Master high-yield cultivation techniques for Sophora flavescens: scientific planting leads to higher yields

Sophora flavescens, also known as wild pagoda tree, bitter bone, ground bone, mountain pagoda tree, etc. Its underground roots are used medicinally, with effects of clearing heat, drying dampness, and killing parasites. It mainly treats dysentery, jaundice, skin itching, sores and ulcers, trichomonal vaginitis, vulvar itching, abdominal pain, restlessness and mania, arrhythmia, acute and chronic nephritis, and other conditions. It is mainly produced in Shanxi, Henan, Hebei and other provinces.

Morphological characteristics: A deciduous subshrub of the Fabaceae family. Odd-pinnate compound leaves, leaflets lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, apex acuminate, base rounded, with appressed pubescence on the underside. Racemes terminal; corolla pale yellow, standard petal spoon-shaped, wing petals without auricles; stamens 10, filaments connate only at the base; ovary stalk covered with fine hairs. Legume linear. Seeds 3-7, black, nearly spherical. Flowering period May-July, fruiting period July-September.

I. Growth habits: Sophora flavescens prefers a warm climate. Soil requirements: cultivation is best in sandy loam with deep soil layers, loose and fertile, and rich in organic matter. Low-lying land and saline-alkali land are not easy to plant.

II. Land preparation and fertilization: Choose a field with high terrain and good drainage, and plow deeply and harrow thoroughly. In combination with land preparation, apply sufficient base fertilizer: 3000 kg of farmyard manure, 20 kg of urea, and 50 kg of phosphorus-potassium fertilizer per mu. Then make raised beds 1.3 m wide and wait for sowing.

III. Sowing: Sophora flavescens is propagated by seeds and can also be propagated by division. The sowing period is divided into spring sowing and autumn sowing. Spring sowing is around Qingming, and autumn sowing is before the ground freezes. Seed propagation: Before sowing, first soak Sophora flavescens seeds in water at about 50°C for 10—12 hours. Then sow in holes at a row spacing of 65×50 cm on the prepared bed surface, water to preserve soil moisture, and promote emergence. The sowing rate is 2 kg per mu. Place 3—5 seeds in each hole. Division propagation: Cut the rhizome head of Sophora flavescens into several pieces according to the number of buds; each piece has 2—3 buds and is used as propagation material. After the wounds heal, plant them at a row spacing of 65×50 cm on the prepared bed surface. Water to preserve soil moisture and promote survival.

IV. Field management: After Sophora flavescens seedlings emerge completely, pay attention to intertillage and weeding. For large-scale planting, soil treatment with herbicide for medicinal fields should be carried out before seedling emergence, which can effectively control various weeds. Water in time during dry weather, and pay attention to drainage during rainy weather. After budding, except for plants retained for seed, the buds should be removed to prevent nutrient consumption. Apply topdressing once around the Beginning of Autumn each year: 10 kg of urea and 10 kg of potassium dihydrogen phosphate per mu. In winter, spread a layer of farmyard manure on the bed surface.

V. Pest and disease control: Sophora flavescens has relatively few pests and diseases. If found, control them by conventional methods.

VI. Harvesting and processing: Sophora flavescens is generally harvested around the Beginning of Winter after 2—3 years of planting, after the aboveground stems and leaves wither. When harvesting, first cut off the aboveground stems and leaves, then dig out the underground roots, remove the soil, remove the rhizome head, and dry them in the sun before selling as medicine. The yield per mu is 300—500 kg.