The Latest High-Yield Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial for Astragalus complanatus

Astragalus complanatus, also known as Chuangjili, Vineshenhuangqi, XIAHUANGCAO, and Shayuanjili, is the plant Astragalus complanatus (flat-stemmed milkvetch) of the Fabaceae (Leguminosae) genus Astragalus, with its seeds used as medicine. It tonifies the liver and kidneys, secures essence, and improves eyesight. It mainly treats dizziness and blurred vision, soreness and weakness of the waist and knees, spermatorrhea, premature ejaculation, frequent urination, and enuresis. It is mainly produced in Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia and other provinces. For developing the great Northwest, returning farmland to forest, and planting trees and grass, it is one of the best varieties, with strong drought resistance, cold resistance, and adaptability. It grew very well in the comprehensive management of the Loess Plateau during the “Seventh Five-Year” and “Eighth Five-Year” periods, and it is also a commonly used clinical medicine.

Plant Characteristics

A perennial herb, 30-100 cm tall, the whole plant covered with soft hairs. The root is long and thick. The stem is slightly flattened, relatively slender and weak, often prostrate at the base, and branched. The odd-pinnate compound leaves are alternate; the stipules are small and awl-shaped; the leaflets number 9-21, oblong-elliptic, 0.6-1.4 cm long and 0.3-0.7 cm wide, with rounded or slightly notched tips and a small fine point, and the leaflet stalks are not obvious. In summer it bears small yellow papilionaceous (butterfly-shaped) flowers in axillary racemes; the common peduncle is slender and long, with 3-9 flowers sparsely borne in the upper part, and the pedicels are 0.1-0.2 cm long; the corolla is about 1 cm long, the standard petal nearly round, notched at the tip and clawed at the base; the two stamens are shorter than the pistil, and the stigma has bearded hairs. The pod is inflated, spindle-shaped, about 3 cm long, with a pointed tip, covered on the surface with black stiff hairs and containing a false septum inside. The seeds number 20-30, round-kidney-shaped, about 0.2 cm long, about 0.15 cm wide, and less than 0.1 cm thick. The surface is brown to dark brown and smooth. Both sides are slightly sunken, and there is an obvious hilum on the sunken side.

Growth Characteristics

Astragalus complanatus has very strong adaptability. It prefers a well-ventilated and well-lit environment, is cold-resistant and drought-resistant, fears waterlogging, and has no strict soil requirements. Sandy loam, loam, and clay loam can all be used for planting. It should not be continuously cropped, and corn is a good preceding crop.

Cultivation Techniques

1. Land selection and land preparation

Choose high, dry land with good drainage, such as field edges, field ridges, and sloping mountain land. Sandy loam, loam, and clay loam can all be used.

2. Propagation methods

Astragalus complanatus is propagated by seed. Sowing is divided into spring and autumn seasons. Spring sowing is from late March to late April, and autumn sowing is from August to September. Drill sowing is carried out in the prepared field with a row spacing of 33 cm. Draw small furrows along the border about 1.65 cm deep, spread the seeds evenly into the furrows, cover with 0.6-1 cm of soil, and water after sowing. Irrigation sowing is also used: in fields without irrigation, after the water recedes, sow the seeds in rows and cover with shallow soil on top, or sow before or after rain. The sowing rate is 15-22.5 kg per hectare. At a temperature of about 15°C, they will germinate in 2 weeks.

Astragalus complanatus can also be intercropped with wheat, corn, and cotton. The method is: when sowing wheat, leave 23.1 cm of open space every 165 cm, intercrop Astragalus complanatus in March to April of the second year, and plant corn after the wheat is harvested. After the corn is harvested, removing the stalks is beneficial to the growth of Astragalus complanatus.

3. Field management

Water appropriately before emergence to promote seedling emergence. After emergence, do not water too much to avoid excessive growth. When the seedlings are about 8 cm tall, thin to a plant spacing of 10-13.2 cm, leaving 2-3 strong seedlings, and immediately prop up the seedlings and earth up the soil. Pay attention to drainage during the rainy season. During the growing period and bud period, apply human feces and urine or ammonium sulfate twice in combination with loosening the soil and weeding. After that, each year at green-up, apply 45000-60000 kg of farmyard manure per hectare, mixing manure with soil and covering it on the ground to promote plant green-up and growth. In very cold places, water with winter irrigation before freezing. After each harvest, carry out intertillage and weeding, and topdress to help the plants overwinter.

4. Pest and disease control

① Powdery mildew

Caused by fungal infection, it harms the leaves. There is a white powdery substance on both the front and back, which turns into small black spots at the late stage.

Control methods: clean up the garden, burn the diseased plants, and at the early stage of the disease spray with 50% thiophanate-methyl 800-1000 times solution or 65% zineb 400 times solution, once every 7 days, for 2-3 consecutive times.

② Click beetles (wireworms)

They occur from June to August and damage the roots. Apply lead phosphate as a broadcast treatment for control.

Harvesting and Processing

The seed yield of Astragalus complanatus is low in the first, third, and fourth years, and high in the second year. Before Frost's Descent, when 80% of the pod skins have changed from green to yellow and faded, cut down the entire plant 6.7 cm above the ground, dry it in the sun, thresh, and remove all impurities.