The Latest Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial for Gorgon Nut

The seed kernel of gorgon nut (Euryale ferox), an annual aquatic herb belonging to the genus Euryale in the water lily family, has high nutritional and medicinal value. It is widely distributed in China, with relatively large areas in the provinces of East China. It prefers warm and humid environments, has strong adaptability, likes warmth and moisture, and is not tolerant of frost or drought. It is best cultivated in deep, soft lake mud soil rich in organic matter. Let us take a look at the cultivation techniques for gorgon nut below!

Sowing and Raising Seedlings

In the Yangtze River basin, seeds are soaked in early April. The water temperature should be kept at 20-25°C during the day and above 15°C at night. Sowing takes place after more than 10 days. 5-7 days before sowing, dig seedling pools in the field measuring 2.0-2.5 m square and 15-20 cm deep. After cleaning and leveling, fill with about 10 cm of water. Once the mud has settled and the water is clear, gently place the germinated seeds just below the water surface, about 5 kg of seeds per pool. Water must not be cut off during seedling raising, and the water depth can gradually be increased to about 15 cm as the seedlings grow. The young leaves of the seedlings must not be buried by mud.

Transplanting Seedlings to a Nursery

1. About 1 month after sowing the gorgon nut seeds, when the seedlings have 2-3 arrow-shaped primary leaves, they can be transplanted to a nursery. 5 kg of seeds requires about 0.2-0.4 mu of nursery field. Prepare the nursery field according to this standard before transplanting, and fill it with about 15 cm of water. When moving seedlings from the seedling pool, lift them together with the seed, wash the mud off the roots on site, and transplant the seedlings into the nursery field at a spacing of 35-50 cm square.

2. When planting the seedlings, simply plant the seed and the “germinating stem” into the soil, but never bury the young leaves. Water must not be cut off from the nursery field. Keep it at about 15 cm right after transplanting, and gradually deepen it to 30-40 cm after the seedlings recover. Before final planting, gradually deepen the nursery field water level according to the water level of the main field or lake so that the seedlings can adapt to the deep-water environment after planting.

Timely Final Planting

1. In mid-to-late June, when the round shield-shaped later leaves of the seedlings reach 25-30 cm in diameter, they can be finally planted (seedlings from every 5 kg of seeds can be planted in about 8-10 mu of main field). Before planting, dig holes at a spacing of 2 m (purple-flowered Su qian) or 2.3 m (white-flowered Su qian) square (125-166 plants per mu). The holes should be square at the top (side length about 1.4 m), pot-bottom shaped below, and 15-20 cm deep.

2. When digging the holes, remove weeds and apply an appropriate amount of base fertilizer. After 1-2 days, once the muddy water in the holes has cleared, the seedlings can be transplanted and finally planted. Plant the seedlings in the center of the hole, with a depth just enough to cover the roots and underground stem (the tips of the young leaves must be exposed above the soil). They generally recover in 7-10 days. For planting gorgon nut in lakes, first plant wild rice grass at the spacing to mark the spots, then when planting, pull aside the grass at the marked positions and plant the gorgon nut. When the gorgon nut leaves reach about 70 cm in diameter, all the wild rice grass can be pulled out.

Field Management

1. After the gorgon nut seedlings have taken root, at least 1-2 inspections should be carried out to fill gaps and ensure a full stand. The water depth at planting should not be shallower than 30-40 cm, and after establishment it can gradually be increased to 70-100 cm, with the deepest not exceeding 1.2-1.5 m. When planting gorgon nut in shallow rice fields, the water depth should be kept at 30-40 cm.

2. When planting the seedlings, before the leaves close the rows, weed and cultivate the field 3-5 times according to weed growth. Weeding and cultivating can be combined with hilling roots, that is, when weeding, gradually push the soil from the edges of the holes toward the center to hill the roots. The plants must not be damaged during the operation. Topdressing can be combined with weeding and hilling roots.

3. Fertilization for gorgon nut seedlings generally uses deep application of fertilizer balls (before the rows close) or foliar spraying (after the rows close). Fertilizer balls are made by composting soil and fertilizer. For every 100 kg of fine soil, add 50 kg of decomposed manure, 20 kg of urea, 20 kg of superphosphate and 10 kg of potassium chloride. When fertilizing, shape the mixture into goose-egg-sized balls and evenly insert them into the cultivated layer around the root system.

4. During the flowering and fruiting period, spray phosphorus fertilizer (0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate) and boron fertilizer (0.1% boric acid) on the leaves several times on clear evenings, which can significantly increase yield and quality. In July-August, when the water temperature is above 35°C, frequently splash cool water on the leaves in the early morning to lower leaf surface temperature and promote flowering and fruiting.

Pest and Disease Control

1. Leaf spot disease

[Symptoms] In the early stage of the disease, many round spots appear on the leaf margins, initially dark green, later turning dark brown, sometimes with concentric rings, and highly prone to rotting and perforation. In humid conditions, a mouse-gray mold layer grows on the spots. In severe cases, the spots can merge into patches, causing the entire gorgon nut leaf to rot.

[Control] In addition to crop rotation and avoiding excessive nitrogen fertilizer, gorgon nut leaf spot disease can also be controlled by foliar spraying of thiophanate-methyl (70% wettable powder) at 800-1000 times dilution, or carbendazim (50% wettable powder) at 400-500 times dilution.

2. Leaf tumor disease

[Symptoms] The pathogen is a fungus, with more cases occurring in July-August. At the initial stage, pale green yellow spots appear on the leaf surface, then swell and enlarge into tumor-like shapes, 4-40 cm in diameter and 2-8 cm high.

[Control] In addition to crop rotation, gorgon nut leaf tumor disease can also be controlled during the disease season by foliar spraying of thiophanate-methyl at 800-1000 times dilution and 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate.

3. Anthracnose

[Symptoms] Anthracnose mainly occurs on plant leaves and often damages leaf margins and leaf tips. In severe cases, more than half of the leaf withers and turns black and dies.

[Control] Remove diseased plants and leaves, and use 50% Shibaogong wettable powder at 1000-1500 times dilution, sprayed or splashed with plenty of water, once every 7 days, for 2-3 consecutive times.