Cultivation Techniques and Field Management Points for Gorgon Nut

Gorgon nut, also known as red lotus seed, is an annual aquatic herbaceous plant and a dual-purpose medicinal and edible material. Its seed kernel is used as medicine, and it has effects such as tonifying the kidney and astringing essence, strengthening the spleen and stopping diarrhea, and calming the mind. It is mainly used to treat diabetes, spleen deficiency edema, and other conditions. The seed kernel contains large amounts of starch, protein, fatty oil, vitamin C, and trace elements such as calcium, iron, and phosphorus. It is very nutritious and can be made into health foods for dietary therapy. Because its wild resources have been decreasing year by year and the commercially available supply is insufficient, in recent years there has been a gap between market supply and demand, prices have continued to rise, and the market outlook is favorable. Therefore, artificial cultivation of gorgon nut has broad prospects, and medicinal herb growers with suitable conditions can develop production according to local conditions. Gorgon nut is mainly produced in Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guizhou, Sichuan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei, and the northeastern provinces, and all regions of China are suitable for cultivation. The artificial cultivation techniques are introduced as follows:

Site selection: Gorgon nut prefers a warm climate and an aquatic environment with sufficient light. It is advisable to choose fields, ponds, ditches, swamps, and lakeside areas with a reliable water source for planting. The bottom soil should preferably be loose clay mud with medium fertility. Streams with a sandy nature and cold-water ponds with excessive acidity are not suitable for planting.

Sowing: (1) Direct seeding: This can be divided into spring sowing and autumn sowing. Spring sowing is from March to April, and autumn sowing is from September to October. Autumn sowing with fresh seeds is preferable. When sowing, if the soil is slightly dry, the seeds can be scattered directly into the soil; if the pond has a lot of water and the seeds cannot be sown evenly, moist soil can be kneaded into small mud balls, with 2 to 3 seeds mixed into each ball, and then sown into the water at a row spacing of 120×150cm. The seeds sink to the bottom with the mud balls and can then germinate and grow. (2) Transplanting young shoots: A place where gorgon nut was planted the previous year cannot be sown again the next year. However, because the fruit naturally splits open after ripening, some seeds scatter into the pond and can sprout and grow the following year. When the leaves float to the water surface and reach a diameter of 15 to 20cm, they can be transplanted.

Management: (1) Thinning seedlings: After the seedlings float to the water surface, if they are unevenly spaced, they should be appropriately thinned, and overly dense seedlings should be transplanted to areas with missing seedlings. When transplanting seedlings, use your feet to clamp the roots and press them into the mud, and be sure not to break or injure the tender stems. While thinning seedlings, remove weeds from the pond, which is beneficial for the growth of gorgon nut seedlings. (2) Regulating water volume: The key to a high yield of gorgon nut is timely regulation of the water level. According to production experience, the principle of water regulation is “shallow in spring, deep in summer, release in autumn, store in winter.” Shallow water in spring allows sunlight exposure, which can raise the temperature of the mud and benefit seedling growth; deep water in summer can promote elongation of the leaf stalks; appropriately releasing water in autumn can promote fruit ripening; storing water in winter allows the seeds to overwinter safely at the bottom. To improve economic benefits, fish can also be raised at the same time in ponds used for growing gorgon nut, but fish species that do not harm gorgon nut must be selected, such as silver carp and bighead carp. The fish feed put into the pond and the fish excrement can both serve as fertilizer for gorgon nut, so no additional fertilization is needed. (3) Pest and disease prevention: In May to June, aphids harm the leaves, causing them to turn yellow and curl, and in severe cases the whole plant dies. For control, 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate diluted 800 to 1500 times can be sprayed on the leaf surface to kill them.

Harvesting and processing: Harvest in the same year for spring planting and the following year for autumn planting. Generally, from September to October, when the fruit skin turns reddish brown, they can be harvested in batches. After the fruits are brought back, use a wooden stick or similar object to pound the spiny fruit skin, take out the seeds, remove the hard shells, and dry them in the sun. Alternatively, pile the fruits on the ground, wait until the fruit skin rots, wash and dry them in the sun, then remove the fruit shells and dry the gorgon nut kernels in the sun. Generally, the yield per mu is 120 to 150kg of dry seeds, and the kernel yield rate of dry seeds is about 70%. In terms of quality, those without shells, without broken grains, large and plump, and bright in color are considered best.