Detailed Explanation of Key Points of the New Technology for Wolfberry Cutting Propagation

Wolfberry (goji, Lycium chinense) is a perennial deciduous small shrub in the Solanaceae family, about 2 m tall, with angular, thorny branches; leaves are simple, alternate or clustered on short shoots, lanceolate or rhombic, with entire margins; flowers are purplish red; the fruit is a berry, orange-red, ovate or oblong. Wolfberry prefers cool, moist, fertile soil, is cold-resistant, drought-resistant and wind-and-rain resistant, but is not tolerant of high temperatures, and can also grow normally beside barren roads, ditches and canals.

Wolfberry can be propagated by seed, and also by division, layering and cutting. The following mainly describes the facility cutting propagation method:

1. Land preparation and bed making: In combination with land preparation, apply 5000 kg of farmyard manure per mu, 100 kg of three-element compound fertilizer or 150 kg of compound mixed fertilizer, requiring a ploughing depth of more than 30 cm, the soil harrowed fine, the land leveled, and the fertilizer mixed evenly, then make flat beds 1 m wide, with north-south beds being preferable.

2. Cutting of cuttings: In late February, cut current-year well-developed, pest-and-disease-free 1-year-old branches from wolfberry trees, cut them into 15 cm long cuttings, with the upper cut flat and the lower cut slanted, tie every 100 into a bundle, and store them in sand indoors for later use, keeping the room temperature at about 5°C.

3. Film covering: In early March, choose a sunny and windless day, cover the plastic film over the shed to warm the ground and raise the shed temperature.

4. Management of cutting seedlings: In late March, take out the cuttings, soak them in running water for 1 day and night, then insert them vertically or obliquely on the beds in the shed, requiring about 10 cm into the soil, with 5 rows per bed, and a plant-row spacing of 10 cm × 20 cm, and water thoroughly after insertion. Through measures such as uncovering and covering the straw mat and ventilation, control the shed temperature above 12°C, keep the soil surface moist, and germination can occur in about 25 days. After germination, control the shed temperature above 10°C, and keep the soil surface slightly moist (or a relative humidity of 75%). When weeds grow on the beds, shallow intertillage and weeding can be carried out to raise the ground temperature. In mid-April, after ventilation and hardening of the seedlings for a period, the shed film can be removed. If insects occur, 3000-fold decamethrin can be used for control. Other management is the same as for field seedling raising.