9 Common Questions and Answers About Salvia miltiorrhiza Cultivation
Recently, many herbal growers have consulted us about issues related to Salvia miltiorrhiza cultivation. After organizing these queries, we are providing comprehensive answers in a Q&A format.
1. What are the prospects for Salvia miltiorrhiza cultivation?
According to analysis by the Heze City Runkang Chinese Medicinal Materials Research Institute in Shandong, let us first look atsupply and demand analysis:
Supply sideWild Salvia miltiorrhiza is becoming increasingly scarce, even disappearing, due to ecological changes and the use of field herbicides; in recent years, the medicinal raw materials have basically relied entirely on artificial cultivation. Because Salvia miltiorrhiza has the characteristics of simple planting, extensive management, stable yield, low investment, and quick returns, the per-mu profit is not particularly high; combined with rising prices of bulk grains such as wheat and corn, herbal growers are not very enthusiastic about planting Salvia miltiorrhiza. In addition, large-scale Salvia miltiorrhiza cultivation can use mechanized harvesting, reducing a lot of manual labor; whereas small-scale cultivation cannot use machinery and can only be dug by hand, which is labor-intensive and time-consuming, so herbal growers are unwilling to plant it. Therefore, Salvia miltiorrhiza supply basically has no inventory each year, being used medicinally in the same year it is harvested, and in recent years the supply has been consistently tight.
Demand sideAs is well known, Salvia miltiorrhiza has the effect of activating blood circulation and removing blood stasis, and is a commonly used medicine for treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. As the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases increases each year, the dosage gradually increases. The demand is particularly large for various Chinese patent medicines, decoctions, health products, and extracted components. According to the usage of several pharmaceutical factories in just one prefecture-level city, Heze, over a thousand tons of Salvia miltiorrhiza are needed as raw material each year. From this, the annual demand for Salvia miltiorrhiza nationwide and even globally can be calculated.
In summary, the usage of Salvia miltiorrhiza ranks first among more than 6,000 kinds of Chinese medicinal materials. As the prices of grain and other crops rise, the price of Salvia miltiorrhiza will also steadily increase year by year. It is expected that for a considerable time to come, the supply of Salvia miltiorrhiza will continue to be tight, and the cultivation prospects are broad. Herbal growers with the necessary conditions can plant on a large scale, sharing the nation's concerns and increasing their income.
2. What soil and terrain should be chosen for Salvia miltiorrhiza cultivation?
Salvia miltiorrhiza does not have strict soil requirements. It can basically be planted in mountains, hills, and plains, in almost any soil and terrain. However, in terms of quality and yield, according to the field practice experience of more than twenty years of Salvia miltiorrhiza cultivation by the Heze City Runkang Chinese Medicinal Materials Research Institute in Shandong, red loam soil that drains well and is neither sandy nor clayey is best, producing Salvia miltiorrhiza of good quality and high yield; hilly land is most suitable; flat land at high elevation that does not accumulate water is also acceptable. Large areas of farmland (cultivated land currently growing crops) generally only need a small amount of fertilizer to grow well. If it is idle wasteland, hills, or mountains, sufficient organic fertilizer or compound fertilizer should be applied.
3. How should seedlings be selected for Salvia miltiorrhiza cultivation?
Cultivated seedlings of Salvia miltiorrhiza produce high yields and good quality. Salvia miltiorrhiza can be propagated using root segments, seedlings, or seeds. When root segments are used, the germination and emergence times vary greatly; some that emerge early have already grown 10 cm while most have not yet emerged, resulting in uneven growth. In addition, root segments involve asexual reproduction, with serious variety degeneration; residual pathogens and insect eggs in root segments lead to severe pest and disease problems, affecting quality and yield. When seeds are sown directly, emergence is uneven, growth is weak, the growth cycle is long, and yield is unstable. Therefore, the best propagation material for Salvia miltiorrhiza cultivation is seedlings grown from seeds, which produce commercial Salvia miltiorrhiza of good quality and stable yield. The Heze City Runkang Chinese Medicinal Materials Research Institute in Shandong reminds herbal growers that when selecting Salvia miltiorrhiza seedlings, they should use seedlings bred from selected Salvia miltiorrhiza seeds in June-July (currently the quality of Salvia miltiorrhiza seedlings on the market varies greatly; Salvia miltiorrhiza seeds have not been subjected to selection, and seeds harvested when flower buds are removed from growing Salvia miltiorrhiza fields are directly used for seedling cultivation, so the seedlings thus cultivated are of poor quality).
