Key Technical Points for Autumn and Winter Field Management of Chinese Milk Vetch

(Agricultural Wealth Network) Planting Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus) can provide the necessary organic fertilizer for crop production and is one of the fundamental ways to steadily develop sustainable modern agriculture. Growing Chinese milk vetch well can improve soil structure and increase soil organic matter content; it can also reduce the amount of chemical fertilizer applied to crops, lessen damage from pests and diseases, lower production costs, and increase crop yields per unit area; moreover, it can protect the ecological environment, improve soil fertility, reduce the proportion of medium- and low-yield fields, and lay a solid foundation for large-scale agricultural production of pollution-free food, green food, and organic food. The autumn and winter field management of Chinese milk vetch is as follows: 1. Do a good job of field management for protecting and preserving seedlings. Before harvesting late rice, drain away standing water so that the field soil is dry and crumbly rather than muddy. When cutting rice, leave stubble about 20 cm high, and move harvesting tools carefully. After harvesting, cover lightly with rice straw for shade. If dry land or orchard planting encounters a long drought without rain, watering is needed to preserve seedlings. 2. Open the "three ditches" well to facilitate drainage and irrigation. After the late rice harvest, promptly open the "three ditches," namely the surrounding ditch, the waist ditch, and the plot ditch. The surrounding ditch is 25 cm deep, the waist ditch is 21 cm deep, the plot ditch is 18 cm deep, and the plot width is 3--4 m. The ditches should be straight, the ditch bottoms should be level, and all ditches should be connected: water from the plot ditch flows into the waist ditch, water from the waist ditch flows into the surrounding ditch, and water from the surrounding ditch flows to the outlet. This allows rapid drainage and rapid irrigation, so that in winter drought the soil surface does not turn white, rainfall does not cause waterlogging, and the field dries after rain. If autumn or winter drought occurs, often pay attention to keeping the field soil moist and prevent the field surface from cracking. Irrigate with "horse-running water," and drain it dry 12 hours after irrigation. 3. Fertilization. Apply phosphorus fertilizer, potassium fertilizer, and organic fertilizer. Apply in three applications: 1. 10 days after sowing, broadcast 15 kg of phosphorus fertilizer per mu or 5--8 kg of compound fertilizer. 2. Around "Winter Solstice," use plant ash, pig and cattle pen manure, and mixed soil and miscellaneous fertilizer. Apply 400--500 kg per mu as winter fertilizer by broadcasting combined with irrigation or after rain. 3. For weak seedlings and low-yield plots, after "Start of Spring," apply 1--2 kg of urea per mu to promote the growth of Chinese milk vetch stems and leaves. 4. Pest and disease control. Under normal conditions, Chinese milk vetch will not suffer pest or disease damage, but under particularly harsh climate conditions, pests and diseases can also occur. Its main disease is sclerotinia (commonly known as "chicken-nest blight"). At the center of infection, broadcast 0.5 kg of sulfur powder plus 5 kg of lime. The main insect pests of Chinese milk vetch are aphids, thrips, cotton leafworm, and bean pod borer. Control them with general insecticides such as 18% dimehypo aqueous solution.