What varieties of water caltrop are there? With seedling-raising methods

Water caltrop is the underground fruit of the herbaceous plant water caltrop, and it has certain useful value. It is grown in the southern regions of our country, and is cultivated most in the lower Yangtze Taihu region and the Pearl River Delta. We all know that growing water caltrop must be done in water, so what varieties of water caltrop are there? What are the seedling-raising methods? Now let's take a look together.

I. Introduction to water caltrop varieties

1. Wonton water caltrop, produced in the Suzhou, Jiangsu and Hangzhou, Zhejiang area. A late-maturing variety, sown at Qingming, harvested from Autumn Equinox to Frost's Descent. High quality and high yield, sweet and glutinous in taste, with a yield of 1000-1200 jin per mu. The fruit skin is greenish-white, 40-50 fruits per jin, the shoulder horns point upward, the waist horns bend downward, the belly of the caltrop is sunken, the caltrop flesh is thick and solid, the skin is thin, and the ratio of fruit weight to flesh weight is about 1.5:1.

2. Small white water caltrop, produced in Wujiang, Suzhou and other places in Jiangsu. A mid-to-late maturing variety, sown at Qingming, harvested from White Dew to Frost's Descent, with a yield of 600-1200 jin per mu. The flesh is firm and contains a lot of starch, suitable for cooked eating; the fruit shape is relatively small, 60-70 fruits per jin. The skin is greenish-white, the shoulder horns extend slightly upward at a slant, the waist horns are slender and bend downward, the belly is slightly raised, and the ratio of fruit weight to flesh weight is about 1.4:1. The caltrop rosette is small, the stems and vines are tough, the growth vigor is strong, the resistance to wind and waves is relatively strong, the range of growth adaptation is relatively wide, and it is suitable for cultivation in deep water of lakes.

3. Large green water caltrop, produced in Wujiang, Wu County, Yixing and other places in Jiangsu. A mid-maturing type, with sowing and maturity periods the same as the small white water caltrop, with a yield of 1000-1200 jin per mu. Medium quality, large fruit shape, 20-25 fruits per jin. The skin is greenish-white, the shoulders are highly raised, the shoulder horns extend horizontally and are thick and large, and the waist horns are also thick. They bend slightly downward. The fruit skin is thick, and the ratio of fruit weight to flesh weight is about 2:1.

4. Water red water caltrop, produced in Suzhou, Jiangsu and Hangzhou, Zhejiang as well as the Jiaxing area. An early-maturing type, sown at Qingming, tender caltrops begin to be harvested at the Start of Autumn, old caltrops are harvested at the End of Heat and Frost's Descent, with a general yield of 800-1000 jin per mu. The caltrop flesh has a high water content, contains slightly less starch, tastes sweet, and is suitable for raw eating. The leaf stalks, leaf veins and fruit skin are all water-red. The fruit shape is relatively large, 25-35 fruits per jin, the shoulder horns are slender and extend horizontally, the waist horns are medium-long and extend slightly downward at a slant, and the ratio of fruit weight to flesh weight is about 1.5:1. It is not tolerant of deep water and not resistant to wind and waves.

5. Shaobo water caltrop, produced in the Lixiahe area of Jiangsu. An early and mid-maturing type, harvested from the End of Heat to Cold Dew, with medium yield, 500-1000 jin per mu, 40-50 fruits per jin, greenish-white skin, relatively large shoulder horns, sharp waist horns, relatively thin skin, and the ratio of fruit weight to flesh weight is about 1.5:1.

6. Sand horn water caltrop, produced in Wujiang, Wu County and other places in Jiangsu. A mid-maturing type, sown at Qingming and Grain Rain, harvested at the Start of Autumn and the End of Heat. Yield 400-600 jin per mu. The fruit shape is small, the shoulder horns are slender, sharp and extend horizontally, the waist horns extend toward the side of the fruit at a slant, and the skin is greenish-white and thick. The caltrop flesh is hard and rich in starch, suitable for cooked eating. The roots and stems are tough, the leaves are small and densely grown, resistant to wind and waves, and tolerant of deep water and poor soil.

7. Pa water caltrop, also known as black water caltrop, wind water caltrop, large curved-horn water caltrop, produced in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and various places in the south. A late-maturing variety, sown at Qingming and Grain Rain, harvested at Cold Dew and the Start of Autumn, with a yield of 600-1000 jin per mu. The fruit shape is long and large, about 25 fruits per jin. The skin is dark green, and the two horns are thick and long and bend downward. Good quality, contains a lot of starch. When mature, the fruit stalk does not easily fall off, which can reduce the number of harvests; but the skin and shell are thick, and the ratio of fruit weight to flesh weight is about 2:1.

8. Bat water caltrop, produced near Nanjing. An early-maturing variety, sown at Qingming, harvested at the End of Heat and Cold Dew. The growth vigor is relatively weak, the leaf surface is light green, and the underside is reddish-brown. The fruit shape is medium, about 40 fruits per jin. The skin color comes in two types, red and green, the two horns extend horizontally, and the tips are relatively blunt.

9. May water caltrop, produced in the suburbs of Guangzhou. An early-maturing variety, the two horns extend horizontally, the yield is medium, the skin is thin and the flesh is thick, and the caltrop flesh has a high water content, making it a raw-eating variety.

10. July water caltrop, produced in the suburbs of Guangzhou. A late-maturing variety, the fruit skin is green, the fruit shape is long and large, the two horns are thick and long and bend downward, the yield is relatively high, it contains a lot of starch, the skin and shell are thick, and it is suitable for processing into flour and for cooked eating.

II. What are the seedling-raising methods for water caltrop?

1. Planting time

Planting is generally carried out around Qingming, but the specific time depends on when the water temperature stabilizes above 12 degrees. The weather is different every year; sometimes the temperature is reached before Qingming, but sometimes the temperature is still very low. However, some varieties are early-maturing varieties and do not need to be planted so early. But late-maturing varieties can be cultivated early.

2. Seed selection and seedling raising

Choose high-quality varieties, and choose early, mid and late varieties for cultivation, so they can be marketed in batches and seeds can also be saved. For direct seeding cultivation, plant in ponds and keep the water depth at 3 cm, plant water caltrops that have already sprouted caltrop shoots, and sow them evenly. Before sowing, clean the pond thoroughly. Generally, 20 jin of water caltrops are planted per mu. Seedlings can be raised in water depth for planting. For seedling raising, 120 jin of seed is used per mu, which can transplant 5 mu of water surface, and seedling raising takes two rounds before transplanting.

3. Cultivation management

Use 4000 jin of livestock manure per mu as base fertilizer. After sprouting, use 10 jin of urea per mu as topdressing, and after flowering, use 2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate for spraying several times. To prevent aphids, use 90% crystal trichlorfon 800 times solution for spraying. Spray once more than a week later. The main disease is caltrop plague, for which 5% jinggangmycin 400 g mixed with 50 kg of water is used for spraying. Remove weeds and some aquatic plants at any time.

4. Environmental requirements

Plant in moist mud in temperate zones, suitable for ponds, swamps, and fields converted from river channels. It likes a warm environment and is not suitable for planting in a cool environment. The most suitable growth temperature is 25 degrees to 36 degrees; generally in summer the water temperature is a bit lower. For planting water depth, it is 3 cm when sowing, gradually increases after emergence, and is maintained at about 0.6 m after growing up.

The above is the introduction to water caltrop. Water caltrop can be eaten raw and has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying. Not only that, it has various preparation methods, tastes good and is rich in nutrients, and has been loved by the broad masses.

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