A Detailed Guide to the Latest Planting Methods for Bupleurum Seeds

Bupleurum is a medicinal herb listed in the "Chinese Pharmacopoeia", also known as Di Xun, Shan Cai, Gu Cao, etc. The medicinal part is the dried root of the umbelliferae plant Bupleurum chinense or Bupleurum scorzonerifolium. It prefers a warm and humid climate, is cold-tolerant and drought-tolerant but afraid of waterlogging, and is suitable for planting in deep, fertile sandy loam soil. In production, either seed propagation or seedling transplanting can be used. Now let us take a look at how to plant Bupleurum seeds!

How are Bupleurum seeds collected?

1. Selecting plants for seed: Choose robust, pest-free 2-year-old Bupleurum plants for seed production. Do not remove the bolting stems or tillers from the selected seed plants, and remove the tillers and bolting stems from all plants not kept for seed. In field management, apply extra phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to the seed plants.

2. Spraying foliar fertilizer: During the flowering and bud stage, spray potassium dihydrogen phosphate on the leaves at a concentration of 0.2-0.3%, once every 5 days for 2 consecutive times, which can promote fruit development and plump seeds.

3. Collection and storage: From September to November, when the fruits turn from green to brown, harvest the upper seed-bearing parts together with the branches and stalks. After drying in a ventilated and dry place, thresh and sun-dry, then winnow out plump and mature seeds, and store them sealed in jars or earthenware pots for later use.

How are Bupleurum seeds treated?

1. Chemical treatment: Soak the seeds in a 0.8-1.0% potassium permanganate solution for 10-15 minutes, which can increase the emergence rate by 15.4%.

2. Hormone treatment: Soak the seeds in 0.5x10-6-1.0x10-6 cytokinin (6-8A) for 1 day, take out the seeds, rinse them clean with water, and then sow. This can increase the seed emergence rate by 12.6%.

3. Warm water and sand storage: Soak the seeds in warm water at 35-40°C for 1 day, remove the shriveled seeds floating on the water surface, then mix 1 part seeds with 3 parts wet sand and place at 20-25°C to promote germination. After about 10-12 days, when some seeds have split open, sow to ensure a sufficient number of seedlings.

How are Bupleurum seeds planted?

1. Land selection and preparation: For Bupleurum, choose loam and sandy loam or gently sloping land with deep soil, loose fertility, and good drainage. Before planting, plow and harrow multiple times, apply 30,000 kg/ha of decomposed manure, and build high beds 120-130 cm wide, 25 cm deep, and 30 cm wide, ready for sowing.

2. Ditching and sowing: Before sowing Bupleurum, on the prepared bed surface, open furrows horizontally at 20 cm row spacing with a depth of 10 cm, then sow at 15 cm hill spacing or in drills. Spring sowing is from early April to early May, and autumn sowing is after the seeds are dried after ripening until early November before the soil freezes.

3. Timely thinning: Bupleurum emerges 12-15 days after sowing. When the seedlings reach 4-5 cm, carry out the first thinning, removing overly dense seedlings and weak or diseased seedlings. When the seedlings reach 8-10 cm in height, carry out final thinning, with a final stand of 675,000-825,000 plants/ha as suitable.

4. Replanting and weeding: If there are missing plants in the Bupleurum field, replant them, and water the replanted seedlings promptly. After the plants close the rows, no more intertillage is carried out; only hand-pull weeds to avoid root damage and yield reduction. Generally, chemical herbicides are not used for weeding.

5. Reasonable fertilization: During the growth period of Bupleurum, topdressing should be applied several times. The first seedling fertilizer is applied at the first thinning combined with intertillage and weeding. The second seedling fertilizer is applied at final thinning combined with intertillage and weeding. The third topdressing is applied when the seedlings are 30-40 cm tall, and if potassium fertilizer is to be applied separately, organic potassium fertilizer can be sprayed on the leaves.

6. Clearing ditches and draining moisture: Bupleurum likes to grow in a humid environment, but it is most afraid of water accumulation soaking the field. Before the rainy season arrives, clear the bed ditches in time to ensure smooth drainage and reduce the occurrence of field diseases.

7. Removing tillers and bolting stems: The aboveground part of Bupleurum grows vigorously. Half of the first-year plants can bolt and flower, and all second-year plants can bolt and flower. Removing tillers and newly grown flower bolt buds in stages and in time can promote the accumulation and expansion of nutrients in the plant roots.

8. Pest and disease control: In the control of Bupleurum pests and diseases, follow the principle of not applying heavy metal pesticides or highly toxic and highly residual pesticides, insist on taking agricultural measures for prevention as the main approach, and adopt biological pesticide preparations or high-efficiency, low-toxicity pesticides for control methods.