How to germinate ginkgo seeds with a high survival rate? A detailed guide to propagation techniques
When it comes to ginkgo, many people probably know that ginkgo can be used to make food, such as congee, but in fact ginkgo can also be grown as a potted plant. Next, let's take a look at the propagation of ginkgo planting.
When it comes to ginkgo, many people probably know that ginkgo can be used to make food, such as congee, but in fact ginkgo can also be grown as a potted plant. Next, let's take a look at the propagation of ginkgo planting.
The ginkgo tree is a relatively ancient tree species, and the plants are generally quite tall, with some even reaching a height of more than ten meters. Therefore, in many cities, ginkgo is a relatively important landscaping tree and cash crop. In addition, the ginkgo tree also has relatively high ornamental value and can be made into an elegant bonsai, which looks particularly dignified.
The leaves of ginkgo are very beautiful, with indentations along the edges, looking like a small fan. In autumn, the leaves of ginkgo turn golden yellow, giving a very artistic mood. They can also produce many fruits, and after the fruit skin is dried in the sun, there are white seeds inside.
At present, the relatively easy way to propagate ginkgo is sowing, which even friends without a gardening background can master well. However, getting ginkgo seeds to germinate quickly requires certain techniques, and germination must be promoted before sowing. Now let's look at the sowing techniques, hoping to provide some methods for flower lovers.
1. After taking out the ginkgo seeds, do not rush to sow them. Instead, promote their germination. This is because the germination rate of ginkgo seeds is only 70 percent, and if they are not treated, uneven seedling emergence is very likely to occur. Friends should soak the seeds in a potassium permanganate solution, then place them in a greenhouse above 35°C to promote germination, and keep the seeds moist. After three days of germination promotion, the ginkgo seeds will grow small white sprouts, and then they can be sown.
2. Ginkgo should be planted in relatively fertile and fairly dry sandy soil. There must absolutely be no water accumulation in the soil. In order for the seeds to germinate faster, friends need to keep the soil pH at around 6.5. Place the sprouts of the seeds facing downward, then bury them in the soil. To maintain the soil temperature and humidity, also cover them with a moistened straw curtain, and in this way seedlings will emerge in about fifteen days.
3. After the seedlings grow two true leaves, they should be given some water, which can make the ginkgo seedlings grow faster. In order to make the plant shape of the seedlings more elegant, they must be placed in a location with relatively sufficient light, so that the leaves will spread out more. During the care process, nutrients should be provided to the seedlings by applying thin fertilizer frequently. When the seedlings grow to about 10 cm, they can be transplanted into a favorite flowerpot, and only then will the ginkgo seedlings grow taller.
Ginkgo Ginkgo biloba L. Ginkgo illustrated guide: how to grow ginkgo / how to propagate ginkgo
Ginkgo profileGinkgo Ginkgo biloba L.
Ginkgo cultivation methods and precautions Ginkgo introduction Ginkgo(scientific name: Ginkgo biloba), also known aswhite fruit、grandfather-and-grandson treeetc., belongs to the gymnosperms. All other plants in the same division have become extinct, and it is called a "relict plant." Ginkgo takes more than twenty years from planting to fruiting, and only after forty years can it produce large amounts of fruit. It can live to over a thousand years old and is the longevity star among trees. Ginkgo saplings are tall and elegant in form, making them ideal tree species for landscaping and scenic gardens. They are listed among China's four major long-lived ornamental tree species (pine, cypress, Chinese scholartree, and ginkgo). Ginkgo seeds are rich in nutrients and have natural health benefits. Long-term consumption can delay aging and prolong life. In the Song Dynasty, they were listed as a royal tribute.
Ginkgo is a deciduous tree that blooms in April, matures in October, and its seeds are orange-yellow and drupe-like. Ginkgo is the oldest relict plant among extant seed plants. All other plants in the same class have become extinct. It is known as a living fossil, originated several hundred million years ago, and the ginkgoes surviving in the world today are rare and scattered, with old trees over a hundred years old no longer common. Varieties and cultivars include: yellow-leaf ginkgo, tower-shaped ginkgo, split-leaf ginkgo, weeping ginkgo, variegated-leaf ginkgo, and 26 others. The main producing areas are Shandong, Anhui, Pizhou in Jiangsu, the Changmei Flower Base in Jiangsu, Henan, and other places.
Morphological characteristics of ginkgo
The ginkgo tree is also called the white fruit tree. It grows relatively slowly and has an extremely long lifespan. Under natural conditions, it takes more than twenty years from planting to fruiting, and only after forty years can it produce large amounts of fruit. Therefore, it is also called the "grandfather-and-grandson tree," meaning "the grandfather plants and the grandson eats," and it is the longevity star among trees, anciently called "white fruit." The ginkgo tree has ornamental, economic, and medicinal value, and every part is a "treasure." The ginkgo tree is the oldest gymnosperm left after the Quaternary glaciation and is one of the most precious tree species in the world. Therefore, it is regarded as a "living fossil" in the plant kingdom and has ornamental value.
Biological characteristicsThe ginkgo tree is the only medium-sized deciduous broadleaf tree among the gymnosperms. It can grow to 25-40 m tall, and the diameter at breast height can reach 4 m. The bark of young trees is relatively smooth and light gray, while the bark of large trees is grayish brown with irregular vertical fissures on the surface, and it has long shoots and slow-growing spur shoots. It has a relatively slender crown, and the branches are somewhat irregular.
Ginkgo leaves are very special among seed plants, possessing broadleaf-type leaves that general gymnosperms do not have. The leaves are alternate, radially scattered on long shoots and clustered in groups of 3-5 on short shoots. They have slender petioles, are fan-shaped, light green on both sides, and are more or less notched or 2-lobed at the broad upper margin, 5-8 cm wide. The veins are the same shape as the leaf and have many forked parallel veinlets. Some leaves grow at the tips of branches, scattered one on the left and one on the right, while some grow in a cluster, with many leaves in one place.
Ginkgo is dioecious, but very few ginkgoes are monoecious. The strobili are solitary in the leaf axils of short shoots; male strobili are catkin-like, with numerous stamens, each having 2 anthers; female strobili have long stalks, and the stalk tip usually forks into two (rarely 3-5 forks), with 1 ovule bearing a disc-shaped collar at the fork end, and usually 1 ovule develops into a developed seed. Ginkgo is a gymnosperm and only has the structure of seeds, and has not yet evolved the fruit of angiosperms, but the seed coat of ginkgo seeds is well developed and looks no different from the fruit of angiosperms. The seeds are drupe-like, with long stalks, drooping, elliptical, oblong-obovate, ovate, or nearly spherical. Ginkgo seeds are 1.5-2 cm, enclosed in a 2-3 cm brownish-yellow seed coat. The aril is fleshy and covered with a white powder, turning pale yellow or orange-yellow when mature; the seed coat is bony, white, and usually has 2 (rarely 3) longitudinal ridges; the inner seed coat is membranous and pale reddish brown. The seeds of ginkgo are called white fruit and somewhat resemble apricots. Because they contain a lot of butyric acid, they smell like rancid butter. Some people are also allergic to components in the fruit pulp, developing itching and blisters, and gloves need to be worn when washing the fruits. The seeds can be peeled out, cooked, and eaten, and are a traditional food in China and Japan.
