Detailed Explanation of Cultivation Techniques and Planting Methods for Chuanxiong (Ligusticum chuanxiong)

Chuanxiong, also known as Fuxiong or Xiaoye Chuanxiong, is an authentic medicinal herb of Sichuan. It is mainly produced in Xindu District of Chengdu, Shiyang Town of Dujiangyan, Aoping Town of Pengzhou, Liaojia Town of Chongzhou, Huayuan Town of Pixian County, and Shifang, among other places. Chuanxiong has very high requirements for natural conditions; apart from the above areas, other places are not suitable for developing Chuanxiong.

Szechuan lovage prefers a mild climate, abundant rainfall, sufficient sunlight, and a relatively humid environment. However, during the Ling seed (lingzi) cultivation stage and storage period, cool climate conditions are required. The growth period is 280-290 days. In flat plain areas, it is advisable to select sandy loam soil with deep, loose, and fertile layers, good drainage, rich organic matter content, and neutral or slightly acidic pH. It prefers organic fertilizer; on the basis of applying general farmyard manure, adding nitrogen fertilizer can significantly increase yield, and combined application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers can further increase yield.

Chuanxiong uses asexual reproduction. The propagation material of Chuanxiong is the aboveground stem nodes, commonly known as "lingzi" or "xiong lingzi." In the main production area of Sichuan, mountain areas at an altitude of 900-1500 m are often selected specifically for cultivating "lingzi" to supply flatland or hilly areas for planting.

Lingzi Cultivation

Site Selection and Land Preparation: Select virgin land or clay loam in cool high-mountain sunny slopes, or low-mountain half-shady half-sunny slopes. Before planting, remove weeds thoroughly, clear and burn the land, loosen the soil to 30 cm deep, and then make beds 1.5 m wide.

Propagation of Lingzi: From late December to early January-February of the following year, dig up Chuanxiong from the dam area, remove fibrous roots and soil, and call it "fuxiong." Then transport it to mountain areas above 1000 m altitude to cultivate "lingzi."

Before the Beginning of Spring, level and rake the bed surface fine, and plant fuxiong by grading into large, medium, and small sizes. Dig holes at spacings of 30×30 cm, 25×25 cm, and 20×20 cm respectively, with a hole depth of 6-7 cm. Plant 1 large fuxiong per hole, or 2 small ones, with buds facing upward, plant firmly and press down, then apply compost or liquid manure, and cover with soil to fill the hole surface.

Tending and Management: Seedlings emerge in early March. After the seedlings are fully established, carry out 1 intertillage and weeding, combined with thinning; first scrape away the soil to expose the top of the rhizome, select and retain 8-10 uniformly thick and robust stems, and pull out all the rest. From late March to the end of April, carry out intertillage and weeding once each; during intertillage, shallow hoeing is advisable to avoid damaging the roots. Combine intertillage and weeding with 1 topdressing of organic fertilizer, applying 2500 kg of human and livestock manure water and 100 kg of rapeseed cake per mu each time.

Harvesting Lingzi: In mid-to-late July, when the stem node discs are significantly swollen, slightly purple, and the stems are flower-red, dig them up on a cloudy day or early on a sunny morning. After digging, remove rotten plants and select and retain robust plants. Remove the leaves, cut off the rhizomes, which are called "shan chuanxiong" and can also be used medicinally. Then, bundle the collected stems into small bundles and transport them to a cool mountain cave for storage as propagation material.

Lingzi Storage: Lingzi is stored in mountain caves or cool indoor rooms. When storing, first spread a layer of thatch on the ground, stack the stems crosswise on it, and then cover with thatch. Turn them over once every 7-10 days. Take them out before the Beginning of Autumn, cut them into short sections 3-4 cm long according to node size, and each section must retain 1 node disc in the middle, thus forming "lingzi." Every 100 kg of "fuxiong" can produce 200-250 kg of "lingzi." Then, carry out individual selection and grading, and plant them separately.

