How much does it cost to plant lotus root per mu?

Lotus root is also known as Rongyu Jie, Yu Linglong, Yu Bi Long, etc. It is grown in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei, Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Guangdong and other places in China. Its roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits all have economic value. In addition to the lotus root and lotus seeds being used for food, the pollen, lotus leaves, lotus plumule, etc. can also be used in dishes, drinks and health foods. Now let us take a look at how much it costs to plant lotus root per mu!

How much does it cost to plant lotus root per mu?

The investment in planting lotus root can be large or small. Generally, land rent is about 1200 yuan/mu, fertilizer and pesticides about 600 yuan/mu, lotus root seeds about 1600 yuan/mu, labor costs for cultivation, harvesting and fertilization about 1600 yuan/mu, and other costs such as water and electricity about 200 yuan/mu, so the investment in lotus root planting is about 5200 yuan/mu. At the same time, loach, rice field eel, etc. can be raised together in the lotus root field. Taking loach as an example, putting 100 jin of loach fry per mu requires a cost of about 1500 yuan. Therefore, the investment cost of planting lotus root per mu is 6700 yuan.

How much profit is there per mu from planting lotus root?

1. Vegetable lotus root: yield of vegetable lotus root per mu is 6600 jin, marketable rate 80%, wholesale price 1.6 yuan/jin, that is 6600*0.8*1.6=8448 yuan.

2. Lotus root seeds: yield of lotus root seeds per mu is 6600 jin, finished product rate 80%, wholesale price 2.6 yuan/jin, that is 6600*0.8*2.6=13728 yuan.

3. Loach: put in 100 jin/mu in June, catch 200 jin/mu in November, wholesale price 18 yuan/jin, that is 100*18=1800 yuan.

4. Profit: the total income of lotus root per mu is 23976 yuan. Subtracting the cost of 6700 yuan, the net profit is about 17276 yuan.

What conditions are needed for planting lotus root?

1. Temperature: lotus root can only sprout when the temperature is above 15°C. During the vigorous growth period, the required temperature is 20-30°C, and the water temperature is 21-25°C. In the early stage of lotus root formation, a relatively high temperature is also required, while in the later stage a large temperature difference between day and night is required. During the dormant period, it is necessary to keep the temperature above 5°C; below 5°C it is prone to freezing damage.

2. Light: lotus root is a light-loving plant and is not tolerant of shade. During the growth period it requires sufficient light. It is not strict about day length. Sufficient light in the early stage is beneficial to the growth of stems and leaves, while sufficient light in the later stage is beneficial to flowering, fruiting and the plumpness of the lotus root itself.

3. Water: during the sprouting and growth stage of lotus root, a water level of 5-10 cm is suitable. During the vigorous growth stage, a water level of 30-50 cm is required. Later, as the plant flowers, fruits and forms lotus root, the water level should gradually become shallower. For dormancy and overwintering, it is only necessary to keep the soil fully moist or maintain shallow water.

4. Soil: lotus root grows best in loam and clay loam rich in organic matter. The organic matter content should be at least above 1.5%. The soil pH requirement is between 5.6 and 7.5, with 6.5 being the most suitable. It requires equal emphasis on the three elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Extension: lotus root planting techniques

1. Select good varieties: for planting lotus root, choose shallow-layer lotus root varieties that are free of injury and disease, good in varietal characteristics, large in individual size, complete in the growing shoot, complete in the tail tip, with complete terminal buds and lateral buds, thick and plump lotus root nodes, and early-maturing and high-yielding, and try to make them uniform in size.

2. Fertilize and prepare the field: it is better to choose fertile fields with relatively deep mud layers, convenient drainage and irrigation, and where rice was planted the previous year for planting lotus root. 15 days before planting lotus root, apply 2000-3000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer, 150 kg of cake fertilizer, 70 kg of superphosphate and 80 kg of quicklime per mu.

3. Planting time: choose a sunny afternoon and first arrange the lotus root seeds in the field according to the required row spacing and plant spacing, then dig furrows by hand according to the size of the lotus root body and plant them. The front end of the planted lotus root should slope downward, and the rear end should be slightly exposed above the soil surface, which is beneficial for receiving light and air and promoting sprouting.

4. Planting method: the depth into the mud should be based on covering the lotus root body and lotus root buds with mud. When planting near the field ridges around the perimeter, be careful that all lotus root heads face toward the center of the field. When the field is level and the mud is settled, open furrows or open ponds for planting.

5. Weeding and leaf removal: about one month after planting lotus root, when the floating leaves gradually wither, remove the dead leaves. Before the rows close, weed together with topdressing. When weeding, walk on both sides of the curled leaves. When flower buds appear or flowers bloom, often bend the flower stems but do not break them off.

6. Reasonable topdressing: when there are 3-5 standing leaves, apply 25-30 kg per mu of high-nitrogen and high-phosphorus compound fertilizer. When standing leaves cover the whole field, apply 30-35 kg per mu of high-nitrogen and high-potassium compound fertilizer. When the terminal leaf appears, apply 15-20 kg per mu of high-potassium compound fertilizer or 10-15 kg of pure potassium fertilizer.

7. Adjust the water level: from planting to before sprouting, irrigate with shallow water of about 5-10 cm to increase soil temperature and help seedling emergence. As standing leaves and branches grow, gradually deepen the water layer to 15-20 cm. During the lotus root formation period and before harvest, it is suitable to irrigate with shallow water.

8. Straighten the lotus root heads: in June, the lotus root vines grow rapidly in all directions, so manual vine management is needed. At noon, dig open the mud, lift up the lotus root vines, turn the heads toward blank areas and bury them back into the soil.

9. Mature harvest: when most of the aboveground standing leaves have withered and yellowed and the lotus root is fully mature, it can be harvested gradually. Lotus root harvest is divided into green lotus root and withered lotus root. Green lotus root is mostly harvested in August, and withered lotus root is harvested from after the beginning of autumn to March-April of the following year.