Latest High-Yield Cultivation Technique Tutorial for Radix Glehniae

Radix Glehniae, also known as beach silvertop and Liaoning glehnia, is a plant whose underground root is used medicinally. It has the effects of moistening the lungs and stopping cough, and nourishing the stomach and promoting fluid production. It mainly treats dryness of the lungs with thirst, damage to body fluids from febrile disease, bronchitis and other conditions. It is mainly produced in Shandong, Liaoning, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, China, Guangdong and other coastal provinces.

Morphological Characteristics

It is a perennial herb of the Apiaceae family, 5-20 cm tall, with grayish-brown pubescence all over the plant. The main root is slender, cylindrical, 30 cm long, 0.5-1.5 cm in diameter, and rarely branched. The stem is erect and unbranched. The basal leaves have petioles about 10 cm long, with a sheath-like base and membranous margins; the leaf blade is ovate or triangular-ovate, ternately pinnate or 2- to 3-times pinnately parted. The compound umbel is terminal; the peduncle is 4-10 cm long; each small umbel has 15-20 flowers, with 5 petals that are folded inward at the tip and white; 5 calyx teeth, narrowly triangular-lanceolate; 5 stamens, alternating with the petals; the ovary is inferior, the style base is flatly conical, and the stigma is 2-lobed. The schizocarp is spherical or elliptical, with 5 fruit ribs bearing corky wings and covered with brown coarse hairs; the fruit is yellowish-brown when mature.

1. Anguo, Hebei: This is a traditional old production area for Radix Glehniae. Before the reform and opening up, when land had not yet been contracted to households, Anguo medicinal farmers already had the habit of growing Radix Glehniae in their private plots. As a traditional cash crop, it has continued to develop to the present day. The characteristics of Anguo glehnia are: short and thick, shaped like a pen, with a relatively rough outer skin, but its yield is large and its price is low. It is mainly sold domestically, used for decoction piece processing and as raw material for pharmaceutical factories, with only a small portion used for export. The output of Anguo glehnia accounts for 40% of the national total output, making it the current largest main production area in the country.

2. Laiyang, Shandong: This is also a traditional old production area. Laiyang glehnia is commonly known as "yizhuxiang" (a stick of incense), with slender roots, yellowish-white skin, fine and tender texture, and a slight fragrance, but its yield is relatively low and its price is high. It is mainly sold to Shanghai, Guangzhou and exported to Southeast Asian countries. In recent years, because other cash crops in Shandong have developed rapidly, Radix Glehniae cultivation has shown shrinkage.

3. Chifeng, Inner Mongolia: Niuyingzi Town in Chifeng is a new production area that has been tested over many years. Due to its special sandy loam soil and light conditions, it is suitable for the growth of Radix Glehniae. Coupled with careful management by medicinal farmers, its characteristics of long roots without branching, white skin and tender texture make its quality superior to Anguo's Radix Glehniae. Its market price is relatively high, and it is mainly sold to Guangzhou, Shanghai and for dedicated export. Because Niuyingzi Town in Chifeng is far from specialized Chinese medicinal herb markets and medicinal farmers have weak awareness of the market economy, its production fluctuates greatly under the influence of price and is an unstable production area.

Growth Habits

Radix Glehniae prefers a sunny, warm and humid environment. It is cold-resistant, drought-resistant and salt-alkali-resistant, fears high temperatures, and avoids continuous cropping. Soil requirements: deep soil layers, loose and fertile sandy loam rich in organic matter is best. Low-lying land is not suitable for planting.

Land Preparation and Fertilization

Choose a field with high terrain and good drainage, and carry out intensive cultivation. In combination with land preparation, apply sufficient base fertilizer: apply 5000 kg of farmyard manure, 20 kg of urea, and 50 kg of phosphorus-potassium fertilizer per mu. Then make beds and wait for sowing.

Sowing

Radix Glehniae is propagated by seeds. The sowing periods include autumn sowing and spring sowing. Autumn sowing is around the Start of Winter, and spring sowing is around Qingming. Autumn sowing is preferable. Before sowing, the seeds must be treated, that is, freshly collected seeds are mixed evenly with wet sand at a ratio of 1:3, then buried in a pit while maintaining moist and low-temperature conditions. When sowing, first open shallow furrows on the prepared bed surface, then evenly scatter the Radix Glehniae seeds into the furrows and cover with soil just enough to cover the seeds. The furrow spacing is 20 cm. The sowing rate is 8 kg per mu.

Field Management

After the Radix Glehniae seedlings emerge completely, attention should be paid to intertillage and weeding. For large-scale planting, herbicide for medicinal fields should be used for soil treatment before seedling emergence, which can effectively prevent and control various weeds. Thin the seedlings when there are 3 true leaves, with a plant spacing of 3 cm. Pay attention to drainage during rainy weather and water in time during dry weather. Around the Start of Autumn, when the underground rhizome enters the rapid expansion period, topdressing should be applied once: apply 10 kg of urea and 10 kg of potassium dihydrogen phosphate per mu. This promotes the growth of the underground rhizome. After Radix Glehniae buds, except for plants retained for seed, promptly cut off the flower buds to prevent nutrient consumption.

Pest and Disease Control

1. Rust disease: At the early stage of onset, it can be controlled with a 300-fold solution of 97% ferrous sulfate or a 1500-fold solution of 25% triadimefon.

2. Root rot: Comprehensive control measures can be adopted. ① Soil disinfection: evenly apply 3 kg of 50% carbendazim powder into the soil during land preparation. ② Seed treatment: before sowing, soak Radix Glehniae seeds in a 500-fold solution of 50% carbendazim for 24—48 hours. ③ Before disease onset, spray a 1:1:120 Bordeaux mixture for prevention, or at the early stage of onset, drench diseased plants with a 1000-fold solution of 50% thiophanate-methyl.

The main pest is the stem borer, which bores into stems, roots and flower buds and causes damage. It can be controlled at the early stage of onset with fenvalerate. Aphids can be killed by spraying pirimicarb. Underground pests can be controlled with phoxim.

Harvesting and Processing

Radix Glehniae is harvested around Frost's Descent after one year of growth, after the aboveground stems and leaves have withered. First cut off the aboveground stems and leaves, then dig out the underground rhizome, clean off the soil, put it into boiling water and blanch for 10 seconds, remove it when the skin can be peeled off, immediately place it in cold water to cool, peel off the skin while wet, then dry it in the sun or oven in time, and it can be sold as medicine. The yield per mu is 250--350 kg.