General characteristicsLeaves: fan-shaped, stalked; leaves on long shoots mostly have two lobes, while leaves on short shoots often have wavy notches. Strobili: unisexual, dioecious. Microstrobili: catkin-like, borne in the axils of scales at the tips of short shoots. Microsporophylls have short stalks, and the stalk tip often has 2 pendulous microsporangia. Microspores: oblong, with a depressed distal sulcus along the longitudinal axis, and the outer wall has minute protrusions. Megastrobili: simple, usually with a long stalk, and the stalk tip has 2 ring-like megasporophylls, specially called a collar, each bearing 1 erect ovule. Seeds: nearly spherical, the seed coat differentiated into 3 layers, and the embryo has 2 cotyledons. Chromosomes: x=12.Primitive characteristicsGinkgo has many relatively primitive characteristics. Its vein pattern is "dichotomously forked venation," which is unique among gymnosperms but very common among ferns. When its male flowers' pollen germinates, it produces only two ciliated motile sperm. This characteristic is found among gymnosperms only in cycads, and is also very common among ferns. This shows that ginkgo is a more ancient plant than trees such as pines, firs, and cypresses. Therefore, botanically it is classified as one class, one order, one family, one genus, and one species.Identifying characteristicsDeciduous tree, leaves fan-shaped, scattered on long shoots, clustered on short shoots. Strobili unisexual, dioecious. Seeds drupe-like. It is a large deciduous tree, with diameter at breast height reaching 4 m. The bark of young trees is nearly smooth and light gray, while the bark of large trees is grayish brown, irregularly vertically fissured, with long shoots and slow-growing spur-like short shoots. Leaves alternate, radially scattered on long shoots, clustered in groups of 3-5 on short shoots, with slender petioles, fan-shaped, light green on both sides, more or less notched or 2-lobed at the broad upper margin, 5-8 (-15) cm wide, with many forked parallel fine veins. Dioecious, rarely monoecious, strobili solitary in the leaf axils of short shoots; male strobili catkin-like, with numerous stamens, each having 2 anthers; female strobili have long stalks, and the stalk tip usually forks into two (rarely 3-5 forks), with 1 ovule bearing a disc-shaped collar at the fork end, and usually 1 ovule develops into a developed seed. Seeds drupe-like, with long stalks, drooping, elliptical, oblong-obovate, ovate, or nearly spherical, 2.5-3.5 cm long, 1.5-2 cm in diameter; aril fleshy, covered with white powder, pale yellow or orange-yellow when mature; seed coat bony, white, usually with 2 (rarely 3) longitudinal ridges; inner seed coat membranous. The distinguishing characteristics of male and female plants are shown below for reference: Male plant 1. The angle between the main branches and the trunk is small; the crown is somewhat slender and forms relatively late. 2. The leaf sinuses are relatively deep, often extending beyond the middle of the leaf. 3. The autumn leaf color change period is relatively late, and leaf fall is relatively late. 4. The short shoots bearing male flowers are relatively long (about 1-4 cm). Female plant 1. The angle between the main branches and the trunk is relatively large; the crown is broad and large, with a relatively flat top, and forms relatively early. 2. The leaf sinuses are relatively shallow, not reaching the middle of the leaf. 3. The autumn leaf color change period and shedding period are both relatively early. 4. The short shoots bearing female flowers are relatively short (about 1-2 cm). The wood is pale yellow. The grain is dense. It is elastic and does not warp or crack. It can be used for construction, furniture, utensils, carving, drawing boards, and other crafts. The seed kernel is used as medicine and has the functions of clearing heat, astringing the lungs, relieving asthma, suppressing cough, and promoting qi and blood circulation, and can also be stir-fried or eaten sweet. However, it should not be eaten in large amounts to prevent poisoning. The outer seed coat can be used as a pesticide and has the effect of preventing and controlling plant diseases and insect pests. [3] Generally everyone can eat it, and it is especially suitable for people with frequent urination and women with weak constitution and leukorrhea. Those with excess pathogenic factors should avoid taking it. Eating it raw or stir-fried in excess can cause poisoning, and poisoning from accidental ingestion by children is especially common. The individual is the size of an apricot pit and as white as jade, and its taste is sweet, bitter, and astringent. Overeating can easily cause diarrhea. Ginkgo trees are used a lot in landscaping, especially in the north. The characteristics of ginkgo trees make them very suitable as street trees. They do not suffer from diseases and insect pests, have strong cold resistance, do not produce waste during the growing period, and have a beautiful and dignified tree shape.
Ecological habits of ginkgo
Ginkgo has a long lifespan, and China has ancient trees over 3000 years old. It is suitable for growing in subtropical monsoon regions with relatively superior water and heat conditions. The soil is yellow earth or yellow-brown earth, with a pH value of 5-6. Early growth is relatively slow, and its ability to sprout from stumps is strong. Female plants generally begin to bear fruit after about 20 years, and 500-year-old large trees can still bear fruit normally. Generally, buds break and leaves unfold from late March to early April, flowering occurs from early to mid-April, seeds mature from late September to early October, and leaves fall from late October to November.
The main distribution of ginkgo trees is in Shandong, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Hebei, Hubei, Henan, Gansu, and other places. The largest ginkgo cultivation base in the country is Tancheng County, Shandong Province.
Wild ginkgo is distributed in subtropical monsoon regions with relatively superior water and heat conditions. The average annual temperature is 15°C, the extreme minimum temperature can reach -10.6°C, and the annual precipitation is 1500-1800 mm. The soil is yellow earth or yellow-brown earth, with a pH value of 5-6. Associated plants mainly include Japanese cedar, golden larch, Torreya, Chinese fir, blueberry tree, sweetgum, Tianmu litsea, emmenopterys, Populus adenopoda, Daphniphyllum macropodum, moso bamboo, and others.
Ginkgo has a long lifespan and is suitable for growing in subtropical monsoon regions with relatively superior water and heat conditions. It generally blooms from early to mid-April, seeds mature from late September to early October, and leaves fall from late October to November. There are ancient trees over 3000 years old. Early growth is relatively slow, and the lifespan is long. Female plants generally begin to bear fruit after about 20 years, and 500-year-old large trees can still bear fruit normally. Generally, buds break and leaves unfold from late March to early April, flowering occurs from early to mid-April, seeds mature from late September to early October, and leaves fall from late October to November.
Distribution area of ginkgo. In nature, ginkgo is distributed only in the temperate and subtropical climate zones of China. China's ginkgo is mainly distributed in Shandong, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan, and other provinces and cities, and there is also a small amount distributed in Taiwan. Natural resource investigators also found in the deep mountain valleys of Hubei and Sichuan that ginkgo grows together with relict plants such as dawn redwood and dove tree. In summary, the vertical distribution span of ginkgo is relatively large.
PrimitiveGinkgo first appeared 345 million years ago in the Carboniferous period. It was once widely distributed in Europe, Asia, and the Americas in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Mesozoic Jurassic, ginkgo was widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, and it began to decline in the late Cretaceous. By 500,000 years ago, the Quaternary glaciation occurred, the Earth suddenly became cold, and the vast majority of ginkgo plants were on the verge of extinction, becoming extinct in most areas of Europe, North America, and Asia. Only China, with its superior natural conditions, miraculously preserved it. Therefore, scientists call it a "living fossil" and "the panda of the plant kingdom." Wild ginkgo survives in Huixian County in Gansu, northern Xuzhou in Jiangsu (Pizhou City), the Linyi area in southern Shandong (Tancheng County), and mountainous areas in western Zhejiang, China. There are wild and semi-wild ginkgo communities in Zhejiang Tianmu Mountain, Wuduhe Town in Yichang City, Hubei, Anlu City in Hubei, and a few surrounding townships from Haiyang Township in Lingchuan County, Guangxi to Gaoshang Town in Xing'an County, as well as the Dabie Mountains and Shennongjia. Because individuals are rare and the species is dioecious, if strict protection and promotion of natural regeneration are not carried out, the remaining forests will be replaced. The distribution of ginkgo mostly belongs to artificially cultivated areas, and it is mainly cultivated in large quantities in China, France, and South Carolina in the United States. There is no doubt that ginkgo abroad was introduced directly or indirectly from China.ExtantGinkgo is distributed in large quantities in China, Japan, Korea, South Korea, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, the United States, France, Russia, and other countries and regions. The natural geographical distribution range of ginkgo is very wide. From the perspective of horizontal natural distribution, ginkgo near the 30° north latitude line has the longest east-west distribution distance. As this latitude increases or decreases, the east-west distance of ginkgo distribution gradually shortens. The higher the latitude, the more ginkgo distribution tends toward the eastern coast, and the lower the latitude, the more ginkgo distribution tends toward the plateau and mountainous areas of the southwest.
