The Latest Cultivation Techniques and Planting Methods Tutorial for Arisaema

Arisaema, also known as Nanxing and Bai Nanxing, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Araceae family. Its spherical tubers are used medicinally; they are bitter and pungent in taste, warm in nature, and have the functions of dispelling wind and transforming phlegm, relieving spasms and convulsions, and dissipating nodules and reducing swelling. It is mainly used to treat stroke, hemiplegia, facial paralysis, phlegm rising to the throat, tetanus, rigidity of the limbs, convulsions and other conditions. Arisaema uses its spherical tubers for medicinal purposes, and its cultivation is mainly based on tuber propagation. Small and medium-sized tubers dug in the autumn of that year are used as planting stock and planted in the spring of the following year when the temperature rises to about 5°C. Field management mainly consists of topdressing, irrigation and drainage, removal of flower stalks, and pest and disease control.

Arisaema is a perennial herb with a plant height of 40-90 cm. Its tuber is oblate with a yellow-brown outer skin. One leaf emerges from the top of the tuber; the petiole is cylindrical, fleshy, upright like a stem, sheathing at the lower part, and at the base wrapped in a transparent membranous long sheath that is greenish-white or scattered with dirty purple spots; the leaf blade is radially divided into 7-23 segments, gathered at the top of the petiole and spreading out in all directions like an umbrella. The segments vary in shape, mostly ending in a delicate awn-like tip, with entire, smooth, hairless margins. The spadix is enclosed within a large sheath-like spathe, and the tip of the peduncle is long-tailed, extending beyond the spathe. It is dioecious. The berry is ovoid and red. The flowering period is May-June, and the fruiting period is July-August.

Arisaema prefers moist, loose, fertile soil and environments. Arisaema likes water and fertilizer, and its tubers are not cold-tolerant, but the seedlings grown from seed in the same year as germination produce only three small leaves in the first year; in the 2nd and 3rd years the number of leaflets increases progressively, and they are relatively more cold-tolerant. Artificial cultivation should be intercropped with tall-stemmed crops, or a shaded understory, forest edge, or valley environment that is relatively shady and moist should be chosen; soil that is loose, fertile, and well-drained yellow sandy soil is best. Any low-lying, poorly drained plots are not suitable for planting.

Arisaema Propagation Methods

Tuber propagation is mainly used, and seed propagation is also possible.

1. Tuber propagation: After harvesting Arisaema tubers in September-October, select medium and small tubers that are robust, intact, and free of pests and diseases, dry them, and store them in a cellar as planting stock. Dig a cellar about 1.5 m deep, with the size depending on the amount of planting stock; the temperature inside the cellar should preferably be maintained at about 5-10°C. Below 5°C, the planting stock is prone to freezing damage; above 10°C, it tends to sprout early. Generally, they are taken out for planting in the spring of the following year. Autumn planting can also be carried out before the soil freezes. For spring planting, from late March to early April, on a prepared bed surface, dig holes at a row spacing of 20-25 cm and a plant spacing of 14-16 cm, with a hole depth of 4-6 cm. Then place the buds upward into the holes, 1 tuber per hole. After planting, cover with compost and fine soil, and if drought occurs, water once thoroughly. Seedlings emerge in about half a month. For large tubers used as planting stock, they can be cut vertically into two halves or several pieces; as long as each piece has 1 robust bud, it can be used as planting stock. However, after cutting, the wounds should promptly be mixed with plant ash to avoid rotting. Small tubers obtained by cutting the tubers before planting should be covered with shallow soil; large tubers should be planted deeper. About 45 kg of large planting stock is needed per mu, and about 20 kg of small planting stock.

2. Seed propagation: Arisaema seeds mature in early August. After collecting the red berries, place them in clean water and rub to remove the pulp, then take out the seeds and sow them immediately in autumn. On a prepared seedling bed, dig shallow furrows at a row spacing of 15-20 cm, sow the seeds evenly in the furrows, and cover with soil level with the bed surface. After sowing, water once thoroughly, and then keep the bed moist regularly; seedlings emerge in about 10 days. In winter, cover the bed surface with barnyard manure to preserve warmth and moisture, which helps the seedlings overwinter. In the spring of the following year after the seedlings emerge, press the barnyard manure down onto the seedling bed as fertilizer, and when the seedlings are 6-9 cm tall, thin them to a plant spacing of 12-15 cm. Surplus seedlings can be transplanted elsewhere.

