Detailed Explanation of Cultivation Points and Planting Techniques for Euryale ferox

    (1) Seed selection, sprouting and sowing  Select seeds that have the characteristics of this variety, are plump and disease-free, and carry out sprouting in early April. First soak the seeds in water, just enough to submerge them, put them outside in the sun during the day and indoors at night, keeping the temperature above 15°C, and change the water frequently. After about 8-10 days, when most seeds have sprouted white, they can be sown. Choose the center of a paddy field, dig a pool 2 m square and 17 cm deep, level the bottom of the pool, fill it with water, and after the water has cleared, gently place the seeds down, sowing 5 kg per pool. 

    (2) Seedling transplanting and field planting  35-40 days after sowing, when the seedlings have 2-3 true leaves, transplant the seedlings at a spacing of 50-70 cm square. To promote early growth, do not plant too deep, and maintain a water layer of 10-13 cm. When Euryale ferox has 4-5 round leaves, carry out field planting at a hole spacing of 1.8-2 m square. For early-maturing varieties, plant about 150 plants per mu. For late-maturing varieties, plant 100-120 plants per mu. Use prepared fertilized mud stuck to the roots for field planting, or apply base fertilizer in the holes. 

    (3) Field management  7-10 days after field planting, the plants become established. Keep the water layer at 7-10 cm, then gradually deepen it, maintaining the water layer at 23-33 cm. Begin topdressing half a month after field planting, applying fertilized mud balls. From late June to late July, weeds tend to grow easily. Begin weeding 7-10 days after field planting, weeding 4 times in total, until the rows close in early August, rolling the weeds into the mud as fertilizer. 

    (4) Harvesting  Early-maturing varieties mature 60-70 days after field planting, and harvesting begins from late August to early September. Late-maturing varieties mature about 80 days after field planting, and harvesting begins in early September. Late September is the peak harvest period, and harvesting ends in October. In early September, when new leaves begin to grow slowly, the leaf surface diameter is less than 90 cm, the leaf surface is smooth, and double flowers appear on the water surface, this is a sign that the early fruits have matured, and harvesting can begin. From early September to early October, fruits are harvested in batches, generally in 7-8 harvests. One plant can produce 18-20 fruits, of which 12-13 are fully mature. The yield of Euryale ferox is 25 kg per mu. 

    (5) Seed reservation  After the first two early harvests, select seed plants in the field. For plants and fruits with many fruits, large fruits, many green leaves and smooth leaf surfaces, remove a small piece of sepal from the top of the fruit as a marker, and pick them at the fourth harvest. Peel out the seeds, discard the tender grains, remove the aril, put them into a cattail bag, and bury them 30 cm below the mud under the water surface. Take them out the next year for sprouting and sowing.