In China, ginkgo is mainly distributed in temperate and subtropical climate zones. Its marginal distribution is "reaching Shenyang in Liaoning in the north, Guangzhou in Guangdong in the south, Nantou in Taiwan Province in the southeast, Qamdo in the Tibet Autonomous Region in the west, and Putuo Island in Zhoushan, Zhejiang in the east," spanning 21°30' to 41°46' north latitude and 97° to 125° east longitude, covering 22 provinces (autonomous regions) and 3 municipalities directly under the central government. China's ginkgo resources are mainly distributed in more than 60 counties and cities in Shandong, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan, and other provinces, and there is also a small amount distributed in Taiwan. From the perspective of resource distribution volume, Shandong, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Anhui, Guangxi, Hubei, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Guizhou, and other provinces have the most, and the resource distribution within each province is also uneven, mainly concentrated in some counties or cities, such as Huixian County in Gansu; Taixing, Xinghua, Rugao, Hai'an, Dongtai, Dafeng, Xinyi, Pizhou, and Wu County in Jiangsu; Xincun in Tancheng County, Tai'an City, and Yantai City in Shandong Province; Wuduhe Town in Yichang City, Hubei, and Huayuan Village in Hedian Town, Luoyang Town, Suizhou, Hubei; and Lingchuan and Xing'an in Guangxi. Many ginkgo experts believe after textual research that naturally reproducing ancient ginkgo communities have been found in remote mountainous areas such as Tianmu Mountain in Zhejiang, Dahong Mountain in Hubei, Shennongjia, and Tengchong in Yunnan. They are extremely precious cultural heritage and natural landscapes and play an important role in improving the surrounding ecological environment, studying biodiversity, and ensuring the sustainable use of ginkgo genetic resources. Natural resource investigators also found in the deep mountain valleys of Hubei and Sichuan that ginkgo grows together with relict plants such as dawn redwood and dove tree.
China is not only the hometown of ginkgo, but also the country that cultivated, utilized, and researched ginkgo earliest and with the richest results. From ancient times to the present, whether in ginkgo cultivation area or ginkgo output, China ranks first in the world. Judging from the age of extant ancient ginkgo trees, ginkgo was already planted in China between the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
The vertical distribution span of ginkgo is relatively large. Ancient ginkgo trees growing well have been found from the eastern plains at altitudes of a few meters to several dozen meters to the mountainous areas of the southwest at around 3000 m. For example, Taixing in Jiangsu is at an altitude of about 5 m, Wu County at about 300 m, Tancheng in Shandong at about 40 m, Dujiangyan in Sichuan at 1600 m, Gansu at 1500 m (Lanzhou), Yunnan at 2000 m (Kunming), and Tibet at 3000 m (Qamdo). However, these distribution conditions do not indicate that ginkgo can be distributed in all areas within such a vertical span, because in addition to latitude and altitude, terrain and soil are also very important factors affecting the natural distribution of ginkgo. For example, soil water content, salt content, sunshine, and extreme temperatures all directly limit the development of ginkgo. In marginal areas of ginkgo's natural distribution, due to factors such as terrain, a microclimate favorable to ginkgo growth may appear, and ginkgo can still grow very well. Similarly, within the natural distribution range of ginkgo, there are areas unsuitable for ginkgo growth due to differences in microclimate or terrain, soil, and water and heat conditions, so within the natural distribution range, ginkgo mostly shows patchy distribution. From the perspective of climatic factors, vertical distribution is mainly concentrated within the altitude range where the average annual temperature is 8-20°C and the absolute minimum temperature is not lower than -20°C.
Main producing areasXincun in Tancheng County, Shandong Province; Rugao City, Taixing City, Pizhou City, and others in Jiangsu Province. Among them, the ginkgo nuts of Taixing City, Jiangsu Province, are called "Dafozhi" because of their large size and good variety; Tancheng in Shandong Province has Tancheng Jinzhui, Maling, Tancheng Yuanling, and others. Taixing's annual ginkgo output accounts for one third of the country's. Tancheng in Shandong is the main producing area of ginkgo seedlings and ginkgo leaves. "Taixing Dafozhi White Fruit" was designated by the 1999 Kunming World Horticultural Exposition as the only "pollution-free white fruit" enjoying permanent naming rights, and in 2007 it was awarded the titles of green food, organic food, and geographical indication product. Tancheng County in Shandong Province has a complete range of tree specifications and is the main supply base for landscaping seedlings in major cities across China. By 2011, the ginkgo area in Huixian County, Gansu Province, reached 300,000 mu, making it the first ginkgo county in the northwest. Haiyang Township in Lingchuan County, Guangxi, ranks first in the country in per capita ginkgo quantity and output, truly deserving the name of the first ginkgo township. Its extant ancient ginkgo stock is also rare nationwide.
Medicinal or dietary therapeutic value of ginkgo
The medical information and health dietary therapy information on Huhua Network are for reference only and cannot be used as a basis for diagnosis or medical treatment. Any health problem should be consulted with professional medical personnel, and the treatment of any disease should follow a doctor's advice.
Ultimate flower-protecting mission: love yourself, start from reality, and strictly follow a doctor's advice. For illness, do not be careless, do not delay, do not give up hope, face it bravely, use love to warm the silent world, and use your heart to care for the flower field within.
Edible value
Ginkgo, also known as white fruit, belongs to the dried fruit category. Among the many dried fruits, ginkgo ranks third in economic value. The value of white fruit is mainly reflected in food and medicine. China's white fruit output accounts for 90% of the world's total output. Ginkgo leaves and fruits are important products for earning foreign exchange through export, especially important medicinal raw materials for preventing and treating high blood pressure and heart disease. Extracts from ginkgo leaves can "defend the heart and protect the brain." In particular, the chemical extracts from the leaves reach more than 160 kinds, and their effective use is one of the hottest topics in the world today. The fruit is a high-grade tonic and health product.Ginkgo nuts are rich in nutrients and have natural health benefits. Long-term consumption can delay aging and prolong life. Ginkgo was listed as a royal tribute in the Song Dynasty. Japanese people have the habit of eating white fruit every day, and Westerners must have white fruit at Christmas. In terms of eating methods, ginkgo is mainly stir-fried, roasted, boiled, used as a side dish, used in pastries, canned, beverages, and alcoholic drinks. The composition of ginkgo leaves is complex. So far, more than 160 chemical components have been identified in ginkgo leaf extract, mainly flavonoids, phenolics, alkaloids, ginkgol, and others.