Cultivation Techniques

1. Land preparation and fertilization: After selecting the land, deep plow the soil 20-25 cm in autumn, and in combination with land preparation apply 3000-5000 kg of decomposed barnyard manure or compost per mu, plowing it into the soil as base fertilizer. Before planting, shallow plow three more times, then break up the soil and level it to make raised beds or flat beds 1.2 m wide, with drainage ditches opened around them, and the bed surface shaped like a turtle's back.

2. Transplanting: In spring from April to early May, when the seedlings reach 6-9 cm tall, choose a cloudy day. Take robust small seedlings, with a little soil attached to the roots, and transplant them into the field at a row spacing of 20 x 15 cm. After planting, water once to settle the roots and promote survival.

Field Management

1. Loosening soil, weeding, and topdressing: When the seedlings are 6-9 cm tall, carry out the first loosening of soil and weeding; it should be shallow rather than deep, just enough to loosen the surface soil. Immediately after hoeing, apply 1 topdressing of dilute human and livestock manure water, 1000-1500 kg per mu, or apply 30 kg of compound fertilizer per mu; the 2nd time in mid-to-late June, the soil can be loosened somewhat deeper, and 1 topdressing should be applied, with the same amount as the previous time; the 3rd time in late July, when Arisaema is in its vigorous growth period, in combination with weeding and loosening the soil, apply 1500-2000 kg of manure per mu or 40-50 kg of compound fertilizer per mu, applied in furrows between the rows, then cover the fertilizer with soil; the 4th time in late August, in combination with loosening the soil and weeding, apply 10-20 kg of urea per mu plus 50 kg of cake fertilizer to promote increased yield.

2. Irrigation and drainage: Arisaema likes moisture, so after planting keep the soil moist regularly and water frequently. In the rainy season, pay attention to drainage to prevent waterlogging in the field; too much water can easily make the seedling leaves turn yellow and affect growth.

3. Flower removal: In May-June, when the Arisaema spadix emerges from the sheath-like spathe, except for seed-production plots, it should be cut off in time to reduce unnecessary consumption of nutrients and help increase yield.

4. Intercropping: After Arisaema is planted, it grows relatively slowly in the first two years. On the bed ridges, intercrop corn or beans, or other medicinal materials, at a plant spacing of 30 cm. This can both shade Arisaema and increase economic returns.

Pest and Disease Control

1. Viral disease is a whole-plant disease. When it occurs, irregular yellow mottling appears on Arisaema leaves, causing the leaves to show mosaic symptoms, while leaf deformation, wrinkling, curling, and malformation also occur, resulting in poor plant growth and later leaf death. Control methods: Be sure to choose disease-resistant varieties for planting, such as selecting disease-free individual plants in the field for seed production; ② increase the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to enhance plant disease resistance; ③ spray pesticides in time to eliminate pests.

2. Red-spotted beetle larvae damage the leaves, biting them into notches and holes. When severe in July-August, they eat all the Arisaema leaves. Control methods: ① when the larvae are young, spray 800-fold dilution of 90% trichlorfon to kill them; ② avoid continuous cropping, and also avoid intercropping with medicinal materials of the same family such as Pinellia ternata and konjac.

3. Pests such as red spider mites and aphids should be controlled by conventional methods.

Harvesting and Processing

Harvest from late September to early October. If too late, Arisaema tubers are difficult to peel. When digging, choose a sunny day to dig up the tubers, remove soil, residual stems, and fibrous roots. Then put them into baskets, place them in running water, and repeatedly scrub off the outer skin with a large bamboo broom, washing away impurities. For tubers whose skin has not been completely removed, scrape the outer skin clean with a bamboo knife. Then fumigate with sulfur; for every 100 kg of fresh Arisaema tubers, 0.5 kg of sulfur is needed. Fumigate until the core is penetrated, then take them out and dry them in the sun to make the commodity. After sulfur fumigation, the tubers can remain white in color and are not prone to mold and deterioration. The whole Arisaema plant is toxic, so when processing the tubers, wear rubber gloves and a mask to avoid contact with the skin and prevent poisoning.

Yield and Quality

1. Yield: Generally 250-350 kg of dried goods per mu, with a drying ratio of 30%.

2. Quality: Those that are large, white, full of powder, and free of impurities are considered best.