4. When is the best time to plant Salvia miltiorrhiza seedlings? When to harvest?
According to research data from the Heze City Runkang Chinese Medicinal Materials Research Institute in Shandong, the optimal cultivation time for Salvia miltiorrhiza varies by region. In the Yangtze River basin (central Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hunan, central Sichuan, Chongqing, central and eastern Guizhou), the optimal cultivation time is November-December and early spring from February to April; in southern regions (southern Jiangsu, southern Sichuan, southern Guizhou, Yunnan, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong), the optimal cultivation time is October to March; in the Huanghuai basin (Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, southern Hebei, Shaanxi, Gansu), the optimal cultivation time is late autumn in November and early spring from February to April; in northern regions (Liaoning, Jilin, northern Hebei, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia), the optimal cultivation time is March to May. In short, the optimal cultivation time is when the soil temperature at 5 cm is 0-10 degrees. Each region should determine when to cultivate Salvia miltiorrhiza based on local climate and its own conditions. In areas south of the Yellow Sea, it is harvested after one year of growth; in northern regions, it is harvested after 1-2 years of growth. The optimal harvest time is when the above-ground leaves of Salvia miltiorrhiza turn yellow and wither in autumn, and it should be harvested promptly.
5. What row and plant spacing should be used for Salvia miltiorrhiza cultivation, and how many seedlings are needed per mu?
According to field planting experience of the Heze City Runkang Chinese Medicinal Materials Research Institute in Shandong, rational close planting should be adopted. The row spacing is 33-35 cm, the plant spacing is 22-25 cm, and the depth should be level with the ground or about 1 cm lower for the bud head. About 8,000 Salvia miltiorrhiza seedlings are planted per mu (667 sq m, the same throughout this article).
6. Do Salvia miltiorrhiza seedlings need watering during cultivation?
Generally, no watering is needed. As long as the soil for planting Salvia miltiorrhiza is moist, there is no need to water; it can be planted directly. This is because Salvia miltiorrhiza seedlings do not have leaves, only one root underground and one or several buds above, so they are very easy to establish. If the soil is severely dry before planting, then first irrigate the field, then plow and turn it, then make ridges, and plant immediately. Generally, if the soil is not too dry, directly plow and turn it, make ridges, and plant immediately; the survival rate of planting can reach 99%.
7. Can herbicides be used during Salvia miltiorrhiza cultivation?
Herbicides can be used for Salvia miltiorrhiza. Based on the weed damage situation during Salvia miltiorrhiza cultivation, the Heze City Runkang Chinese Medicinal Materials Research Institute in Shandong commissioned a manufacturer to produce a dedicated herbicide for Salvia miltiorrhiza (mainly for use on the institute's own base, not placed on the market for sale, so there is no trademark, name, or uniform packaging; this herbicide is in bulk). It can be used throughout the entire growth process, is safe for Salvia miltiorrhiza, can effectively control 60% of weeds, and inhibits 40% of weeds, allowing Salvia miltiorrhiza to grow quickly. The principle of herbicide use: after the soil thaws in early spring, Salvia miltiorrhiza begins to sprout, and most weeds also begin to germinate and grow. At this time, spray the dedicated herbicide for Salvia miltiorrhiza over the entire field once, which can kill all weeds while Salvia miltiorrhiza grows normally; after about 15 days, the second batch of weeds continues to emerge, and the herbicide is sprayed again. Through these two sprayings, Salvia miltiorrhiza has already grown to a height of 20 cm, and the canopy has basically closed over the ground. After that, even if there are weeds, they cannot grow. Therefore, as long as the application method is appropriate and the timing is well controlled, there will basically be no weed damage throughout the entire annual growth process of Salvia miltiorrhiza.