What are the key points of buckwheat cultivation techniques? A detailed explanation
Buckwheat has a short growth period, strong adaptability, moderate yield and high nutritional and health value, making it an excellent catch crop and disaster-relief crop. People throughout our county have a tradition of growing buckwheat. To secure a stable and abundant buckwheat harvest after a disaster, the following key technical steps must be grasped: 1. Select good varieties. It is advisable to choose varieties with a growth period of 70-80 days and strong stress resistance...
Buckwheat has a short growth period, strong adaptability, moderate yield and high nutritional and health value, making it an excellent catch crop and disaster-relief crop. People throughout our county have a tradition of growing buckwheat. To secure a stable and abundant buckwheat harvest after a disaster, the following key technical steps must be grasped:
1. Select good varieties. It is advisable to choose buckwheat varieties with a growth period of 70-80 days and strong stress resistance. Avoid using old seed; it is best to use new seed harvested the previous year.
2. Seed treatment. Sun the seed for 2-3 days before sowing, and select seed by soaking in warm water, that is, soak the seed in 40°C warm water for 10-15 minutes, remove the floating shriveled grains, and scoop out the plump grains that sink to the bottom and dry them. In areas with severe pests and diseases, seed dressing with chemicals may be carried out. To shorten the time from sowing to emergence, the seed may be kept covered for 1-2 days after warm-water soaking, and sown immediately once the seed begins to sprout.
3. Fine land preparation. Buckwheat seedlings have poor soil-penetrating ability and weak root development, and it has high requirements for land preparation, so this step of tillage and land preparation should be done as well as possible. Flat land needs ditching and bed building, with beds 5-6 chi wide; gently sloping land should also have field ditches opened according to the terrain to facilitate drainage.
4. Sow at the right time. Buckwheat likes a warm and cool environment and fears frost; sowing too early or too late will seriously affect yield. The suitable sowing period in our county is around mid to late July.
5. Reasonable close planting. Buckwheat can be broadcast, drilled in rows or planted in holes. For broadcasting, the sowing rate is 4-5 kg per mu, ensuring 80,000-100,000 basic seedlings; for drilling, the row spacing is 0.6-0.7 chi, the sowing rate is 3-4 kg per mu, ensuring 60,000-80,000 basic seedlings per mu; for hole planting, use a spacing of 0.7-0.8 chi x 1.0 chi, with 10,000-12,000 holes per mu, 8-10 seeds per hole, and a sowing rate of 2-2.5 kg per mu. The sowing depth should preferably be 3-4 cm. Buckwheat seeds can only sprout under dark conditions, so after sowing a layer of fine soil should be covered, just enough that the seed is no longer visible, to promote neat and uniform emergence.
6. Apply more fertilizer. Buckwheat tolerates poor soil, but appropriate application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer can significantly increase yield. Fertilizer can be applied as a starter fertilizer; generally, during land preparation, apply 8-10 kg of 45% compound fertilizer or 15-20 kg of 25% compound fertilizer per mu, together with an appropriate amount of high-quality organic fertilizer. When applying, be careful to keep the chemical fertilizer separate from the seed to prevent seedling burn.
7. Strengthen cultivation management. First, drain waterlogging and prevent drought, pay attention to clearing ditches and draining water to prevent waterlogged seedling death; if drought occurs during the emergence period, areas with the conditions should irrigate the furrows in time to moisten the soil, or sprinkle diluted manure water in the morning and evening before emergence. Second, carry out timely intertillage and weeding. If rain falls after sowing, break up the soil crust in time, and carry out intertillage and weeding twice, when seedlings are 6-8 cm tall and before flowering. Third, supplement fertilizer to prevent decline. From flowering to seed-setting, use 0.5 kg of urea and 200 g of monopotassium phosphate per mu, mixed with 60 kg of water, and spray 1-2 times. Fourth, assist pollination. Buckwheat has a low natural pollination and seed-setting rate, so artificial assisted pollination should be carried out during the flowering period. Bees can be released for pollination, or from 8-10 a.m. a rope or thin bamboo pole can be gently dragged back and forth over the upper layer of the plants, for 2-3 times (at intervals of 3-5 days). Fifth, control pests, diseases, rats and mice, and pay attention to using low-toxicity pesticides.
8. Harvest at the right time. When 70% of the buckwheat grains turn dark brown, harvest promptly in the early morning or evening, tie them into bundles or sheaves, and stand them indoors so the buckwheat can fully after-ripen, then thresh, sun-dry and store.