Key points of Angelica sinensis cultivation techniques: how is it best to plant?
How is Angelica sinensis best cultivated? Please give a detailed introduction. Angelica sinensis is the dried root of the plant Angelica sinensis in the family Apiaceae, also known as Qin angelica. It is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine, with the effects of nourishing blood, invigorating blood, relieving pain and moistening the intestines. It is mainly produced in Gansu, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Sichuan and other provinces, and is cultivated in most areas of Shaanxi. (1) Morphological characteristics. Angelica sinensis is a multi...
How is Angelica sinensis best cultivated? Please give a detailed introduction.
Angelica sinensis is the dried root of the plant Angelica sinensis in the family Apiaceae, also known as Qin angelica. It is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine, with the effects of nourishing blood, invigorating blood, relieving pain and moistening the intestines. It is mainly produced in Gansu, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Sichuan and other provinces, and is cultivated in most areas of Shaanxi.
(1) Morphological characteristics. Angelica sinensis is a perennial herb, 0.4-1 m tall. The root is fleshy and conical, and after cultivation most roots branch. In the second year after planting it bolts; the stem is upright, 1-1.2 m tall, light purple (a few are pale brown). The leaves are 2-3 times pinnately compound, and the base of the petiole forms a sheath that clasps the stem. The terminal compound umbel has small white flowers. The fruit is an elliptical schizocarp, splitting into two mericarps when mature. The flowering period is June-July, and the fruiting period is August-September.
(2) Growth habits. Angelica sinensis is an alpine plant and requires cool, humid climatic conditions. It is fond of fertilizer, afraid of waterlogging and afraid of high temperatures. When cultivated in low-altitude areas, it does not easily survive the summer, and it easily dies when the temperature is too high. Seeds germinate well within the range of 10-25°C and emerge in 10-15 days. Angelica sinensis has the phenomenon of early bolting, which should be overcome in production. Generally, seedlings are raised and then transplanted, and digging can be done in the third year.
(3) Cultivation techniques
1. Site selection and land preparation. Choose a gently sloping field facing south to north with half shade and half sun, requiring loose soil and good structure. Deep plow once before Grain Full, break up the soil clods to make a seedling bed. The bed surface is 1 m wide, and the length varies with the terrain. Between beds, open a drainage ditch 30 cm wide and 15-20 cm deep. The planting site should be deeply plowed and finely harrowed, and 2,500-5,000 kg of base fertilizer should be applied per mu, turned evenly with the soil, and made into high beds 1.2-1.5 m wide. Between the beds, open a drainage ditch 30 cm wide and about 20 cm deep.
2. Propagation method. In production, seedling raising and transplanting are often used. The sowing period should be determined according to the altitude and temperature of each place. In Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan it is about July, and in Shaanxi it is around August. The sowing method is broadcast sowing; mix the seeds with ash and scatter them on the bed surface, press lightly, cover with a small amount of fine moist soil, and cover with grass, so as to achieve light transmission and moisture retention. The seedling age should not exceed 110 days. The sowing rate is 4-5 kg per mu. Transplanting is divided into winter planting and spring planting, with a plant and row spacing of 25 cm x 25 cm. Spring planting is around Qingming, and winter planting is suitable after Cold Dew and before Frost's Descent. When direct seeding is used in production, it can be done in winter, spring or autumn, and early bolting of Angelica sinensis can be controlled. Among these, winter direct seeding is slightly better, but the yield is not high.
