How to Grow Chinese Yam (Dioscorea nipponica)? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Planting Methods
Dioscorea nipponica, also known as Chinese yam, wild yam, and string yam, is a common Chinese medicinal herb with the effects of relaxing sinews and promoting blood circulation, dispelling wind and relieving pain. It is an important raw material for synthesizing contraceptives and has promising market prospects. So how should Dioscorea nipponica be planted? Let's take a look together.
1. Site Selection and Land Preparation
Dioscorea nipponica often grows wild on hillsides, forest edges, and in weed and shrub forests. It is not demanding about soil, but it is best to choose loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam or hillside land for planting, followed by loam and clay loam; sloping land can also be used for planting. Dioscorea nipponica has a relatively large growth volume, so sufficient fertilizer must be supplied during planting. Before planting, base fertilizer should be applied in combination with land preparation. The base fertilizer should mainly be organic fertilizer, spread on the ground surface, then deeply plowed and finely harrowed so the fertilizer is turned into the soil.
2. Sowing
Before sowing, the seeds must undergo low-temperature treatment to break seed dormancy and increase the germination rate. So generally in early February, mix the seeds with fine sand and place them indoors in an environment below 10 degrees for 7-10 days, then bury them in a pit to freeze. Sowing can be done after Qingming Festival. Use the drill sowing method: open furrows on the seedbed at a row spacing of 10 cm, evenly scatter the seeds into the furrows, cover with 2 cm of soil, press lightly, and water. After that, keep the soil moist regularly until seedlings emerge. After watering, you can also cover with straw to keep warm and moist, and remove it when seedlings emerge; about 5 cm of rice straw. When sowing, use about 3 kg of seed per mu.
3. Transplanting
Transplanting is carried out before sprouting in spring, generally using the ridge planting method, with a ridge spacing of 65 cm, and the plant spacing should also depend on the cultivation period. If growing for two years before harvest, the plant spacing should be about 15 cm, that is, root segments placed end to end; for three years, the plant spacing should be about 20 cm, with 5-10 cm between the ends of root segments. After transplanting, cover with 10-15 cm of soil and water once to settle the roots, so as to help the plants survive.
4. Field Management
When the seedlings grow to more than 15 cm, thin them in time. The principle of thinning is to remove the weak and keep the strong, remove the dense and keep the sparse. While thinning, cultivate and weed in time to promote root growth, so that weeds do not seize nutrients and growing space and affect seedling growth. Cultivation and weeding should be carried out 2-3 times each year. After thinning, topdress once in time, applying 1000 kg of farmyard manure per mu. In the second and third years, the plants grow faster, so topdress twice each year at this time to ensure the plants have sufficient nutrients for growth. When the seedlings grow to 20-30 cm, set up supports and guide the vines in time to increase air circulation between plants and promote photosynthesis.
The above is an introduction to the planting methods of Dioscorea nipponica. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.