Edible
White fruit contains hydrocyanic acid toxin, which is highly toxic. Its toxicity decreases after heating, so eating it raw is more likely to cause poisoning. The usual poisoning dose is 10-50 nuts, and poisoning symptoms occur 1-12 hours after eating white fruit. To prevent white fruit poisoning, it should not be eaten in large amounts, and even more so should not be eaten raw.The medical and health-care effects of ginkgo seed kernels. According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, it records: "Eaten cooked, it warms the lungs, boosts qi, stops wheezing and cough, reduces urination, and stops white turbidity; eaten raw, it reduces phlegm, disinfects, and kills insects." Modern science has proven that ginkgo seed kernels have effects against Escherichia coli, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Staphylococcus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Streptococcus. Traditional Chinese medicine has long used ginkgo seed kernels to treat bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, leukorrhea, strangury with turbid urine, and spermatorrhea. Ginkgo seed kernels also have the effect of removing spots, smoothing wrinkles, and treating sores and ringworm. For patients with cough and thin phlegm, decoct 30 grams of ginkgo seed kernels and 15 grams of rock sugar in water and take it, twice a day, and it can be cured in half a month; for childhood enuresis, simmer 5 ginkgo seeds until cooked, take the kernel before bed every night, and results can be seen in half a month. [Nature, flavor, and meridian entry] Neutral in nature, sweet, bitter, and astringent in taste, slightly toxic; enters the lung and kidney meridians. [Efficacy and indications] Astringes lung qi, stops wheezing and cough, stops leukorrhea and turbidity, reduces urination, disinfects, and kills insects. Mainly treats asthma, phlegm cough, nocturnal emission, leukorrhea, white turbidity, diarrhea in children, parasitic accumulation, intestinal wind and visceral toxin, gonorrhea, frequent urination, as well as scabies, ringworm, lacquer sores, vitiligo, and other conditions. [Nutritional components] Every 100 grams contains 6.4 grams of protein, 2.4 grams of fat, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 1.2 grams of crude fiber, 52 grams of sucrose, 1.1 reducing sugar, 10 mg of calcium, 218 mg of phosphorus, 1 mg of iron, 320 micrograms of carotene, 50 micrograms of riboflavin, as well as ginkgol, ginkgophenol, ginkgolic acid, and many other components.Dietary therapeutic effects1. Antibacterial and bactericidal: 2. Relieving disease and stopping cough: 3. Anti-waterlogging and insect inhibition: 4. Stopping leukorrhea and turbidity, 5. Lowering serum cholesterol,Effects
1. Ginkgo lowers the level of lipid peroxidation, reduces freckles, moisturizes the skin, and beautifies the complexion.
2. Ginkgo lowers blood cholesterol levels in the human body and prevents arteriosclerosis. It has a significant improvement effect on middle-aged and elderly people with physical exhaustion after mild activity, rapid heartbeat, chest pain, dizziness, and blurred vision.
3. Ginkgo removes deposited components on blood vessel walls, improves blood rheology, enhances the deformability of red blood cells, lowers blood viscosity, and makes blood flow smooth. It can prevent and treat cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction. It also has a certain therapeutic effect on senile dementia caused by arteriosclerosis.
4. Ginkgo lowers blood pressure by increasing vascular permeability and elasticity, and has a relatively good blood-pressure-lowering effect.
5. The combination of ginkgo leaf preparations with hypoglycemic drugs has a relatively good effect in treating diabetes and can be used as an auxiliary drug for diabetes.
6. Ginkgo is used in the treatment of bronchial asthma and also has a relatively good effect.
7. Ginkgo can significantly relieve symptoms such as menstrual abdominal pain and soreness and pain in the lower back.
8. Stopping leukorrhea and turbidity, reducing urination: Modern medical research has found that white fruit has the effect of contracting the bladder sphincter. It has an auxiliary therapeutic effect on conditions such as childhood enuresis, frequent urination due to qi deficiency, leukorrhea and white turbidity, and insecure spermatorrhea.
9. Relieving disease and stopping cough: White fruit is sweet, bitter, and astringent and has the effects of astringing lung qi and stopping wheezing and cough. It has an auxiliary dietary therapeutic effect on lung disease cough, asthma in elderly people with weak constitution, and various types of asthma with abundant phlegm.
10. Anti-waterlogging and insect inhibition: The ginkgolic acid and ginkgophenol contained in the outer seed coat of white fruit have effects against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. White fruit soaked in oil has a strong inhibitory effect on Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Fresh fruits soaked in raw rapeseed oil have a certain effect on improving symptoms such as fever, night sweats, cough with blood-streaked sputum, and poor appetite caused by pulmonary tuberculosis. Therefore, it can be used to treat pulmonary tuberculosis.
11. Lowering serum cholesterol and dilating coronary arteries: Ginkgo leaves contain shikimic acid, ginkgo biflavones, isoginkgo biflavones, sterols, and others, which have certain effects in treating high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, cerebral vasospasm, and excessively high serum cholesterol.
12. Antibacterial and bactericidal: The ginkgolic acid and ginkgophenol contained in white fruit have been experimentally proven to have antibacterial and bactericidal effects and can be used to treat respiratory infectious diseases. White fruit water infusion has varying degrees of inhibitory effects on various fungi and can relieve itching and treat ringworm.
Edible contraindications
Ginkgo seed kernels, especially the embryo and cotyledons, contain small amounts of toxic substances such as ginkgolic acid, ginkgophenol, and ginkgol. Eating them raw or eating too much cooked can cause poisoning. Poisoning varies from person to person. Mild poisoning symptoms include general discomfort and drowsiness, while severe poisoning symptoms include vomiting, cramps, blue lips, nausea, and difficulty breathing. For mild poisoning, drinking strong tea or coffee and resting in bed can lead to recovery, while severe cases should be sent to the hospital for treatment. To safely eat ginkgo kernels, the embryo and cotyledons should be removed, then first boiled in clean water, the water and inner seed coat discarded, and then cooked again in water or used for cooking. In addition, ginkgo seed kernels that have already sprouted cannot be eaten, and when eating ginkgo seed kernels, one must absolutely not eat fish at the same time.Recommended recipes1. Braised chicken with white fruit. Ingredients: 1 young tender hen (about 1250 grams), 250 grams of white fruit (ginkgo), 30 grams of Shaoxing wine, 15 grams of ginger, 10 grams of salt. Characteristics: "Braised chicken with white fruit" is a traditional famous dish in the Qingcheng Mountain area of Chengdu. Qingcheng Mountain has beautiful scenery and is known for its tranquility. The food here is uniquely delicious and has the name "Four Wonders," namely the first wonder "Dongtian tribute tea," with excellent tea quality, clear liquor color, and mellow tea fragrance; the second wonder "braised chicken with white fruit," with thick white broth and exceptionally delicious chicken; the third wonder "Qingcheng pickles," crisp, tender, fresh, and with a deep aftertaste; and the fourth wonder "Dongtian milk wine," with a rich but not harsh wine flavor, sweet but not greasy. It is said that "braised chicken with white fruit" was created by the Daoist priests of Tianshi Cave on Qingcheng Mountain. It is said that two or three hundred years ago, an elderly Daoist priest on Qingcheng Mountain suffered from a long illness and became increasingly thin. On Qingcheng Mountain there was a ginkgo tree with a history of more than 2500 years, and the white fruit it produced was large and plump. A Daoist priest from Tianshi Cave repeatedly took the white fruit produced by this tree, cooked soup with a tender hen, simmered it over gentle fire until rich, and gave it to the Daoist priest to eat, which improved his condition, and before long he recovered his health and was full of energy. From then on, "braised chicken with white fruit" became famous in Chengdu and throughout the Sichuan region and became a distinctive famous dish. Operation:
(1) Slaughter the chicken, remove the feathers and internal organs, and wash clean with clear water. Use a knife to split open along the chicken's back (do not split open the belly), put it into a pot with cold water and heat until just about to boil, then take it out, wash clean with clear water, remove blood residue, and set aside.
