What are the latest key points of field management techniques for Coptis chinensis?

Coptis chinensis is a valuable Chinese medicinal herb. With the growing market demand, the scale of artificial cultivation has been continuously expanding, and it is now mainly distributed in Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei and other places in China. If Coptis chinensis is to achieve high yield, field management is the key. So how should we carry out field management? Let us learn about it together below.

1. Seedling stage management

After sowing Coptis chinensis, we should promptly remove the plastic film or straw covering the upper layer of the soil, so as not to affect the growth of Coptis chinensis seedlings. During this period, we should observe the soil moisture in the field and water reasonably to promote seedling growth. When the seedlings grow two or three true leaves, thinning should begin. In addition, we should set up a shade shed before the Coptis chinensis seedlings emerge, so as to prevent excessive light intensity after emergence from scorching the seedlings.

2. Replanting and planting out

Generally, when Coptis chinensis seedlings have grown to about eight to fifteen cm, we should begin the work of thinning, transplanting and replanting, which simply means planting out. When transplanting, we should first thin out some of the seedlings in the seedling bed, and then plant the remaining seedlings. However, during the planting process, seedling death inevitably occurs, so we need to observe the survival of the seedlings at regular intervals and replant in time to ensure a full stand of seedlings in the field.

3. Intertillage and weeding

During the seedling stage of Coptis chinensis, intertillage and weeding need to be carried out at least three to five times, and after the seedlings are transplanted, generally only two to three times are needed. In order not to affect the growth of Coptis chinensis, we usually carry out shallow tillage after the rainy season, when the soil in the planting site has become compacted; this will not damage the roots of Coptis chinensis. Secondly, when there are many weeds, we can pull them out by hand, or carry out intertillage to remove the weeds and reduce nutrient consumption.

4. Scientific water and fertilizer management

During the seedling growth period of Coptis chinensis, we need to apply fertilizer three times, mainly by watering with manure and urine water, and we must control the concentration of the manure and urine water, preferably low concentration, so as to avoid burning the seedlings. After transplanting, we need to first apply one round of diluted manure water, then in spring apply quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer, and then wait until autumn for topdressing; the autumn fertilizer is mainly farmyard manure. The amount of fertilizer applied per mu should not be too large, but it should also meet the growth needs of Coptis chinensis, generally controlled at around three thousand jin.

5. Adjusting shade

For the growth of Coptis chinensis, we need to set up a shade shed, but we also need to reasonably regulate light intensity. From the first year to the third year of Coptis chinensis growth, its demand for light is not great during this period, so we should often check whether the shade shed has defects and repair them in time. By the fourth year, the shade level can be gradually reduced and light intensity increased; if the light is too weak at this time, it will also affect the normal growth of Coptis chinensis.

That is all for the introduction to the field management techniques for Coptis chinensis cultivation. We hope it will be helpful to everyone, and we also wish everyone smooth sailing in the later cultivation process.