Key Cultivation Techniques and Planting Management Methods for Galangal
GalangalThe dried mature fruit of the ginger family plant galangal (Alpinia officinarum Hance), also known as liangjiang, xiao liangjiang, hai liangjiang, etc. It has the effects of warming the stomach and dispelling cold, and promoting digestion and relieving pain. Galangal grows wild in tropical and subtropical gentle-slope grasslands or in shrub thickets of low hills. It is mainly distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Taiwan, China, and other places.
(1) Morphological Characteristics
Perennial herbaceous plant. The plant is 40-100 cm tall, clumping and upright; the rhizome creeps horizontally, cylindrical, brownish-red or purplish-red; leaves are alternate, in 2 rows, the leaf blade is narrowly linear-lanceolate, with an acuminate apex and a gradually narrowed base, entire or with inconspicuous sparse blunt teeth, smooth on both surfaces, the leaf sheath is open and clasping the stem, the ligule is up to 3 cm long, membranous, brown; the raceme is terminal, the calyx is tubular, brown, the corolla tube is funnel-shaped, the lip is ovate, white with red stripes; the capsule is spherical, indehiscent, orange-red when mature, containing numerous brown seeds with blunt angles.
(2) Growth Habits
It prefers a warm and humid climate environment, is drought-tolerant, and fears waterlogging. In the main production area of Xuwen County, Guangdong Province, the average annual temperature is 23.3°C and the annual rainfall is 1100-1803 mm, where it grows well. It does not adapt to strong light and requires certain shade conditions. It has low requirements for soil, and red soil or sandy loam with deep, loose, fertile soil rich in humus is best.
(3) Cultivation Techniques
1. Site selection and land preparation. It is advisable to choose sloped land or gentle slopes with convenient drainage and irrigation and fertile, loose soil for planting. It can also be planted under shelterbelts or under fruit tree stands. Plow in autumn and winter, prepare the land and make beds, with a bed width of 1.2 m, and apply 2000-2500 kg of decomposed farmyard manure per mu as base fertilizer.
2. Propagation methods. Propagate by seeds and rhizomes.
(1) Seed propagation. Sow immediately after harvesting, generally in autumn, with early to mid-August to September being best. On the prepared seedbed, open shallow furrows at a row spacing of 10 cm for drilling, evenly scatter the treated seeds in the furrows, cover with soil, then cover with grass, and water to keep moist. Seeds germinate after about 20 days. Generally, seedlings need half a year before they can be planted.
(2) Rhizome propagation. Select robust 1-2 year old tender rhizomes that have 5-6 buds, are free of pests and diseases, and are relatively plump. Galangal has two cultivated varieties, and production areas mostly use “Niu Jiang” as seed. Cut into small sections about 15 cm long, with 2-3 nodes per section. Propagate in spring and autumn. On the prepared land, open holes for planting at a plant and row spacing of 30 cm x 25 cm, plant 2 sections per hole, cover with soil and press lightly, then water to settle the roots. About 80 kg of rhizomes are used per mu.
3. Field management.
(1) Shading. After the seeds germinate, promptly remove the covering grass and set up a shade shed as appropriate.
(2) Thinning. When the seedlings grow to 3-6 cm, remove the weak and keep the strong, so that the spacing between plants is 4 cm.
(3) Weeding and watering. Weed 2-3 times in the early stage, and once each in summer and autumn after the rows close. Water or irrigate during drought to keep the soil moist and promote tillering and rhizome growth.
(4) Intercropping and mixed planting. It can be interplanted under mango orchards, or mixed with crops such as pineapple and sweet potato.
(5) Topdressing and earthing up. About 50 days after planting, apply diluted human and livestock manure water fertilizer. After the plants close rows, apply compound fertilizer once, 20-25 kg per mu. Earth up around the plants in combination with loosening the soil, or at the end of autumn and beginning of winter in combination with clearing the garden, use soil and miscellaneous fertilizer and topsoil to mound the base of the plants, which is beneficial for promoting growth and accelerating early development. At the same time, apply 3000 kg of farmyard manure per mu.
4. Pest and disease control.
(1) Root rot. It mostly occurs in hot seasons. Control method: drench the roots with 0.2-0.4 degree Baume lime sulfur mixture.
(2) Borers and leaf rollers. They damage tender leaves and stem tips. Control method: spray with 40% dimethoate 1000-fold dilution.
(4) Harvesting and Processing
Galangal can be harvested after 4 years of planting, but the yield is higher and the quality better at 5-6 years. Dig the rhizomes at the end of summer and in autumn. Choose a sunny day, first cut off the aboveground stems and leaves, then plow deeply, and collect the rhizomes one by one. For the harvested rhizomes, remove soil, fibrous roots, and scales, cut the old rhizomes into 5 cm sections, wash clean, cut into sections and dry in the sun. When dried to 60-70% dry, pile them together and let them sweat for 2-3 days, then sun-dry until completely dry; then the skin is wrinkled and the flesh is plump, and the surface is reddish-brown, giving better quality.
(5) Seed Retention Techniques
Select plants with large, plump fruits, strong flavor, high yield, and no pests or diseases as mother plants for seed retention. When the fruits mature from August to October, that is, when the fruit skin changes from green to yellow, harvest in batches. Select fresh fruits that are large, plump, reddish-brown, and free of pests and diseases, pile them indoors for about 7 days, remove the fruit skin with fine sand, wash clean to remove the sticky substance, and wash out the seeds, which can then be used as seed.