(2) Crack open the white fruit shells, blanch them briefly in boiling water with the shells on, take them out, peel off the shells, and wash clean. (3) Put the whole young tender hen into a pot, add water (enough to submerge the chicken), add ginger slices and Shaoxing wine, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is half-cooked and the broth is becoming rich, then pour it into a large clay pot, add the white fruit and salt, cover and simmer over gentle fire for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the soup is rich, then take it out of the pot and pour it into a large round soup plate, with the chicken belly facing up and the back facing down, and the white fruit arranged around it. Characteristics: pale yellow color, thick white broth, fresh and tender chicken, slightly sweet white fruit, soft, cooked, and palatable. Key points: must use a fat young tender hen, remove dirty blood and wash clean. When cooking, first use high heat to cook the chicken until tender and the soup until rich, then put it into a clay pot and stew over gentle fire. 2. White fruit taro paste. Ingredients: [Main ingredients]: 250 grams of net Lipu taro meat, 150 grams of white fruit, half a cup of sugar, four tablespoons of lard, three tablespoons of sugar. [Auxiliary ingredients]: 1/3 cup of water, two tablespoons of sugar, one tablespoon of cornstarch. Operation: (1) Wash the Lipu taro, slice and steam until cooked, about forty minutes, and while hot mash into paste. (2) Remove the shells from the white fruit, put them in boiling water and cook for fifteen minutes, take them out, remove the skins and cores, wash clean, drain the water, put them in hot oil and fry briefly, take them out, add three tablespoons of sugar and mix evenly (best to marinate overnight). (3) Add one tablespoon of lard, add the white fruit and the sugar used to marinate the white fruit and stir-fry briefly, add one cup of water and cook until about 3/4 cup of water remains, then set aside the white fruit and the water used to cook the white fruit separately. (4) Add three tablespoons of lard, add the taro paste and half a cup of sugar and stir-fry over low heat until the sugar dissolves, then add the remaining water from cooking the white fruit and stir-fry evenly, then scoop out. (5) After the taro paste cools, if it does not feel smooth, it can be put into a grinder and ground until smooth, then placed in a deep dish and the white fruit added. Steam until hot when eating, bring the sauce to a boil and pour it over the taro paste and white fruit. Whether to use sauce or not is optional.
Medicinal information:
[Chinese name] Ginkgo, white fruit tree, grandfather-and-grandson tree
[Chinese pinyin] Yinxin
[English name] Maidenhair Tree, Maidenhairtree, Ginkgo, Maiden Hair Tree
[Latin scientific name] Ginkgo biloba L.
[Family and genus classification] Ginkgoaceae, Ginkgo
[Plant morphology] Deciduous tree, up to 40 m tall, diameter at breast height up to 4 m; bark grayish brown, deeply vertically fissured, rough; branches nearly whorled, extending obliquely upward or female plant branches slightly spreading, long shoots grayish yellow, with fine longitudinal cracks; short shoots densely covered with black-gray leaf scars, and the tips of short shoots can often again produce long shoots. Leaves fan-shaped, with long petioles, pale green, spirally alternate on long shoots, spirally clustered on short shoots, apex 5-8 cm wide, often with wavy notches on short shoots, often with 2 clefts or no cleft, base broadly cuneate. Flowers unisexual, dioecious; male flowers in drooping short catkins, 4-6 borne in the leaf axils on short shoots, with numerous stamens, anthers 2-celled, borne at the tip of short stalks; female flowers usually 2-3 clustered on short shoots, each flower with a long stalk, the stalk tip forked into two, each bearing 1 carpel, with an ovule attached, and usually only 1 ovule develops and matures. Mature seeds oval or nearly spherical, 2-3 cm in diameter; outer seed coat fleshy, yellow when mature; middle seed coat bony, white, with 2-3 longitudinal ridges; inner seed coat membranous, pale reddish brown; endosperm abundant, fleshy, cotyledons 2. Flowering period March-April, seed maturity period September-October.
[Habitat and distribution] Grows in natural forests at altitudes of 500-1000 m in acidic soil and well-drained areas, and is also cultivated. Distributed in most parts of the country. Medicinal materials are mainly produced in Guangxi, Sichuan, Henan, Shandong, Hubei, Liaoning, and other provinces.
[Medicinal parts] Seeds and leaves are used as medicine. Chinese medicine names: white fruit (seed); white fruit leaf (leaf).
[Harvesting and processing] Seeds: harvested in autumn when the seeds mature, remove the fleshy outer seed coat, wash clean, steam briefly or boil slightly, then dry. Leaves: harvested in autumn, remove impurities, and dry in the sun.
[Main components] Contains protein, fat, and others.
[Pharmacological effects] The leaves can treat coronary arteriosclerotic heart disease, relieve angina pectoris, and lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
[Nature, flavor, and functions] Seeds: sweet, bitter, astringent, neutral, toxic. Leaves: sweet, bitter, astringent, neutral, slightly toxic. Seeds: astringe the lungs and stop asthma, stop leukorrhea and turbidity, reduce urination. Leaves: relieve asthma, invigorate blood.
[Indications and usage] Seeds: used for cough with abundant phlegm and asthma, leukorrhea and white turbidity, enuresis and frequent urination. Leaves: used for cough and asthma, coronary heart disease, and angina pectoris. Seeds: oral use: decoct in water, 3-9 grams; or pound to obtain juice. External use: appropriate amount, pound and apply; or slice and apply. Those with excess pathogenic factors should not take it. Eating raw is toxic. Leaves: oral use: decoct in water, 6-15 grams, or grind into powder. Those with excess pathogenic factors should not take it. Eating raw or stir-fried in excess can cause poisoning.
Seeds:
Lower genital sores: several raw white fruits, pound, and apply. (Jiji Xianfang)
Leaves:
Coronary heart disease, angina pectoris: 15 grams each of white fruit leaf, Trichosanthes fruit, and Salvia miltiorrhiza, 12 grams of Allium macrostemon, 9 grams of Curcuma aromatica, and 5 grams of raw licorice. Decoct and take. (Anhui Chinese Herbal Medicine)
[Name] Ginkgo leaf
[Pinyin] Yinxingye
[English] Ginkgo Leaf
[Latin] Ginkgo Folium
[Category] Leaf class
[Source] The dried leaves of the ginkgo plant Ginkgo bilobaL. in the Ginkgoaceae family.
[Origin] Mainly produced in Sichuan, Jiangsu, Hubei, Guangxi, and other places.
[Characters] This product is mostly wrinkled or broken. The complete ones are fan-shaped, 3-12 cm long and 5-15 cm wide. Yellow-green or light brownish yellow, with the upper margin irregularly wavy and curved, some concave in the middle, and in deep cases reaching 4/5 of the leaf length. It has dichotomous parallel leaf veins, fine and dense, smooth and hairless, and easily torn longitudinally. Leaf base cuneate, petiole 2-8 cm long. Light in weight. Slight odor, slightly bitter taste.
[Quality] Those that are flat and free of impurities are preferred.
[Nature and flavor] Sweet, bitter, astringent, neutral.
[Efficacy] Astringes the lungs, relieves asthma, invigorates blood and resolves stasis, and relieves pain. Used for cough and asthma due to lung deficiency; coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, high blood lipids, anticoagulation, and a certain probability of improving memory.
Medicinal value
[table][/table]The medical content on Huhua Network is for reference only and cannot be regarded as professional advice. For any health problem, professional medical personnel should be consulted.
For hundreds of years, ginkgo extract has had a special place in traditional Chinese medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine there is a medicinal herb called white fruit, which is the seed of ginkgo. According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, it records: "White fruit is slightly bitter and mildly sweet, warm in nature and slightly toxic, and eating too much causes abdominal bloating." "Eaten cooked, it warms the lungs, boosts qi, stops wheezing and cough, reduces urination, and stops white turbidity; eaten raw, it reduces phlegm, disinfects, and kills insects; chewing the pulp and applying it to the nose, face, hands, and feet removes nasal sores, dark spots, rough wrinkles, as well as scabies, ringworm, malnutrition, and pubic lice." Only in modern times did Western scholars study the medicinal value of ginkgo.
