A Detailed Guide to Selecting Codonopsis Seed and Raising Seedlings
Codonopsis is a very common Chinese medicinal herb. Many people keep some at home for standby use. It has the effect of tonifying qi, and can also promote fluid production and invigorate blood, treating symptoms such as insomnia, chronic stomach disease and neurasthenia. Farmers who specialize in growing Codonopsis for sale usually make relatively good money. So how should Codonopsis seed be selected? What seedling-raising methods are there? Friends who want to know should read on below!
1. How should Codonopsis seed be selected?
Codonopsis seed is selected in a way similar to that used for other crops. Generally speaking, you first look at the seed's appearance: large grains, plump seeds and no blemishes make a relatively good seed, meaning the seed was not attacked by pests or diseases during its development.
2. Seedling-raising methods for Codonopsis seed
1. Seed collection
Choose a Codonopsis field with robust growth, thick roots and no pests or diseases as the seed collection field, and collect seed from Codonopsis that is more than two years old. The harvest period is around early to mid-October. When the fruit turns yellowish-brown and soft and the seed turns dark brown, it indicates that the seed is mature and can be harvested.
2. Threshing and drying
Thresh during the period from the end of October to mid-November, choosing fine weather. After threshing and cleaning, Codonopsis seed must be further dried, and should be dried to the standard moisture content of the seed. Do not expose it to high temperatures or dry it quickly at high heat.
3. Storage of Codonopsis seed
Codonopsis seed is small and contains very little energy, so it does not store well. After 1 year of storage at room temperature, the germination rate drops to about 25%; after 2 years of storage at room temperature, the germination rate drops to 3.7%. Therefore, seed kept over to the next year should not be used for planting.
4. Land preparation and fertilization
(1) Land preparation: Codonopsis seedlings are afraid of sun, so the seedling bed should be chosen on a moist shady slope. Choose flat sandy loam land with loose, fertile soil, good soil moisture, no water accumulation, few weeds, rich in humus and relatively light damage from underground pests. Plow deeply 25-30 cm, break up clods, remove grass roots, branches and stones, and rake level.
(2) Fertilization: Fertilization throughout the life of Codonopsis can be divided into four types: base fertilizer, seed fertilizer, topdressing and foliar fertilizer. Organic fertilizer must be fully decomposed and meet harmless sanitation standards, and foliar fertilizer must meet GAP requirements.
When sowing Codonopsis seed, apply seed fertilizer, and apply 1.33 tons per mu of fully decomposed organic fertilizer as base fertilizer along with land preparation. According to the application method, it is generally divided into broadcast application and band application. In broadcast application, fertilizer is spread evenly over the soil surface, sometimes with 1-2 shallow harrowings to mix it with the surface soil. In band application, furrows are opened between rows or near the rows, fertilizer is applied, and then soil is covered. During the last shallow plowing of land preparation, apply 50% phoxim at 0.3 g per sq m and mix it with the soil to kill underground pests.
5. Seed preparation
Seed purity is required to be ≥95%, cleanliness ≥95%, germination rate ≥80%, moisture content ≤13%, and free of pests and diseases. Choose plump seeds with bright color and no contamination. Before sowing, put the seed into a cloth bag, place it in warm water at 40°C-45°C, stir constantly, and soak for 12 hours. Take it out, rinse several times with clean water, place it at 25°C-30°C, cover it well with a wet gunny sack or gauze piece, and pregerminate. After 5-6 days, when the seed begins to germinate and the coat cracks to show white, it can be sown.
6. Sowing period and sowing rate
The suitable germination temperature for Codonopsis seed is 15°C-20°C. The sowing time range is long, and seedlings can be raised in either spring or autumn, mainly depending on soil moisture conditions. Spring sowing is carried out after the land thaws from the end of March to early April. Spring sowing should be early, not late. For autumn sowing, seed treatment is generally not carried out, and it should not be too early, otherwise the seedlings are easily frozen to death, affecting growth the following year. The sowing density of Codonopsis should be controlled at 2600-3000 seeds per sq m, with a sowing rate of 0.8-1 kg per mu. Under relatively dry soil conditions, the emergence rate is low, so the sowing rate can be appropriately increased; when soil moisture is relatively good, the sowing rate can be appropriately reduced.
7. Sowing methods
Codonopsis is generally raised in beds. Bed seedling raising is divided into drilling and broadcasting: for drilling, on the already leveled bed surface first open shallow furrows, generally 3 cm deep and 10-12 cm wide; after the seed is sown, sift fine moist soil over the seed with an iron mesh sieve, with a soil covering thickness of 0.5-0.7 cm, sowing 4 rows per bed, then press lightly so that the soil and seed are tightly combined, and cover immediately. For broadcasting, first scrape off the surface dry soil on the bed, then spread the seed evenly over the bed, use a spike-tooth harrow to shallow-harrow so that the seed mixes with the surface 0.5-1.0 cm of soil, and press appropriately. After sowing, keep the soil moist and loose.
8. Mulching and shading after sowing
After sowing is completed, immediately cover evenly with grass, wheat straw or other grass-family crop straw, about 5 cm thick, so as to help keep the soil moist. This can prevent strong direct sunlight on the seedlings, prevent crusting, and protect the seedlings.
9. Seedbed management
After sowing, keep the seedbed moist. Seedlings emerge in about 9-13 days (if drought occurs, emergence takes longer). When the seedlings grow 2 true leaves, begin intertillage and weeding. For fields where seedlings are densely growing, thin the seedlings when the small seedlings grow to 5-7 cm, with a minimum seedling spacing of about 1.0 cm, an average seedling spacing of 3.0-3.5 cm, and a density preferably within 800-1000 plants per sq m. Apply topdressing according to seedling condition; 50 g each of urea and potassium dihydrogen phosphate can be added to 10 kg of water and sprayed on the seedbed.
10. Lifting seedlings
Codonopsis seedlings overwinter in the field. After the soil thaws the following spring, lift the seedlings before transplanting, taking care to avoid damaging the roots. To lift seedlings, first dig up the seedlings with a three-tooth iron fork, then gently turn them over, pick out the seedlings, and shake off the soil. Tie the dug seedlings into small bundles of 400-500 g with 20% soil attached, put them into gunny sacks or plastic woven bags, and transport them to the transplanting site for transplanting.
11. Storage and transport of Codonopsis seedlings
Generally, seedlings can be raised in most Codonopsis production areas, and during transplanting the seedlings are lifted and transplanted at the same time. However, sometimes seedlings can be raised intensively in areas with irrigation conditions and then sold and transported to other areas for planting. In this case, the lifted seedlings cannot be planted temporarily and need to be heeled in for storage.
The price of Codonopsis is not cheap now, but market demand is relatively large, so the prospects for planting are good and it is a decent planting project. However, when selecting seed, you need to choose high-quality seed, and seedling raising also requires certain methods. I hope this article can help everyone.
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