to improve the quality of zha cai.