The medicinal use of white fruit is mainly reflected in three aspects: medicine, pesticides, and veterinary drugs. Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty once said: "It enters the lung meridian, benefits spleen qi, stops wheezing and cough, and reduces urination." In the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Lulu's Benjing Fengyuan recorded that white fruit has the functions of reducing phlegm, clearing toxins, and killing insects, and can treat "sores, scabies, and tumors, ulcerated breast abscess, dental caries, diarrhea in children, red and white leukorrhea, chronic strangury with turbid urine, spermatorrhea, and enuresis." In the Ming Dynasty, Chinese patent medicines prepared from white fruit appeared in Jiangsu, Sichuan, and other places for clinical use. The outer seed coat of ginkgo contains large amounts of hydrogenated ginkgolic acid and ginkgo flavonoids. The water-soluble components of the outer seed coat have a relatively good antitussive and expectorant effect, similar in nature to cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone. The alcohol-soluble intermediate of the outer seed coat has an effective inhibition rate of 81% against 22 common clinically pathogenic fungi. 0.1% hydrogenated ginkgolic acid has an effective inhibition rate of 92% against 25 clinical pathogenic fungi. In addition, the extract of the outer seed coat has an inhibition rate of 88%-100% against 11 plant pathogens such as apple anthracnose. The alcohol extract has a control rate of 100% against the silk-cotton golden geometrid within 3 days, and can also control pests such as spider mites, peach aphids, and striped stem borers. According to the Folk Veterinary Materia Medica, ginkgo preparations can treat livestock fatigue and nasal discharge, lung abscess with cough and asthma, cough due to lung deficiency, strangury with bloody urine, and leukorrhea in female animals. The Dingchuan Tang developed by the Shandong Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Station treats infectious laryngotracheitis in chickens with a cure rate of 95%. With the continuous deepening of modern pharmacological research, it has been found that ginkgo leaves contain not only flavonoids but also terpene lactones, phenolics, and other compounds, and their outstanding pharmacological effects have gradually become recognized.
Clinical observations have proven that ginkgo leaves have the following effects:
1. Lower blood cholesterol levels in the human body and prevent arteriosclerosis. It has a significant improvement effect on middle-aged and elderly people with physical exhaustion after mild activity, rapid heartbeat, chest pain, dizziness, and blurred vision.
2. Lower blood pressure by increasing vascular permeability and elasticity, with a relatively good blood-pressure-lowering effect.
3. Remove deposited components on blood vessel walls, improve blood rheology, enhance the deformability of red blood cells, lower blood viscosity, and make blood flow smooth. It can prevent and treat cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction. It also has a certain therapeutic effect on senile dementia caused by arteriosclerosis.
4. The combination of ginkgo leaf preparations with hypoglycemic drugs has a relatively good effect in treating diabetes and can be used as an auxiliary drug for diabetes.
5. It can significantly relieve symptoms such as menstrual abdominal pain and soreness and pain in the lower back.
6. It is used in the treatment of bronchial asthma and also has a relatively good effect.
7. Lower lipid peroxidation levels, reduce freckles, moisturize the skin, and beautify the complexion.
At present, ginkgo leaf preparations circulating on the market include tablets, granules, tea preparations, oral liquids, and other dosage forms, with tablets being the majority. Regardless of the dosage form, it should be taken according to the prescribed dose. When taken in excessive doses, there may occasionally be gastrointestinal reactions such as decreased appetite and nausea, and very few patients develop allergic rashes. Therefore, during treatment, one should not be impatient for results and arbitrarily increase the dose. If symptoms such as blood pressure dropping too quickly or worsening angina pectoris occur, especially when cardiac insufficiency worsens, the dose should be reduced promptly or other drugs should be used instead.
More than 160 chemical components have been identified in ginkgo leaf extract. The main ones include flavonoids, terpenes, phenolics, alkaloids, polyisoprenes, quinic acid, linoleic acid, shikimic acid, ascorbic acid, a-hexenal, ginkgol, ginkgo ketone, and others. In the 1960s, the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other units developed the Shuxuening injection from ginkgo leaves, which was tested and found to have a certain effect on coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, and cerebrovascular diseases. At the same time, ginkgo leaves can also be used as a pesticide. Add 1 kg of leaves to 20 kg of water, boil for 30 minutes, then soak for 2-3 days, and use the liquid to spray red spider mites and cabbage caterpillars, with a pest control rate of more than 90%, and no residue.
Ginkgo and ginkgo leaves are used to make health pillows. It is recorded in Pillow Records: The seed kernel of ginkgo is commonly known as white fruit, with a sweet taste and rich nutrition, good both as food and medicine, and is also used in medicinal diets or as medicine. The leaves, seed coat, and roots of ginkgo all contain a variety of chemical components that can be used in traditional Chinese medicine. Selected ginkgo leaves from trees more than three years old and other precious Chinese medicinal herbs are formulated into ginkgo leaf health pillows, with a faint delicate fragrance that can improve human respiration and enhance sleep quality. Long-term use can prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases, prevent high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and other conditions in adults caused by vascular aging, and can enable adults, especially in middle and old age, to maintain normal cardiac output and normal nervous system function as natural substances, helping people maintain a normal cell life cycle as much as possible.
Ginkgo leaves contain flavonoid glycosides and can be used as medicine. The extracted products are now often used to prevent motion sickness and enhance memory. However, whether they actually have these uses is still debated. White fruit is slightly toxic, and eating too much can cause symptoms such as dizziness and diarrhea.
Contraindications
Ginkgo leaves should not be brewed together with tea leaves and chrysanthemum flowers. Ginkgo leaves contain a large amount of ginkgolic acid, which is toxic. Generally, the leaves collected have not undergone deep processing or preparation, and the ginkgolic acid content in fresh leaves is as high as 3000-4000 ppm. Because ginkgolic acid is water-soluble, steeping in water not only fails to release beneficial substances such as ginkgo flavonoids and ginkgolides, but actually has the opposite effect, as the toxins dissolve out. The medicinally valuable ginkgo flavonoids and similar compounds are fat-soluble, so brewing with water causes toxic substances to dissolve out, and drinking it easily leads to poisoning. In pharmaceuticals, especially hospital-used ginkgo products, a slight content of 10 ppm ginkgolic acid is permitted.
Toxicity
The fruit of the ginkgo contains hydrocyanic acid toxin, which is quite toxic; the toxicity decreases when heated, so eating it raw easily causes poisoning; it is more common in children; symptoms include vomiting, listlessness, fever, and convulsions.
