How to treat asparagus seeds? A detailed guide to the latest methods
In asparagus cultivation, whether direct sowing or seedling transplanting, strict seed treatment must be carried out before sowing. Do you know what the methods for treating asparagus seeds before planting are? Below, the editor will introduce the methods for treating asparagus seeds before planting!
Methods for treating asparagus seeds before planting
First, place the dry seeds in hot water at 55-58 degrees Celsius to soak, killing pathogens inside and on the surface of the seeds. When soaking, after the seeds are put into the hot water, the water temperature should be kept at 54-56 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes, stirring the seeds regularly. When the temperature drops to 54 degrees Celsius, promptly add hot water above 70 degrees Celsius to raise it back to 56 degrees Celsius. After soaking for 20 minutes, immediately pour out the hot water, add cold water at around 25 degrees Celsius to cool down, then rub and wash the seeds with your hands for 10-15 seconds, and then replace with clean water to soak the seeds.
The amount of water for soaking asparagus seeds should be more than 5 cm above the seeds, and the clean water should be changed once each morning and evening. Each time the water is changed, rub and wash the seeds with your hands to wash off the sticky substance on the seed surface, with the rubbing force becoming lighter each time.
After soaking for 72 hours at room temperature of 20-25 degrees Celsius, drain off the water, place in a clean basin or tray, cover with a wet cloth, and keep at 25-28 degrees Celsius for 24 hours to promote germination, after which they can be sown. At this point, a few seeds can be seen to have cracked and shown white. Some reports say to promote germination for 48 hours or longer, sowing after the seeds grow radicles. Doing so makes it easy to damage the radicles during actual operation.
Why asparagus seeds need treatment
As long as the soaking time is sufficient and the water temperature is kept at 20-25 degrees Celsius during soaking, after 3 days of soaking, seedlings can begin to emerge about 10 days after sowing. Some people worry that soaking seeds in hot water at 55 degrees Celsius will affect seed germination. Comparative test results show that seeds treated with hot water at 55 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes can increase the germination rate and germination vigor of the seeds, and can effectively kill the pathogens carried by the seeds. It is an effective measure to prevent stem blight and other diseases spread through seeds.
Points to note when treating asparagus seeds
1. The water temperature for the soaking treatment must be accurately controlled. The rough method of mixing three parts boiling water with one part cold water cannot replace the method of measuring with a thermometer. The water temperature before the seeds are put in is required to reach 57-58 degrees Celsius, and after the seeds are put in it can drop to about 55 degrees Celsius.
2. The duration of soaking at 54-56 degrees Celsius must not be less than 20 minutes.
3. After the soaking treatment ends, immediately pour in hot water and add cold water to cool down. If there is no thermometer to measure the water temperature or the relevant conditions are lacking and hot water seed soaking cannot be carried out, first soak in cold water for 48 hours, then switch to a 1:500 dilution of 50% carbendazim aqueous solution and soak for 24 hours. During soaking, the medicinal solution must be 2-3 cm above the seeds. After soaking ends, drain off the medicinal solution and sow. To prevent the seeds from sticking to fingers and clumping together due to moisture during spot sowing, a little dry fine soil or coal ash can be mixed with the seeds to absorb surface moisture and keep the seeds separated.
Seedling-raising techniques for asparagus seeds
1. Choosing excellent varieties is the foundation of growing asparagus well. Excellent asparagus varieties such as Grande, Champion, Shuofeng, Asparagus Prince, and Emperor can be selected.
2. Seed treatment: soaking and germination promotion must be carried out before sowing. Before soaking, first rinse the seeds with clean water to float off shriveled seeds, then soak in warm water for 2-3 days, changing the water twice a day. After the seeds have fully absorbed water, pour off the water, cover with a washed towel to promote germination, and rinse with clean water twice a day to carefully prevent the seeds from suffocating. Sow once more than 10% of the seeds have shown white.
3. Sowing: before sowing, irrigate the beds with sufficient soil moisture, draw lines at a plant and row spacing of 10 cm, spot-sow single seeds within the squares, and cover with 2 cm of sieved fine soil. In summer, scatter a layer of wheat straw or green grass to preserve moisture and provide shade. Once the aboveground stems grow to 30 cm or more than three have grown, they can be transplanted. Depending on conditions, raising seedlings in nutritional pots is best.
① Before land preparation, spray 45% Shenaning + 50% Menglong, at 3-10 kg per mu. Spray the ground surface and then water, which can disinfect the soil and prevent root rot and damping-off.
② After sowing, scatter a small amount of bait on the ground surface, such as phoxim granules mixed with wheat bran, rice husks, etc., or spread 2 kg of Bairi Zhuisha, to prevent damage from underground pests such as cutworms and mole crickets.
4. Points to note: March to September each year is the time for raising asparagus seedlings. March to May is spring seedling raising, June to July is summer seedling raising, and August to September is autumn seedling raising. For overwintering seedlings, water thoroughly once before freezing, and set up small arched sheds at the end of October to extend the growth time of the seedlings; a layer of farmyard manure or wheat straw can also be scattered over open-field seedlings to help the seedlings overwinter safely.