What are the pre-sowing treatment methods for asparagus seeds
For asparagus cultivation, whether direct seeding or seedling transplanting, strict seed treatment must be carried out before sowing. Do you know what the pre-planting treatment methods for asparagus seeds are? Below, the editor will introduce the pre-planting treatment methods for asparagus seeds!
Pre-planting treatment methods for asparagus seeds
First, place the dry seeds in hot water at 55-58 degrees Celsius to soak, killing pathogens inside and on the surface of the seeds. When soaking, after the seeds are put into the hot water, the water temperature must be kept at 54-56 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes, with regular stirring of the seeds; when the temperature drops to 54 degrees Celsius, promptly add water above 70 degrees Celsius to raise it back to 56 degrees Celsius. After soaking for 20 minutes, immediately pour out the hot water, add cold water at about 25 degrees Celsius to cool down, then rub and wash the seeds with your hands for 10-15 seconds, then replace with clean water to continue soaking the seeds.
The soaking water for asparagus seeds must be more than 5 cm above the seeds, and the clean water should be changed once each morning and evening. Each time the water is changed, rub and wash the seeds with your hands to remove the sticky substance on the seed surface, with the rubbing force becoming lighter each time.
After soaking for 72 hours at room temperature of 20-25 degrees Celsius, drain off the water, place in a clean basin or tray, cover with a wet cloth, and keep at 25-28 degrees Celsius for 24 hours to promote germination, then sow. At this point, a few seeds can be seen to have cracked and shown white. Some reports suggest promoting germination for 48 hours or longer, sowing after the seeds grow radicles. Doing so in practice easily damages the radicles.
Reasons why asparagus seeds need treatment
As long as the soaking time is sufficient and the water temperature during soaking is maintained at 20-25 degrees Celsius, after 3 days of soaking, seedlings can begin to emerge about 10 days after sowing. Some people worry that soaking seeds in 55 degrees Celsius hot water will affect seed germination. Comparative test results show that seeds treated with 55 degrees Celsius hot water for 20 minutes can improve the germination rate and germination vigor of the seeds, and can effectively kill the pathogens carried by the seeds, making it an effective measure to prevent stem blight and other diseases transmitted through seeds.
Precautions when treating asparagus seeds
1. The water temperature for the soaking treatment must be accurately controlled. The rough method of mixing three parts boiling water with one part cold water cannot replace the method of measuring with a thermometer. The water temperature before the seeds are put in is required to reach 57-58 degrees Celsius, and after the seeds are put in it can drop to about 55 degrees Celsius.
2. The duration of soaking at 54-56 degrees Celsius must not be less than 20 minutes.
3. After the soaking treatment is finished, immediately pour out the hot water and add cold water to cool down. If there is no thermometer to measure the water temperature or the relevant conditions are lacking to carry out hot water seed soaking, you can first soak in cold water for 48 hours, then switch to a 1:500 dilution of 50% carbendazim aqueous solution and soak for 24 hours. During soaking, the liquid must be 2-3 cm above the seeds. After soaking is finished, drain off the liquid and sow. In order to avoid seeds sticking to fingers due to moisture and sticking to each other during spot seeding, a small amount of dry fine soil or coal ash can be used to mix with the seeds to absorb surface moisture, making the seeds separate.
Seedling cultivation techniques for asparagus seeds
1. Choosing excellent varieties is the foundation of growing asparagus well. Excellent asparagus varieties such as Grande, Champion, Shuofeng, Asparagus Prince, and Emperor can be selected.
2. Seed treatment: Soaking and germination promotion must be carried out before sowing. Before soaking, first rinse the seeds with clean water to float off the blighted seeds, then soak in warm water for 2-3 days, changing the water twice a day. After the seeds have fully absorbed water, pour off the water, cover with a wash towel to promote germination, and rinse with clean water twice a day to carefully prevent the seeds from being smothered. Sow once more than 10% of the seeds have cracked and shown white;
3. Sowing: Before sowing, irrigate the seedbed with sufficient soil moisture, draw lines at a spacing of 10 cm between plants and rows, spot-sow single seeds within the squares, cover with 2 cm of sifted fine soil on top. In summer, spread a layer of wheat straw or green grass to preserve moisture and provide shade. Once the aboveground stems grow to 30 cm or more than three have grown, they can be transplanted. Depending on conditions, using nutrient pot seedling cultivation is best.
1. Before land preparation, spray 45% Shenaning + 50% Menglong, with a dosage of 3-10 kg per mu. Spray the ground surface and then water, which can disinfect the soil and prevent root rot and damping-off.
2. After sowing, a small amount of bait can be scattered on the ground surface, such as phoxim granules mixed with wheat bran, rice husk, etc., or spread 2 kg of Bairi Zhuisha, to prevent damage from underground pests such as cutworms and mole crickets.
4. Precautions: March to September each year is the time for asparagus seedling cultivation. March to May is spring seedling cultivation, June to July is summer seedling cultivation, and August to September is autumn seedling cultivation. For overwintering seedlings, water once before freezing, and set up small arch sheds at the end of October to extend the growth time of the seedlings; you can also spread a layer of farmyard manure or wheat straw on the open-field seedlings to help the seedlings overwinter safely.