The Latest Prices for Dahurian Angelica Seeds and a Detailed Guide to Growing Them

Dahurian angelica is also known as Xue Zhi, Fang Xiang, Chuan Bai Zhi and so on. It is a tall perennial herbaceous plant in the genus Angelica of the Apiaceae family, and it mostly grows under forest canopies, at forest edges, beside streams, in thickets and in valley grasslands. Its root is used as medicine and has effects such as dispelling disease and dampness, discharging pus and promoting tissue regeneration, and invigorating blood and relieving pain. It is cultivated in some northern provinces and regions, mostly sold locally, with a small amount shipped outside the province. Now let us take a look together at the price of Dahurian angelica seeds and how to grow them!

How much is a jin of Dahurian angelica seeds?

The price of Dahurian angelica seeds is about 30 to 50 yuan per jin, but it varies depending on the seed variety, quality, place of origin and purchase quantity. Dahurian angelica is one of the preferred varieties among the many medicinal herbs of autumn. In the northern provinces it is mostly cultivated for medicinal use. Planting is mainly done by broadcasting, using 4 to 5 jin of seed per mu. The growing cycle is short, and it can be harvested in 10 months, with a yield of about 500 to 700 kg per mu, and generally a benefit of 5000 to 8000 yuan per mu.

Sowing methods for Dahurian angelica

1. Seed selection: Dahurian angelica is propagated by seed, and seeds from the current year should be chosen. Old seeds kept until the following year have a low germination rate, or even fail to germinate. Under normal conditions the germination rate of Dahurian angelica is 70 to 80%, and seedlings emerge 10 to 15 days after sowing at a temperature of 13 to 20°C with sufficient moisture.

2. Sowing time: Spring sowing of Dahurian angelica takes place around Qingming, but the yield is low and the quality poor, so it is generally not used. Autumn sowing must not be too early or too late: the earliest must not be earlier than Chushu, and the latest must not be later than Qiufen, so sowing should be done from early August to early September.

3. Seed treatment: Dahurian angelica is best direct-sown and is not suitable for raising seedlings and transplanting, because transplanted plants have forked roots and poor root growth, which affects yield and quality. Before sowing, the seed wing membrane should be removed by mechanical means, then the seeds should be soaked in warm water (45°C) for 6 hours, taken out, wiped dry and sown.

4. Sowing method: Before sowing Dahurian angelica seeds, water the bed thoroughly, and begin sowing once the water has seeped down. After sowing, water, sprinkle water or cover with grass to keep the soil moist at all times. Seedlings emerge 20 days after sowing, and the sowing rate is more than 3 jin per mu.

Growing methods for Dahurian angelica

1. Irrigation and shallow hoeing: Give Dahurian angelica one watering before the soil freezes. After it turns green again the following spring, hoe shallowly once, and hoe once more half a year later. The purpose of this hoeing is to cut the lateral roots so that the main root extends straight downward and forking is reduced. After that, hoe another 4 to 5 times to keep the soil loose and free of weeds.

2. Timely thinning and final singling: Dahurian angelica is not thinned in the year of sowing. In the following spring, when the seedlings turn green and reach 7 to 10 cm in height, thin them to a spacing of about 20 cm between plants. When thinning, remove overly vigorous seedlings and overly weak seedlings, because overly vigorous seedlings tend to flower and set seed, and their roots grow poorly and cannot be used as medicine.

3. Reasonable topdressing: After autumn sowing of Dahurian angelica, only before the soil freezes in early winter, spread horse manure or farmyard manure on the bed surface together with the freezing water. This both prevents frost damage to the young seedlings through the winter and serves as the first topdressing the following spring. After the plants turn green the next year, apply cake fertilizer, chemical fertilizer or barnyard manure as a topdressing together with cultivating and loosening the soil.

4. Removing flower stalks: In May of the second year, a few Dahurian angelica plants that grow especially vigorously often bolt and flower. The seeds produced by such plants cannot be used as seed, nor can the plants be used as medicine again, so the stalks should be removed early to avoid wasting fertilizer and affecting the growth of neighbouring plants.

5. Timely harvest: Spring-sown Dahurian angelica is harvested in the same year. Depending on the length of the frost-free period in different places, the harvest period falls in mid-to-late October and early November respectively. Autumn-sown plants are harvested in July to August of the second year, when the leaves wither, yielding 300 to 400 kg of fresh roots per mu, and up to 800 kg in high-yielding cases.

Pest and disease control for Dahurian angelica

1. Leaf spot disease

[Damage characteristics] The pathogen is a kind of imperfect fungus. It mainly damages the leaves. The lesions are polygonal, dark green at first and later greyish white, with small black dots on them, which are the pycnidia of the pathogen. In severe cases the leaves wither and die.

[Control methods] ① Remove diseased and dead tissue and burn it in a centralised way. ② Spray with 1:1:100 Bordeaux mixture or with 65% zineb wettable powder at 400 to 500 times dilution.

2. Yellow swallowtail butterfly

[Damage characteristics] The larvae feed on the leaves.

[Control methods] ① Hand-pick and kill the larvae and pupae. ② Spray with 90% trichlorfon at 800 times dilution once every 5 to 7 days for 3 times in a row, or spray with Qingchongjun at 500 times dilution.

3. Aphids

[Damage characteristics] Adults and nymphs damage the tender leaves and the top of the plant.

[Control methods] Same as the pests and diseases of Astragalus membranaceus and their control methods.

4. Red spider mite

[Damage characteristics] Adults and nymphs damage the leaves.

[Control methods] ① Clean the garden in winter, pick up all dead branches and fallen leaves and burn them, and after cleaning the garden spray 1 degree Baume lime-sulfur mixture. ② From April onward, spray 0.2 to 0.3 degree Baume lime-sulfur mixture or 25% chlordimeform aqueous solution at 500 to 1000 times dilution once a week for several times in a row.