Detailed Explanation of the Key Points of Scutellaria baicalensis Cultivation Techniques
Scutellaria baicalensis Cultivation Techniques
Growth habits: It has strong adaptability, prefers a warm and humid climate, tolerates cold, fears waterlogging, and likes sunlight. It is not particular about soil, and can be grown in ordinary land, but it grows best in loose, fertile land with good drainage.
Propagation and cultivation: There are two methods, seed propagation and root division propagation.
1. Seed propagation: It is divided into autumn sowing and spring sowing. Autumn sowing emerges earlier and more uniformly than spring sowing. After the late autumn crops are harvested, apply sufficient base fertilizer to the field, plow deeply to about 1 chi, level and harrow finely, and drill or broadcast at a row spacing of 1.2 chi to 1.5 chi, at a depth of 0.5 cun, keeping the soil suitably moist or dry. Use 2 jin of seed per mu, and seedlings emerge in about 15 days. For seedling raising in beds and transplanting, raise seedlings in spring and transplant in autumn. Sow around Qingming, and transplant to the field in August and September.
2. Root division propagation: Select 2-year-old roots as seed roots. Before planting, cut them into small sections 3 cun long, with the top facing upward and do not place them upside down. Plant them in holes in the field at a plant spacing of 8 cun to 1 chi, with 1 to 2 sections per hole, cover with soil and press firmly. Use 50 to 70 jin of seed roots per mu. They can sprout and emerge in 20-25 days. When the seedlings are 3 cun tall, check the seedlings and fill gaps, loosen the soil and weed, and apply chemical fertilizer and cake fertilizer in stages. Irrigate in drought and drain in waterlogging. Plants propagated from rhizomes can flower and set seed in the same year. If seed is not to be collected, cut off the flowering branches so that nutrients are concentrated in root growth.
Pest and disease control: Scutellaria baicalensis is prone to root rot in autumn rain. In the early stage, the fibrous roots become diseased, which is not easy to notice. As the disease develops, the main root is prone to root rot and brown decay, and the lesions spread to the rhizome, causing the leaves to wither. For prevention and control, soak the seed roots in thiophanate-methyl before planting. During the disease period, spray carbendazim on the leaves 2 to 3 times. Pests include aphids, white grubs, wireworms, cutworms, and others, and trichlorfon, dimethoate, pyrethroid pesticides, and others can all be used for control.
Harvesting and processing: After Scutellaria baicalensis has grown for 2 to 3 years, it can be dug up in late autumn or early spring. When digging, do not break the main root. Select uniform roots that are free of pests and diseases, about 5 cm in diameter, and even in thickness at both ends, preferably 20 cm long. Knock off the coarse bark, dry the export-grade roots separately, and the remainder is the dry Scutellaria root. Remove stems and leaves, dry until completely dry, and use as medicine.
Generally, the high yield is about 600 jin.
Cultivation:
(1) Climate and soil
Scutellaria baicalensis is suited to a warm and slightly cold climate, and a fertile sandy loam with good drainage is best.
(2) Planting
From late March to mid-April, use seed propagation. Before sowing, plow the land deeply and apply decomposed compost or human manure and urine, plant ash, and other materials as base fertilizer. Drill or broadcast. For drilling, the row spacing is about 30 cm. After sowing, cover with a layer of fine soil and water. Seedlings emerge in about 15 days. When the seedlings are 10-15 cm tall, they can be planted out. Generally, planting out is done in September or April-May. Make beds about 60 cm wide, and open holes at a row spacing of 30 cm and a plant spacing of about 25 cm. Plant 1 seedling per hole, cover with soil, and press lightly.
