Detailed Explanation of Key Techniques for High-Yield Cultivation of Cowherb Seed

Cowherb Seed, also known as Wangbuliuxing, Liuxingzi, Damainiu, Mailancai, Naimi, etc. Its mature seeds are used medicinally, with effects such as promoting blood circulation and regulating menstruation, reducing swelling and relieving pain, and promoting labor and lactation. It is mainly used to treat amenorrhea, blocked milk flow, mastitis, sores and boils with swelling and toxin, gallstones, and other conditions. It is distributed across most parts of the country, mostly growing wild.

Morphological characteristics: It is a 1- to 2-year herbaceous plant of the Caryophyllaceae family. Leaves are simple and opposite, ovate to oblong, with petioles 5-7 mm long. The umbel blooms before the leaves, clustered at the tips of branchlets, with 4 involucral bracts. Flowers are bisexual, yellow, with broadly triangular sepals, ligulate or lanceolate petals, 4 stamens alternating with the petals, and an inferior ovary, usually one-loculed. The drupe is elliptical, red to purplish red when mature, glossy, with a leathery exocarp, fleshy mesocarp, and hard stony endocarp.

I. Growth habits: Cowherb seed prefers a warm and humid climate. It is cold-tolerant, drought-tolerant, and afraid of waterlogging. It has low requirements for soil, but loose and fertile soil is best. Low-lying land is not suitable for planting.

II. Land preparation and fertilization: Choose a field with high terrain and good drainage, and cultivate it finely. In combination with land preparation, apply sufficient base fertilizer: 3000 kg of farmyard manure, 20 kg of urea, and 50 kg of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer per mu.

III. Sowing: Cowherb seed is propagated by seed. Sowing periods include autumn sowing and spring sowing. The south mostly uses autumn sowing, while the north mostly uses spring sowing. When sowing, a seed drill or sowing machine can be used to sow cowherb seed directly onto the prepared raised beds. The sowing rate is 1.5 kg per mu.

IV. Field management: After cowherb seed seedlings emerge uniformly, attention should be paid to cultivating and weeding. Water during dry weather, and drain promptly during rainy weather.

V. Pest and disease control: The main disease of cowherb seed is leaf spot. For control, 65% mancozeb or 50% carbendazim can be used in the early stage of the disease. Spray once a week for three consecutive times. The main pest is the fruit borer, which bites and feeds on the fruit, and phoxim can be used for control.

VI. Harvesting and processing: Autumn-sown cowherb seed generally matures around Xiaoman to Mangzhong in the second year after sowing. When the seeds turn from yellow to black, cut them off at the root with a sickle, dry them in the sun, thresh them, remove all impurities, and they can be sold for medicinal use. The yield is 150 kg per mu.