The Functions, Uses and Economic Value of GinkgoAlso known as white fruit (bai guo), it belongs to the dried fruit category, and its economically productive lifespan can reach several thousand years. Among the many dried fruits, ginkgo ranks third in economic value. The value of white fruit is mainly reflected in its use as food and medicine. China's white fruit output accounts for 90% of the world's total production. Ginkgo leaves and fruits are important products for earning foreign exchange through export, especially as important pharmaceutical raw materials for preventing and treating high blood pressure and heart disease. Extracts from ginkgo leaves can "defend the heart and protect the brain." More than 160 kinds of chemical extracts from ginkgo leaves with known chemical compositions have been identified. The main ones include flavonoids, terpenoids, phenols, alkaloids, polyisoprenes, quinic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid, ascorbic acid, a-hexenal, ginkgol, ginkgone, and others. The medicinal uses of white fruit are mainly reflected in three aspects: medicine, pesticides, and veterinary medicine. The outer seed coat of ginkgo contains large amounts of hydroginkgolic acid and ginkgo flavonoids. Ginkgo has the effect of regulating the respiratory organs, and the water-soluble components of the outer seed coat have a good antitussive and expectorant effect, similar in nature to cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone. Because ginkgo contains ginkgolic acid, it has a strong inhibitory effect on Mycobacterium tuberculosis, skin fungi, and others, so it can be used to treat pulmonary tuberculosis, skin diseases, and so on; the alcohol-based intermediate from the outer seed coat has an effective inhibition rate of 81% against 22 common clinical pathogenic fungi. 0.1% hydroginkgolic acid has an effective rate of 92% in inhibiting 25 common clinical pathogenic fungi. Ginkgo leaves have important medicinal value. Ginkgo leaves are bitter, sweet, astringent, and neutral in nature; they contain biflavones, and experiments and clinical practice have proven that they have the effect of lowering serum cholesterol and dilating the coronary arteries, with a certain adjunctive therapeutic effect on coronary heart disease and high blood pressure. In the 1960s, the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other units developed the Shuxuening injection from ginkgo leaves, which tests showed has a certain therapeutic effect on coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, and cerebrovascular diseases. The extract from the outer seed coat of ginkgo has an inhibition rate of 88%-100% against 11 plant pathogens including apple anthracnose. The alcohol extract achieved a 100% control rate against the mulberry looper (Hemerophila atrilineata) within 3 days, and can also control pests such as spider mites, peach aphids, and striped stem borers. According to "Folk Veterinary Materia Medica," ginkgo preparations can treat livestock ailments such as fatigue-induced nasal discharge, lung abscess with cough and asthma, lung-deficiency cough, urinary strangury with blood, and leucorrhea in female animals. The Dingchuan Tang developed by the Shandong Livestock and Veterinary Station for treating infectious laryngotracheitis in chickens achieved a cure rate of 95%. Ginkgo leaves can also be used as a pesticide. Add 1 kg of leaves to 20 kg of water, boil for 30 minutes, then soak for 2-3 days, and spray the liquid to control red spider mites and cabbage caterpillars with a control rate of over 90%, with no residue. Using the effective chemical components and special medical and health-care effects of ginkgo fruits and leaves to process and produce health foods, medicines, and cosmetics is attracting attention from research, development, and production units at home and abroad. Many enterprises in various countries are competing to develop and produce natural green products made from ginkgo as raw materials, to replace synthetic chemicals with greater side effects on human health. The Dafeng Ginkgo Base in Jiangsu has 20,000 trees of over 10 cm, and health products developed from ginkgo leaves such as ginkgo leaf beverages, ginkgo peach juice, ginkgo beer, and ginkgo tea are already circulating on the market. Pizhou City, Jiangsu Province, is in an advanced position in the cultivation of ginkgo leaves and the production of extracts (GBE). Ginkgo and ginkgo leaves are used to make health pillows. "The Pillow Record" notes: selected ginkgo leaves from trees over three years old and other precious Chinese herbal medicines are formulated into ginkgo leaf health pillows. The faint delicate fragrance can improve human respiration, enhance sleep quality, and long-term use can prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases. It prevents high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and other conditions caused by vascular sclerosis in adults, and is a natural substance that can help adults, especially in middle and old age, maintain normal cardiac output and normal nervous system function, helping people maintain a normal cell life cycle as much as possible. The ginkgo trunk is straight, and its wood is a high-grade material for making musical instruments and furniture. Ginkgo wood is of high quality and expensive, and has long been known as "silver fragrant wood" or "silver wood." Ginkgo wood is lustrous, with straight grain, fine structure, easy to process, does not warp or crack, has strong rot resistance, is easy to paint, has low nail-holding power, and has a special medicinal fragrance with strong insect resistance. Ginkgo wood can be used not only to make carved plaques and wooden fish and other handicrafts, but also to make wardrobes, desks, and other high-grade furniture. Ginkgo wood has resonance, sound conductivity, and high elasticity, making it an ideal material for making musical instruments. It can be used to make surveying and mapping instruments, pen holders, and other cultural supplies, and is also a superior wood for making chessboards, chess pieces, sports equipment, seals, and small handicrafts. In industrial production, silver wood is most suitable for making X-ray machine filter grids, textile printing and dyeing rollers, machine molds and wooden molds for bodiless lacquerware, plywood, cutting boards, wooden telephones, and so on.
Ginkgo is recognized as an economic tree species for greening, beautifying the environment, and with ornamental value. The ginkgo tree has a majestic and magnificent posture, beautiful leaf shape, a long lifespan, and few pests and diseases, making it most suitable as a shade tree, street tree, or specimen tree. It has good ornamental value. In summer, ginkgo is a lush green, and in autumn it turns a graspable golden yellow, giving people a sense of handsome magnificence and noble elegance. Therefore, from ancient times to the present, at home and abroad, ginkgo has been regarded as an important tree species for courtyard, street, and landscape greening. When ginkgo is used for street greening, male plants should be selected to avoid seeds and fruits soiling pedestrians' clothing. Among Chinese cities, Dandong was the first to use ginkgo as a street tree, with three streets lined on both sides with century-old ginkgo trees.
Biological ValueGinkgo is a relict plant, widely cultivated in China; it is also produced in Japan. It grows relatively slowly and has an extremely long lifespan, reaching over a thousand years. The ginkgo tree is tall and upright, with fan-shaped leaves. It has a large canopy with shade, providing a cooling effect. The leaf shape is ancient and elegant, and its lifespan is long. It has no pests or diseases, does not pollute the environment, and has a smooth trunk. It is a famous pollution-free tree species, conducive to the reproduction of ginkgo and enhancing the landscape. It has strong adaptability, and ginkgo has very broad requirements for climate and soil. It resists smoke and dust, fire, and toxic gases. Ginkgo has a certain ornamental value. Because its branches are flat and straight and its canopy forms a relatively regular conical shape, ginkgo forests planted in large numbers have an overall aesthetic appeal visually. Ginkgo leaves turn golden yellow in autumn, and under the low-angle sunlight of autumn they are quite beautiful, often used by photographers as a background. They are also ideal landscape greening and street tree species. They can be used as ideal cultivation tree species for landscape greening, streets, highways, field shelterbelts, and windbreak belts. They are listed among China's four major long-lived ornamental tree species (pine, cypress, pagoda tree, ginkgo).
Ecological ValueHuman understanding of ginkgo's ecological value came relatively late. The highest level of ginkgo's value - ecological value - is a priceless treasure. Ginkgo's ecological benefits are mainly reflected in the following: from the cultivation perspective, ginkgo belongs to fruit trees - dried fruits; it belongs to forest trees - timber species, protective species, pest- and disease-resistant species, long-lived species, and pollution-tolerant species. Ginkgo has strong adaptability and is an ideal tree species for fast-growing and high-yield forests, farmland shelterbelts, road protection forests, bank protection forests, beach protection forests, village protection forests, agroforestry intercropping, and "four-side" greening. It can not only provide large amounts of high-quality timber, leaves, and seeds, but also green the environment, purify the air, conserve soil and water, control pests, regulate temperature, and regulate psychology, making it a good afforestation, greening, and ornamental tree species. It is of great significance to the adjustment of agricultural and forestry planting structures across China and the development of forestry in plain agricultural areas.Greening the environment:Ginkgo resists pests and diseases and is recognized as a pollution-free tree species, making it the most ideal tree species for ornamental greening. Planting ginkgo in parks, gardens, residential communities, along streets, and in urban greening can be described as "once and for all." The greening effect of ginkgo trees is very good, but the manifestation is relatively slow. Small trees need 2 years after planting to show a good effect, and after large trees are planted, they need 3-5 years of recovery time to display their beautiful function.Purifying the air:It has functions such as resistance to pollution, resistance to smoke and fire, and resistance to dust. Ginkgo trees can be planted in certain proportions in industrial areas, residential communities, towns, densely populated areas, and leisure communities to form ginkgo forest areas and belts, naturally purifying the air, reducing the content of suspended particles in the atmosphere, and improving air quality. Ginkgo trees can resist urban pollution and can grow where other trees cannot, making them very suitable for urban landscape beautification. Ginkgo can also be planted as bonsai for decoration. Ginkgo propagated from seed needs 20-30 years to bear fruit, hence it is called the "grandfather-grandson tree," meaning the tree planted by the grandfather can only be harvested by the grandson.Conserving soil and water:Ginkgo has effects such as conserving water sources, preventing wind and fixing sand, and conserving soil and water. In areas where forests have been cut down, soil erosion is severe, and wind-sand erosion occurs, cultivating ginkgo protection forest areas, protection forest belts, road protection forests, bank protection forests, beach protection forests, and sand-fixation forests can conserve soil and water and improve the ecological environment. In 1996, Puding County, Guizhou Province, made the cultivation of ginkgo and the development of the ginkgo industry its path to escaping poverty and becoming prosperous. The county had severe soil erosion; even a handful of soil had to be planted with a stalk of corn, and the ground was full of limestone sand. To prevent soil erosion, farmers switched to planting ginkgo, which both improved the ecological environment and provided economic income (ginkgo leaves sold to processing plants). Today, ginkgo has become a new path to escaping poverty and becoming prosperous in old revolutionary base areas, minority areas, and border areas such as the Dabie Mountains, Daba Mountains, and Yimeng Mountains. Planting ginkgo both improves the ecological environment and forms an industrial economy, achieving multiple benefits at once.Controlling pests:Ginkgo has the function of killing crop pests and diseases, and is especially effective against cotton pests, spider mites, peach aphids, and striped stem borers. Planting ginkgo around agricultural areas serves as a natural enemy of crop pests, protecting crops.Regulating temperature:Ginkgo trees have the unique function of being warm in winter and cool in summer. In midsummer, touch the ginkgo trunk with the palm of your hand, and it feels ice-cold; touch other trunks (such as willow), and the palm feels hot. According to measurements, in midsummer when the atmospheric temperature under direct sunlight is as high as 40.20°C, under the ginkgo tree it is 35.30°C, with a temperature difference between the open air and under the ginkgo shade of 4.90°C, while for weeping willow the difference is only 2.30°C. Ginkgo's temperature-regulating ability is more than 2 times that of willow. Therefore, creating ginkgo forest areas and ginkgo forest belts on a scale to form a microclimate has a good effect on regulating temperature and improving the microclimate for farmland and residential areas.