Planting techniques
1. Site selection and land preparation: It is advisable to choose neutral to slightly alkaline sandy loam or humus loam with high and dry terrain, sufficient sunlight, deep soil layers, good drainage, and a low groundwater table for planting. After selecting the land, in combination with land preparation, apply 2500 kg of barnyard manure plus 50 kg of superphosphate per mu as base fertilizer, and plow deeply more than 30 cm. Before sowing, harrow finely and level to make high beds 1.3 m wide; in the north, flat beds can be made. Open bed furrows 40 cm wide, and open relatively deep drainage ditches around the perimeter, with deep ditches and flat bottoms, so that drainage is smooth.
2. Transplanting: The aboveground stems and leaves of Scutellaria baicalensis wither in October and sprout and turn green again in April of the following year. Transplanting should be done before the soil freezes in autumn or before sprouting in spring of the second year. On the leveled and finely harrowed bed surface, open horizontal ditches at a row spacing of 25-27 cm. Divide the dug seedlings into two grades by size, and plant them vertically into the ditches at a plant spacing of 8-10 cm, with the root head 3 cm below the soil surface. After planting, fill with soil and press firmly, water promptly, and then cover with soil level with the bed surface.
Field management: Weed at any time. After planting out, loosen the soil, earth up, and topdress 2-3 times. During the flowering period, except for plants kept for seed, remove flower buds at any time. For seed production, choose well-developed 2-3-year-old plants.
Pests and diseases and their control
1. Leaf blight damages the leaves. In the early stage of the disease, irregular dark brown lesions first appear from the leaf tip or leaf margin, then spread rapidly from bottom to top, and in severe cases cause the leaves to die.
Control methods: (1) After harvest in winter, remove diseased and residual branches and leaves to eliminate overwintering pathogens; (2) In the early stage of the disease, spray with 50% carbendazim 1000-fold solution, or 1:1:120 Bordeaux mixture, once every 7-10 days, for 2-3 consecutive sprays.
2. Root rot occurs in August-September. In the early stage, only individual lateral roots and fibrous roots turn brown and rot, then gradually spread to the main root, which rots, and the whole plant dies.
Control methods: (1) Pay attention to drainage during the rainy season to reduce field humidity; (2) In the early stage of the disease, irrigate diseased plants with 50% thiophanate 1000-fold solution.
3. Dodder disease: From June to October, dodder twines around the stems of Scutellaria baicalensis, absorbs nutrients, and causes the stems and leaves to wither early.
Control methods: (1) Clean-select seeds before sowing; (2) Pull out dodder whenever it is found; (3) Spray the biological pesticide “Lubao No. 1” to kill it.
III. Research on harvesting and preliminary processing procedures
Collection: Harvest from spring to early summer (autumn is also acceptable). Select plants that have grown for 3-4 years. After digging out the roots, remove the stems and seedlings, fibrous roots, and soil. Dry until half dry, knock off the cork layer, and then dry until completely dry.
Medicinal material: When dry, it is obconical, twisted and not straight, 7-12 cm long, about 1-2 cm in diameter. The surface is deep yellow or yellow-brown. The upper part has relatively rough bark, with twisted longitudinal wrinkles or irregular reticulate veins; the lower part has fine bark, with longitudinal striations or fine wrinkles; both upper and lower parts have sparse warty lateral root scars. It is hard and brittle, and breaks easily; the broken surface is deep yellow, with brownish-red or brownish-black decayed flaky tissue in the middle, commonly called “dry Scutellaria” or “dry qin”; or because it is hollow and not hard, in split form, it is commonly called “Scutellaria slices”. The root turns yellow-green when exposed to moisture or cold water. Odorless, bitter in taste. Those with thick and long roots, solid texture, yellow color, and completely removed outer bark are better. Short roots, loose texture, deep yellow color, and split pieces are inferior in quality.
Mainly produced in Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shandong, Shaanxi, and other places. In addition, Liaoning and Heilongjiang also produce it.
The Scutellaria baicalensis produced in Sichuan and Yunnan is the root of the plant Scutellaria amoena. The medicinal material is similar in appearance, but thinner, generally about 0.5-1 cm in diameter, often branched, with a very obvious yellow-green broken surface, and poorer quality.