How to select Indian elephant foot (Elephantopus scaber) seeds? What are the seedling-raising methods?

Indian elephant foot, also called gentian grass, the whole plant can be used as medicine and is one of China's traditional Chinese medicinal materials. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling blood and promoting diuresis, and is often used to treat colds, tonsil and throat inflammation, irregular menstruation, abnormal vaginal discharge and other conditions. Its medicinal value is extremely high, and many farmers grow it. So how should Indian elephant foot seeds be selected? What are the seedling-raising methods? Let's take a look together below.

1. How to select Indian elephant foot seeds?

The seeds of Indian elephant foot are relatively small. When planting, healthy and plump seeds should be selected, and germination requires relatively high temperature, humidity and light conditions, so in order to increase the germination rate, warm water seed soaking and germination acceleration are generally carried out before sowing to improve the germination rate.

Of course, in areas with suitable temperatures, germination acceleration is not needed. It can germinate in about a week at a temperature of around 25 degrees. After emergence, the seedling growth environment prefers weak light and fears strong light, so when light is too strong, shading should be done well, and seedling-stage management should be strengthened at the same time. Keep the soil moist to promote seedling growth.

2. What are the seedling-raising methods for Indian elephant foot?

1. Land selection and land preparation

Indian elephant foot is a wild plant with strong adaptability to the environment and not strict requirements for soil, but for yield and returns, it is best to choose plots with good drainage, deep soil layers, and loose, fertile soil for planting. When reclaiming and planting on hillsides and forest edges, land preparation and plowing should be carried out in the winter of the year before planting, stones and weed residues in the field should be cleared, and according to soil fertility, an appropriate amount of farmyard manure should be applied as base fertilizer. The same applies to understory planting or intercropping in orchards.

2. Propagation methods

The propagation methods of Indian elephant foot include seedling transplanting, direct seed sowing, root division propagation, cutting propagation, etc. In production, seedling transplanting or direct sowing is generally used. For seedling transplanting, before sowing, the seeds should first be sun-dried or germinated, then broadcast on the seedbed, generally at 1.5-2 kg of seed per mu, and covered with a thin layer of soil. After emergence, do a good job of seedling-stage management. When the seedlings grow to 5 leaves, they can be transplanted. When transplanting, water the seedlings before lifting them to avoid root damage, then dig holes in the planting field and plant them. Direct sowing is suitable for pure planting or intercropping in orchards and under forests. Dig holes on the ground at a spacing of 20 cm x 15 cm, sow 6-8 seeds per hole, cover with a layer of fertilized soil after sowing, water to keep the soil moist, and after emergence, thin and finalize the seedlings in time.

3. Field management

For seedling transplanting, after 7-10 days of survival, check the field in time, remove plants that have not survived, and replant in time. The same applies to thinning in direct sowing. Half a month after replanting, cultivate and weed in time to promote seedling growth. Combined with cultivation and weeding, apply 500-600 kg of decomposed human feces and urine per mu to accelerate seedling growth. Afterwards, according to the growth status of the seedlings and the growth status of weeds, cultivate and weed in a timely manner. If the weed damage is severe, topdress in time after weeding to avoid poor plant growth affecting yield and quality. In the later stage, in order to save nutrients, for plantings not kept for seed, when buds appear in August, remove the buds in time to concentrate nutrients for root and stem growth, promote root and stem yield, and increase returns.

4. Collection and processing

The collection and processing of Indian elephant foot differ depending on the method of use. For those used for seed, during the seed maturity period from October to November, harvest the fruit, dry it in the sun, remove impurities, and store it for later use. For those used medicinally, it is generally harvested in autumn. After harvesting, remove impurities from the whole plant and dry it in the sun for sale or storage for medicinal use. For root division propagation, harvest in autumn, dig out the underground rhizomes, cut them into stem segments with more than 3 buds, and plant them for propagation. For cutting propagation, harvest from June to July, before the plant's flower bud differentiation, cut aboveground stems, remove the tender top parts, cut them into stem segments with 3 nodes, and carry out cutting seedling raising or planting.

The above is an introduction to Indian elephant foot. Indian elephant foot is a relatively common medicinal material with large market demand. If you want to grow Indian elephant foot, you must master the above seedling-raising methods. We hope the above content can be helpful to growers.

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