Planting Techniques

Site Selection and Land Preparation: For cultivating propagation material in mountain areas, after selecting the site, remove weeds thoroughly, burn the weeds on site to make ash as base fertilizer, plow the land to about 25 cm deep, rake fine and level, and make beds 1.7-1.8 m wide according to terrain and drainage conditions. For cultivation in flat dam areas, the previous crop is mostly early rice (the best preceding crop for early rice is green manure such as vetch or Chinese milk vetch). After harvest, remove the rice stubble, open ditches and make beds, with a bed width of about 1.6 m, ditch width of 33 cm and depth of about 25 cm, and loosen the topsoil and shape it into a fish-back form. It is best to first broadcast compost or barnyard manure on the bed surface, and mix it evenly with the topsoil when digging.

Timely Planting: Carry out around the Beginning of Autumn, and no later than the end of August. If too early, seedlings are likely to wither under the influence of high temperatures; if too late, the temperature has already dropped, which is unfavorable for rhizome growth. Planting should be carried out on sunny days, and it is best to finish planting the same day. Before planting, remove all lingzi that have no buds or damaged buds, stem nodes bitten by insects, node discs carrying insects, or buds that have already sprouted. Then, plant by grading according to lingzi size. When planting, open shallow horizontal furrows on the bed surface, with a row spacing of 30-40 cm and a depth of about 3 cm. Then, at a plant spacing of 17-20 cm, place the lingzi diagonally into the furrow, gently press the bud tip upward and sideways, and do not plant too deep or too shallow; half exposed on the soil surface is sufficient. At the same time, also plant 2 lingzi at each end between rows, and plant another row of lingzi every 10 rows, for use in replanting. After planting, cover the lingzi node discs with fine soil manure or a mixture of burned soil ash and compost. Finally, cover the bed surface with a layer of rice straw to avoid direct sunlight and rain erosion. Use 30-40 kg of lingzi per mu. Sichuan medicinal farmers mostly use a special planting tool called "pupazi" for planting lingzi, which is fast and gives good quality.

Field Management

Intertillage and Weeding: Generally carried out 4 times. The 1st time is after full seedling emergence in late August, with 1 shallow hoeing; after an interval of 20 days, carry out the 2nd intertillage and weeding, and shallow loosening of the soil is advisable, never damaging the roots; after another 20 days, carry out the 3rd weeding; this is the peak period of underground rhizome development, so only pull out weeds and do not intertill; the 4th time is carried out in mid-to-late January of the following year when the aboveground stems and leaves begin to turn yellow, first clearing the withered stems and leaves in the field, without intertillage and weeding, and earth up around the root crown to help the rhizome overwinter safely. This earthing up is called "hao dong yao" by medicinal farmers in the production area.

Rational Fertilization: In the same year and the second year after planting Chuanxiong, only when the aboveground stems and leaves grow vigorously, form a certain nutritional area, and produce a large amount of dry matter can nutrients be transported to the underground rhizome to promote its robust growth and development. Therefore, within two months after planting, topdressing should be concentrated 3 times, which can be combined with intertillage and weeding. For the 1st time, apply 1000-1500 kg of human and livestock manure water and 25-50 kg of decomposed cake fertilizer per mu, dilute with 3 times water, mix evenly, and apply in holes; for the 2nd time, apply 1500-2000 kg of human and livestock manure water and 30-50 kg of decomposed cake fertilizer per mu, dilute with 2 times water, and apply; for the 3rd time, first apply 2000-2500 kg of human and livestock manure water per mu, dilute with 1 times water and apply, then use 500 kg of a dry fertilizer mixture of cake fertilizer, burned soil ash, compost, and soil manure, apply in holes beside the plants, and cover with soil after application. It is best to do this before Frost's Descent; if too late, organic fertilizer is not easily decomposed and fertilizer efficiency is low. In January of the following year during "hao dong yao," combine with earthing up and apply 1 more application of dry manure. After greening up in February-March, apply 1 more application of thin human and livestock manure water to promote growth and development, which can increase yield.