Detailed Explanation of Key Points for High-Yield Cultivation Techniques of Southern Patrinia

Southern Patrinia herb, also known as Pulengguzike. The whole plant is used medicinally, with effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, removing blood stasis and expelling pus. Clinically it is mainly used to treat appendicitis, dysentery, enteritis, hepatitis, conjunctivitis, postpartum blood stasis and abdominal pain, carbuncles, swellings, boils and sores, and other conditions. It is mainly produced in Anhui, Henan, Jiangsu, Shandong and other provinces.

Morphological characteristics  It is a perennial herb of the Valerianaceae family, up to 150 cm tall, with the whole plant covered in deciduous white stiff hairs; the underground stem is slender and creeping horizontally. Basal leaves are clustered, broadly ovate, with serrated margins and long petioles; stem leaves are opposite, lanceolate or narrowly ovate, 5-15 cm long and 2-5 cm wide, with acuminate apex, cuneate base extending downward into the petiole, pinnately parted, with 2-3 pairs of lobes; the central lobe is the largest, elliptical or ovate, while the lateral lobes are small, narrowly elliptical or linear. Flowers are small, 2-4 mm in diameter, yellow, opening in summer and autumn. The paniculate inflorescence is composed of numerous cymes and is terminal; the calyx is extremely small; the corolla tube is short, with 5 lobes; there are 4 stamens, about equal in length to the corolla. The capsule is long elliptical, about 5 mm in diameter, slightly flattened at the edges, wingless.

I. Growth habits.Southern Patrinia prefers a cool and humid climate. It is cold-resistant, and the seedlings can overwinter in the open field. The suitable growth temperature is 18—28°C. It has no strict requirements for soil and can be planted in general soils. Saline-alkali land and waterlogged land are not suitable for planting.

II. Land preparation and fertilization.Select suitable field plots and carry out intensive cultivation. In combination with land preparation, apply sufficient base fertilizer: 3000 kg of farmyard manure, 20 kg of urea, and 50 kg of phosphate and potash fertilizer per mu. Then make beds and wait for sowing.

III. Sowing.Southern Patrinia is propagated by seeds. The sowing period is divided into autumn sowing and spring sowing. Autumn sowing is before Frost's Descent, and spring sowing is around Qingming. When sowing, first use a seed drill to open shallow furrows on the prepared bed surface, then evenly scatter the seeds into the furrows. Cover with soil, water, and preserve soil moisture to promote emergence. The sowing rate is 1 kg per mu.

IV. Field management.After the Southern Patrinia seedlings emerge uniformly, attention should be paid to cultivation and weeding. Water frequently in dry weather and drain promptly in rainy weather. Apply topdressing once before and after canopy closure: 10 kg of urea and 5 kg of potassium dihydrogen phosphate per mu.

V. Pest and disease control.Southern Patrinia is mostly wild, and no pests or diseases have been found. If any are found, control them promptly by conventional methods.

VI. Harvesting and processing.Southern Patrinia is generally harvested between Grain Buds and Grain in Ear. Harvest after the seeds mature. At harvest, pull the whole plant up by the roots or cut it off at the base, then dry it in the sun and sell it as medicine. The yield is 400 kg per mu.