What are the latest growing conditions for Angelica sinensis? A detailed guide
Angelica sinensis is a perennial herbaceous plant whose root can be used as medicine, and it is one of the most commonly used traditional Chinese medicines. It is mainly distributed in Gansu, Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou and other places, and is cultivated in all of them. Angelica sinensis can also be used in the ingredients of braised products, and its main characteristics are removing fishy odor and enhancing aroma, adding meaty and medicinal fragrance to meat products.
Altitude requirements
At that time it was suitable to plant in areas with higher altitude. Therefore, seedling-raising fields in places such as Minxian and Zhangxian are generally selected at an altitude above 2400 m, and transplanting fields are often selected in areas with an average altitude of about 2200—2300 m. Planting Angelica sinensis at too low an altitude results in low yield and poorer quality, and it is also prone to bolting early.
Soil environment
Angelica sinensis is a fertilizer-loving crop. Sandy loam soil with deep soil layers, fertility and looseness, good drainage and high humus content is suitable. Applying more fertilizer at transplanting can promote yield increase at that time. Generally, fertile black soil is selected for seedling raising, and a large amount of mountain ash farm manure is applied as base fertilizer. At transplanting, in addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer, nitrogen, phosphorus and inorganic fertilizers should also be applied. Nitrogen is the main component of protein, can promote the growth of vegetative bodies, increase leaf area, thereby improving photosynthetic capacity and increasing the accumulation of organic matter; phosphate fertilizer can strengthen root development, promote strong roots, and improve the ability to absorb nutrients and water; potassium fertilizer can promote the transport and storage of photosynthetic products to the roots, accelerate root fleshing, and improve the quality of Angelica sinensis. Therefore, applying more nitrogen fertilizer in the early stage of vegetative growth and more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer in the later stage can significantly improve the yield and quality of Angelica sinensis.
Temperature conditions
Angelica sinensis originated in the high mountain areas around Minxian and Tanchang. It has relatively strict temperature requirements and is suitable for cold and cool climatic conditions at high altitude. At that time, under suitable moisture conditions, the emergence time of seeds shortened as the temperature rose. When the average temperature was 12—14°C, they emerged in 15—20 days; when the average temperature was 20—24°C, they emerged in 7—15 days; when the average temperature was above 14°C, the aboveground and underground parts grew rapidly; when the average temperature in August was above 16°C, the growth rate slowed; after September, when the temperature dropped below 13°C, the aboveground parts began to age, while the roots accelerated growth, and this was the main period of medicinal material growth.
Water requirements
Angelica sinensis has very poor drought resistance and waterlogging resistance, which indicates that its requirements for moisture conditions are relatively strict. A soil moisture content of about 25% is most suitable for the growth of Angelica sinensis. Therefore, abundant rainfall is one of the conditions for obtaining high yield of Angelica sinensis. When the soil moisture content exceeds 40%, waterlogging occurs, and Angelica sinensis is prone to root rot. When the soil moisture content is lower than 13%, drought damage occurs, and supplemental irrigation is needed. Therefore, timely irrigation and drainage are one of the main means of obtaining high yield at that time.
Light conditions
Angelica sinensis belongs to the high-altitude long-day development type, so under long-day conditions it grows well, develops quickly, and bolts easily. This is a characteristic of Angelica sinensis growth. In order to reduce early bolting, it is often planted on shady slopes or flat land, and covered with grass during the seedling stage. However, insufficient light during the medicinal material formation stage also cannot achieve high yield. Therefore, in production, appropriate slope aspect, slope gradient and planting density are selected to regulate light so as to benefit root development.