Where is the origin and distribution of water bamboo? An overview of the main producing areas
Before the Tang Dynasty, water bamboo was cultivated as a grain crop, and its seeds were called wild rice or diaohu. At present, only China and Vietnam cultivate water bamboo as a vegetable in the world. It mostly grows in the Yangtze River and lake areas and is suitable for growing in freshwater. Let us take a look below at where water bamboo is distributed!
The origin and distribution of water bamboo
Water bamboo is native to China and Southeast Asia. It is a relatively common aquatic vegetable, formed by the young stem of the grass family plant Zizania latifolia being stimulated by the smut fungus Ustilago esculenta into a spindle-shaped swollen part. At present, only China and Vietnam cultivate water bamboo as a vegetable, and among them China cultivated it earliest.
Water bamboo is distributed across various parts of northern and southern China and is planted in Hebei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, China, Henan, Hunan, Hubei, Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Heilongjiang and other places.
The producing environment of water bamboo
Water bamboo is a warmth-loving plant, with an optimum growth temperature of 10-25°C, and it is not tolerant of cold or high-temperature drought. In plain areas, double-season water bamboo is mostly planted. Double-season water bamboo does not have strict requirements for day length, but has high requirements for water and fertilizer conditions, and temperature is an important factor affecting the formation of the swollen stem.
Water bamboo has a well-developed root system and a high water requirement. It is suitable for clay loam or loam with sufficient water sources, convenient irrigation, deep and loose soil layers, fertile soil, rich organic matter, and strong water and fertilizer retention capacity.
Water bamboo has two types: autumn-produced single-season water bamboo and autumn-summer double-season water bamboo, both of which are propagated by division. In the Yangtze River basin, single-season water bamboo is divided into clumps and planted from Qingming to Guyu, while summer-autumn double-season water bamboo can be divided into spring and autumn plantings, with spring planting around Guyu and autumn planting around Liqiu.
China's hometown of water bamboo
In 2001, Hemudu Town was named “China's Hometown of Water Bamboo” by the Ministry of Agriculture. Among Yuyao water bamboo, that of Hemudu Town is the most famous, with an current annual output of 50,000 tons of water bamboo. The ten-thousand-mu pollution-free water bamboo base in Hemudu Town has successively been listed as a Ningbo municipal second-level vegetable base, a water bamboo supply base for Shanghai Vegetable Group, and a Zhejiang provincial high-quality and high-efficiency agricultural demonstration base.
In 2014, Pan'an County was officially awarded the honorary title of “China's Hometown of High-Mountain Water Bamboo” by the China Vegetable Marketing Association. Pan'an is the largest high-mountain water bamboo planting base in the country, and its water bamboo has high recognition in major cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou.
In 2015, Jinyun was officially awarded the honorary title of “China's Hometown of Water Bamboo” by the China Vegetable Marketing Association.