Latest Prices of Pinellia Seeds and a Detailed Guide to Growing Them
Pinellia ternata is also known as Diwen, Shoutian, Mayuguo and so on. It is a medicinal plant of the genus Pinellia in the Araceae family, widely distributed in the Yangtze River basin as well as the Northeast, North China and other regions of our country. Medicinally it has the effects of drying dampness and transforming phlegm, directing rebellious qi downward and stopping vomiting, and dispersing masses and eliminating stagnation, and its cultivation value is relatively high. Let us take a look together below at the price of Pinellia seeds and the cultivation methods!
How much is a jin of Pinellia seeds?
The price of Pinellia seeds is about 35 to 50 yuan per jin, but it varies depending on the seed variety, quality, place of origin and purchase quantity. Pinellia is a bulk commonly used medicinal herb. At present, because wild resources are on the verge of extinction due to reckless digging and over-harvesting, while artificial cultivation is very limited, its price has risen year after year and demand exceeds supply. Therefore, the cultivation benefit is relatively high. When planted using seed corms, it can be harvested in the same year, with a yield of about 150 kg of dried product per mu, and the benefit per mu can reach more than 20,000 yuan.
Propagation methods of Pinellia
1. Tuber propagation: After 2 to 3 years of cultivation, Pinellia can be dug up after the aboveground parts wither each year to take the underground tubers. Select medium and small tubers that grow robustly and are free of pests and diseases as seeds, mix them with fine sandy soil of moderate dryness and moisture, store them in a ventilated and cool place, and take them out for planting in the winter of the same year or the spring of the following year.
2. Bulbil propagation: In summer and autumn, use the mature bulbils under the leaf stalks for row planting, placing 3 to 5 bulbils per hole, covering with soil 1.6 cm thick, and at the same time applying an appropriate amount of mixed fertilizer, which can both promote the germination and growth of the bulbils and add fertilizer for the mother tubers.
3. Seed propagation: Pinellia that is more than two years old can bloom and bear fruit successively from early summer to autumn and winter. About 10 days after flowering in autumn, when the spathe withers, collect the mature seeds and store them in wet sand for use as seeds, but this method is used when seedlings are insufficient or for breeding.
Cultivation methods of Pinellia
1. Land preparation and fertilization: For Pinellia cultivation, choose a sunny, deep-soil, sandy loam rich in organic matter with a previous crop of legumes or grasses. Deeply plow and make beds, applying 1500 to 2000 kg of decomposed fine farmyard manure or soil-and-miscellaneous fertilizer and 20 to 25 kg of superphosphate per mu.
2. Timely sowing: Pinellia can be sown in spring, summer and autumn, and it is best to sow before late February to early March in spring. On the bed, open furrows 5 to 7 cm deep at a row spacing of 20 to 25 cm, sow the tubers in the furrows at a plant spacing of 2 to 5 cm, using about 60 kg of seed per mu.
3. Seedling stage management: After sowing Pinellia, spread decomposed fine farmyard manure or soil-and-miscellaneous fertilizer over the seeds, then pour 1500 to 2000 kg of clear manure water, and afterward cover with soil level with the bed surface. Generally after 20 days, observe once every 2 days, and when the seedling emergence rate reaches about 60%, remove the covering after 6 p.m.
4. Intertillage and fertilization: About 20 days after the seedlings of Pinellia are fully emerged in early April, apply 1000 kg of human and livestock manure water at 1:3 per mu. Inspect and manage the field at any time. If weeds are found, remove them promptly. Use a hoe for shallow hoeing between rows to a depth of about 2.5 cm, avoiding damage to the roots.
5. Timely earthing up: For Pinellia sown before early March, earth up once around June 10, using about 200 kg of fine mud from the plow pan per mu, spreading it over the bed surface at a thickness of about 1.5 cm to cover the bulbils and seeds, with slight compaction, and earth up once more around July 15 and September 10 respectively.
6. Irrigation and flower bud removal: Pinellia likes moisture and fears drought. If there is a long period of clear weather and drought, irrigate for half an hour after 6 p.m. If there is too much rain, drain promptly. Except where seed propagation is needed, all flower buds produced during the growth period should be removed so that nutrients are concentrated on the growth of the underground tubers.
Pest and disease control of Pinellia
1. Leaf spot disease
[Damage] In the early stage of the disease, purple-brown spots appear on the leaves. Later, many small black spots appear on the diseased spots. In severe cases, the leaves curl, wither and die.
[Control] Before and in the early stage of the disease, spray 1:1:120 Bordeaux mixture or 60% zineb 500-fold solution, once every 7 to 10 days, for 2 to 3 times in succession.
2. Rot disease
[Damage] It occurs in hot and humid seasons and in low-lying waterlogged places. After onset, the tubers rot, and the aboveground parts turn yellow, wither and die.
[Control] Drain promptly during the rainy season. In the early stage of the disease, drench the holes with 5% lime milk. Timely control of underground pests can reduce the damage.
3. Viral disease
[Damage] It occurs in summer. The plant leaves curl and twist, forming a short and deformed plant.
[Control] Select disease-free plants for seed reservation. If diseased plants are found, pull them out immediately and burn them in a centralized manner. Irrigate the holes with 5% lime milk to prevent spread.
4. Red hawk moth
[Damage] It mainly bites and eats the leaves, and in severe cases can eat the leaves completely.
[Control] Handpick and kill, or spray with 40% dimethoate emulsion 1500 to 2000-fold solution or 90% trichlorfon 800 to 1000-fold solution, once every 5 to 7 days, for 2 to 3 times in succession.