3. Field management. (1) Seedling stage management. After sowing, the soil must be kept moist to facilitate seed germination. After about 40 days, loosen the covering grass. When the seedlings are about 3 cm tall, loosen the soil once and remove weeds immediately. After the dog days, choose a cloudy day to remove all the covering grass. During the seedling stage, pay attention to preventing drought and draining waterlogging. (2) Lifting and storing seedlings. From Cold Dew to Frost's Descent, when the temperature drops to about 5°C and the seedling leaves begin to wither, dig up the seedlings, bring a little soil, tie them into small bundles, air off the moisture, and store them in a cellar or in piles. Seedlings that are too old should not be stored in piles. When storing in piles, pay attention to placing the tops facing outward and the roots facing inward. (3) Replenishing and thinning seedlings. Under normal circumstances, after transplanting, when the seedlings are fully emerged at about 20 days, thin and replenish the seedlings. It is best to use small seedlings with soil for replanting on cloudy and rainy days. About 3 months after planting, finalize the stand, pull out diseased and weak seedlings, and keep 1 plant per hole. (4) Intertillage and weeding. In mid-May, carry out the first weeding, which should be shallow hoeing, and do not bury the seedlings with soil. In mid-June, carry out the second weeding, which can be deep hoeing, to promote root development. (5) Removing bolts. After transplanting, plants that flower and fruit in the same year are called early bolting; their roots cannot be used as medicine and should all be pulled out. (6) Topdressing. Angelica sinensis is a fertilizer-loving plant. In late June during the peak leaf period and in early August during the root growth period, phosphorus, potassium and ammonia fertilizers should be applied as topdressing.
4. Pest and disease control. (1) Mako disease. The peak incidence periods after transplanting are mid-April, mid-June, early September and early November. It damages the roots, and more underground pests are conducive to the disease. Control methods: 1) Use 3 kg of 3911 granules per mu plus 15 kg of fine soil and mix well, or use 0.5 kg of 20% isofenphos-methyl emulsion and add 2.5 kg of water, spray it on 15 kg of soil and mix well, broadcast it, and turn it into the soil; 2) Regularly drench the roots with a broad-spectrum long-acting insecticide. Use 250 g of 40% carbendazim suspension concentrate or 600 g of thiophanate per mu, add 150 kg of water, and drench each plant with 50 g of the diluted liquid, once in early May and once in mid-June. (2) Sclerotinia disease. It damages the leaves and is prone to occur under low-temperature and high-humidity conditions, with more severe damage in July-August. Control methods: do not carry out continuous cropping, and about half a month before the disease occurs, spray with 1000-fold 50% thiophanate-methyl every 10 days or so for 3-4 consecutive times. (3) Insect pests. The main pests are adult needle bugs and small cutworms. Control methods: remove green grass inside and outside the field, pile it into small heaps, replace with fresh grass every 7-10 days, and use poisoned bait to trap and kill them.
(4) Harvesting and processing. After transplanting Angelica sinensis, cut off the aboveground part 15 days before Frost's Descent in the same year, and expose it to the sun to speed up maturity. When digging, try to keep the root system complete and intact, shake off the soil, pick out diseased roots, scrape off residual stems, place in a ventilated place, and after the moisture evaporates and the roots become soft, tie them into small bundles according to size specifications, stack them in bamboo baskets, and use wet grass as fuel to produce smoke for fumigation. Do not use open flame. After 2-10 days, when the surface is golden yellow, stop the fire and let it dry by itself. During processing, Angelica sinensis must not be dried in the sun or in the shade.
(5) Seed retention techniques. For Angelica sinensis raised as seedlings and transplanted, at the time of harvest in late autumn, choose a plot with fertile soil, well-grown plants, no pests or diseases, and relatively shady conditions as the seed retention field, and do not dig it up. After new leaves emerge the following year, remove weeds. When the seedlings are about 15 cm tall, apply root topdressing. In autumn, when the flower stalk of Angelica sinensis droops and the seed coat is pink, harvest in batches, tie into small bundles, hang indoors in a ventilated, dry and smokeless place, and after sufficient drying, thresh and store for later use. When selecting and retaining good seeds from directly sown Angelica sinensis, developmental conditions must be created to promote early bolting and form seeds that are plump, full and highly mature, but such seeds can only be used for direct seeding and cannot be used for seedling raising and transplanting.
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