Detailed Explanation of Pinellia pedatisecta Cultivation Techniques and Planting Management Points

Pinellia pedatisectais the dried tuber of the Araceae plant Pinellia pedatisecta Schott, also known as gouzhua banxia and huzhang nanxing. It has the functions of drying dampness and resolving phlegm, dispelling wind and stopping spasms, and dissipating nodules and reducing swelling. It is mainly produced in Jiangsu, Henan, Anhui, Shandong and other provinces; in China, it is distributed in most areas except **, Tibet and Heilongjiang.

I. Morphological Characteristics

Perennial herb, plant height 40-60 cm. Tuber oblate-spherical, diameter 2-5 cm, often bearing small tubers around it. Leaves nearly basal; plants grown from seed in the current year have a single leaf, heart-shaped; those in the second and third years have pedate divisions, with 5-11 lobes, lanceolate, 6-15 cm long and 2-4 cm wide; petiole 20-50 cm long. Flower stem 10-40 cm long; spathe pale green, tubular in the lower part, gradually narrowed upward, slightly blunt at the tip; flowers unisexual, monoecious; spadix with female flowers in the lower part, adnate to the spathe, and male flowers in the upper part; the apical appendage is slender and rat-like, yellow-green. Berry ovoid, greenish white, with 1 seed, brown. Flowering period June-July, fruiting period August-September.

II. Growth Habits

Pinellia pedatisecta is a shade-loving plant, mostly growing wild in valleys or shady and humid forest environments at an altitude of 200-1000 m. It fears strong light, likes water and fertilizer, fears drought and waterlogging, and avoids severe cold. The seeds and tubers have no physiological dormancy characteristics. The optimum temperature for seed germination is 22-24°C, with a germination rate above 90%. Seed longevity is 1 year.

III. Cultivation Techniques

1. Site selection and land preparation: choose a shaded place for planting; if planted in open sunny land, it should be intercropped with tall crops such as corn. The soil should be moist, loose and fertile sandy loam. Apply sufficient base fertilizer, 4000-5000 kg of farmyard manure per mu, then plow, rake level and make wide beds 1.2-1.5 m wide.

2. Propagation methods: in production, tuber propagation is mainly used, and seed propagation can also be used.

(1) Seed propagation: use newly harvested seeds of the current year, sow in drills in early August on prepared beds at a row spacing of 12-15 cm, covering with about 1.5 cm of soil. At a temperature of 20-25°C, seedlings emerge about 10 days after sowing. When the seedlings are 5-10 cm high the following year, thin to a plant spacing of 15 cm, and remove every other row; the thinned seedlings can be transplanted to another field. Because seed propagation has a long growth period and low yield, it is generally not used in production.

(2) Tuber propagation: when harvesting in autumn from October to November, select pest-free, healthy and intact small and medium tubers as seed tubers, store them in a cellar or indoors in sand, and maintain humidity at about 5°C, which is more suitable. Take them out in April of the following year, open furrows 5-6 cm deep on the prepared beds at a row spacing of 20-25 cm, and then plant at a plant spacing of 15-20 cm. When planting, make sure the bud tip faces upward, cover with 4-5 cm of soil, and then water once. Use about 60 kg of seed tubers per mu.

3. Field management: during the growing period, keep the soil moist frequently, water less but often, loosen the soil in time, and pay attention to drainage in the rainy season. June-July is the peak growth period, and about 600 kg of human and animal manure urine should be applied per mu as a topdressing; in August, apply another 60 kg of bean cake fertilizer as a topdressing, and increase the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to promote tuber enlargement. During the flowering period, except for plants retained for seed, all flower stems can be removed.

4. Pest and disease control

(1) Red spider mites damage leaves and can be controlled by spraying 20% amitraz emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution or 73% propargite at 3000 times dilution.

(2) Root rot disease, see Pinellia ternata.

(3) Red hawk moth, see Pinellia ternata.

(IV) Harvesting and Processing

In autumn, when the aboveground part turns yellow and withered, dig out the tubers, remove the soil, stems, leaves and fibrous roots, then put them into a basket and rub off the outer skin, wash them clean with water, and scrape off any remaining outer skin with a bamboo slice. Sun-dry or oven-dry, and they are ready for sale as a commodity.