How to Grow Atractylodes macrocephala for High Yield? A Detailed Guide to Cultivation Techniques

Atractylodes macrocephala is a commonly used bulk traditional Chinese medicinal herb. It is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Atractylodes in the Asteraceae family. Its rhizome is used as medicine and has effects such as tonifying the spleen and strengthening the stomach, drying dampness and promoting diuresis, stopping sweating, and calming the fetus. It is cultivated in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Anhui, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan and other places in China. Now let us take a look at the high-yield cultivation techniques for Atractylodes macrocephala!

Land Preparation and Fertilization

The seedling nursery for Atractylodes macrocephala should be a slightly acidic sandy loam with medium fertility, good drainage, and cool ventilation. Apply 2000 kg of farmyard manure per mu, plow deeply, harrow level and fine, and make beds 1.2 m wide. For the main field, choose a fertile, well-ventilated, cool, well-drained sandy loam where Atractylodes macrocephala has not been grown for 5 years. The previous crop is best a grass-family crop. After the previous crop is harvested, apply 3000 kg of farmyard manure per mu, together with 50 kg of superphosphate as base fertilizer, plow 20 cm deep, and make beds 1 to 1.5 m wide.

Seedling Raising and Transplanting

1. Seedling raising: From late March to early April, select new seeds that are plump and free from pests and diseases, soak them in 30°C warm water for 1 day, then remove and germinate before sowing. Drill sowing or broadcast sowing, using 5 to 7 kg of seed per mu. Seedlings emerge 7 to 10 days after sowing. After emergence, remove the covering straw, strengthen field management, and by winter before transplanting, 400 to 600 kg of fresh planting stock can be raised per mu.

2. Transplanting: Transplanting can be done from winter of the same year to spring of the following year. It is best to use those that do not sprout leaves or flower in the same year, have strong main buds, and have small, neat rhizomes the size of apricot kernels. When transplanting, trim off the fibrous roots, open furrows 10 cm deep at a row spacing of 25 cm, place the seedlings into the furrows at a plant spacing of about 15 cm, with the bud tips facing upward and level with the ground surface, press slightly on both sides, and water after planting. About 50 to 60 kg of fresh Atractylodes macrocephala is needed per mu.

Field Management

1. Timely thinning: After the Atractylodes macrocephala seedlings emerge, thin them to a plant spacing of 4 to 6 cm. If the weather is dry, weed between plants to reduce water evaporation. Where conditions permit, water in the morning and evening to resist drought. If bolting is found in the later growth stage, remove it promptly.

2. Cultivation and weeding: From seedling emergence to May, there are many weeds in the field, so cultivation and weeding should be done frequently. The first few cultivations can be deeper, and later they should be shallow hoeing. After mid-May, generally no more cultivation is done. If there are weeds between plants, they can be pulled out by hand.

3. Rational fertilization: Around the budding stage of Atractylodes macrocephala, apply one topdressing. Apply 20 kg of urea and 30 kg of compound fertilizer per mu in furrows between rows, then cover with soil and water. One week after bud removal, another topdressing can be applied.

4. Irrigation and drainage: Atractylodes macrocephala needs sufficient water during its growth period, especially during rhizome enlargement. If drought occurs, irrigate promptly. If water accumulates after rain, drain it promptly.

5. Removal of flower buds: Atractylodes macrocephala generally begins to bud in mid-June. From early to mid-July, after budding and before flowering, remove the buds in batches, which helps increase the yield and quality of the rhizomes.

6. Mulching with grass for summer survival: Atractylodes macrocephala fears high temperatures, so in the high-temperature season of July, spread a layer of leaves, wheat bran, or other mulch on the ground surface to regulate soil temperature and help Atractylodes macrocephala survive the summer safely.

Harvesting and Seed Saving

1. Harvesting and processing: Atractylodes macrocephala is harvested from late October to mid-November when the stems and leaves wither. Dig out the rhizomes, cut off the stems, and transport them back for processing. Those with large size, thick flesh, no tall stem, no fibrous roots, no hollow center, yellow-white cross-section, and rich aroma are considered best. The yield of dried goods is 400 to 800 jin per mu.

2. Seed-saving techniques: Atractylodes macrocephala generally selects plants that are robust, have few branches, large leaves, and flat and large flower buds as mother plants in July to August. Remove late-opening or early-opening flower buds, and keep 5 to 6 flower buds per plant. Harvest seeds in early to mid-November, but the seeds must not be dried in the sun for too long.

Pest and Disease Control

1. Damping-off

[Damage] It is likely to occur under low temperature and high humidity, mostly in planting stock fields, and damages the rhizome.

[Control] Reduce field humidity. In the early stage of the disease, drench with 50% carbendazim 1000 times solution.

2. Leaf spot

[Damage] It begins in April and is especially severe from June to August, damaging the leaves.

[Control] Remove diseased plants. In the early stage of the disease, use 1:1:100 Bordeaux mixture; in the later stage, spray with 50% thiophanate or carbendazim 1000 times solution.

3. Southern blight

[Damage] It begins in April and is especially severe from June to August, damaging the rhizome.

[Control] Rotate with grass-family crops, remove diseased plants, disinfect diseased holes with quicklime powder, and disinfect the soil with Trichoderma harzianum before planting.

4. Root rot

[Damage] It begins in April and is especially severe from June to August, particularly when humidity is high, damaging the roots.

[Control] Before planting, soak the seeds in 50% carbendazim 1000 times solution for 5 to 10 minutes. In the early stage of the disease, drench with 50% carbendazim or 50% thiophanate-methyl 1000 times solution.

5. Rust disease

[Damage] It begins in May and damages the leaves.

[Control] Clean the field. In the early stage of the disease, spray with 25% triadimefon 1000 times solution.

6. Atractylodes seed worm

[Damage] It begins in the early flowering stage and damages the seeds.

[Control] Plow deeply and freeze the soil, practice paddy-upland rotation, and in the early flowering stage spray with 80% dichlorvos 800 times solution.