Ginkgo Beauty Benefits
1. Whitening: With increasing age and the influence of the external environment, oxygen free radicals in the body gradually increase, which can cause insufficient superoxide dismutase (SOD), leading to excessive oxygen free radicals reacting with dermal cells and causing melasma or pregnancy spots. The flavonoid components contained in ginkgo leaves can block the formation and deposition of pigment in the dermis, achieving the effect of whitening the skin and preventing pigmented patches. In addition to flavonoids, trace elements such as zinc, manganese, and molybdenum in ginkgo leaves can also scavenge oxygen free radicals and inhibit melanin growth. 2. Wrinkle removal: The human skin takes about 3 months for a complete renewal. The reason for fine lines on the face is that newly formed cells in the dermis are already oxidized by excessive free radicals before they reach the skin surface; by the time they reach the epidermis, they are already aging cells. The flavonoid glycosides and flavonols in ginkgo leaves are both scavengers of free radicals, capable of protecting dermal cells, improving blood circulation, and preventing cells from being oxidized and producing wrinkles. 3. Ginkgo and free radicals: Ginkgo is one of the herbs with the ability to resist active genes, and ginkgo is very effective in protecting lipids (components of cell membranes) from free radical damage. Considering that brain cells contain the highest concentration of unsaturated fatty acids among all cells, this strongly supports ginkgo's protective effect on the central nervous system. Free radicals in the brain and nervous system are widely considered a major cause of accelerated aging. In the process of protecting cells (especially brain cells), ginkgo plays multiple roles. First, it promotes blood circulation and the delivery of oxygen and glucose to cells; second, when free radicals threaten cells, ginkgo can protect cells from damage and scavenge free radicals out of the body.Artistic ValueGinkgo is magnificent in momentum, with gnarled and twisted trunks, lush and solemn. In China's famous mountains and great rivers, ancient temples and monasteries, there are tall and upright ancient ginkgo trees everywhere. They have weathered the vicissitudes of time and trace back through the ages, giving people a sense of mystery and unpredictability. Through the ages, men of letters and poets who visited temples left behind many poems, essays, and rhapsodies, carving steles to record the beauty of the scenery and composing texts to record merits with pride. Selecting ginkgo with graceful postures and processing them into bonsai condenses the majestic appearance of ginkgo in nature into a pot, ancient and uniquely elegant, full of wild charm, placed on the desk, delighting the eyes and the mood. The ginkgo tree is a famous long-lived tree species with strong vitality, unique leaf shape, and is easy to graft, propagate, and shape through pruning, making it a high-quality material for making bonsai. Ginkgo bonsai made from ginkgo tree burls is even more outstanding, with high ornamental and economic value. Ginkgo is a commonly used tree species in Chinese bonsai. Ginkgo bonsai has thick trunks, curved branches, exposed roots, unique shapes, vigorous and unrestrained, and full of charm, making it a unique gem in Chinese bonsai. In summer it is vigorous and lush green, and in autumn it is graspably golden yellow, giving people a sense of steep magnificence and noble elegance. It is increasingly valued and praised as "living art sculpture." According to people's different appreciation requirements, there are mainly several types: fruit-viewing bonsai, foliage-viewing bonsai, and stump bonsai.
Landscape Uses of Ginkgo: Ginkgo trees can resist urban pollution and can grow where other trees cannot, making them very suitable for urban landscape beautification. Ginkgo can also be planted as bonsai for decoration. Ginkgo propagated from seed needs 20-30 years to bear fruit, hence it is called the "grandfather-grandson tree," meaning the tree planted by the grandfather can only be harvested by the grandson.
The ginkgo tree is tall and upright, with fan-shaped leaves. It has a large canopy with shade, providing a cooling effect. The leaf shape is ancient and elegant, and its lifespan is long. It has no pests or diseases, does not pollute the environment, and has a smooth trunk. It is a famous pollution-free tree species, conducive to the reproduction of ginkgo and enhancing the landscape. It has strong adaptability, and ginkgo has very broad requirements for climate and soil. It resists smoke and dust, fire, and toxic gases. The ginkgo tree is tall, with a straight trunk and beautiful posture; it is emerald green in spring and summer and golden yellow in late autumn, making it an ideal landscape greening and street tree species. It can be used as an ideal cultivation tree species for landscape greening, streets, highways, field shelterbelts, and windbreak belts. It is listed among China's four major long-lived ornamental tree species (pine, cypress, pagoda tree, ginkgo). Cultivation Techniques of Ginkgo: Ginkgo is propagated from seedlings. The seed embryo has a dormancy phenomenon. Sow in winter or in early spring after stratification. It can be planted once the seedlings are over 1 meter tall. For street trees, male plants should be selected. It can also be propagated by cuttings and division. To promote early fruiting and cultivate improved clonal varieties, bud grafting or branch grafting can be used for propagation.
Planting Steps
1. Sowing and seedling cultivation: Seeds should be collected from female trees with large grains and a tree age of about 80 years for the best results. The collected seeds should be peeled and dried in the shade. In the south, autumn sowing is suitable; in the north, spring sowing is preferable. The seedbed should use sandy loam with good water permeability.
2. Propagating seedlings from root suckers: Around February (after the ground thaws in the north), dig out suckers from the base with half the roots attached, and plant them in the nursery. Diameters of 1 cm to 4 cm are all acceptable. This method easily survives. It takes about 10 years to flower and bear fruit.
3. Cutting propagation: From May to June, select soft shoots of the current year, cut them into 10 cm to 15 cm lengths, leaving 3 to 4 leaves on top, insert half into the soil, and spray water frequently to ensure the leaves do not dry out. Roots will form in about one and a half to two months.
4. Seedling transplanting: Ginkgo with a diameter of less than 5 cm can be planted bare-rooted; those over 6 cm generally need to be planted with a soil ball. Bare-rooted seedlings have a recovery period in the first year. Seedlings with a soil ball can grow in the same year. After small seedlings are planted in rows, irrigate with flooding water. For large tree planting, it is best to fill the pit with water before planting; after the water in the pit has seeped away, plant the large tree into the pit and tamp it firm, letting the water in the pit rise back up to moisten the roots. For the next watering, it is advisable to dig a diversion ditch at the side of the pit, fill it with water, and let the water slowly seep into the ginkgo roots. Never flood-irrigate heavily. The main reason many people fail to keep transplanted ginkgo alive is not drying out, but drowning. Because ginkgo's root system has a high respiration demand, heavy flood irrigation causes the roots to suffocate from lack of oxygen and fail to produce new roots, and the root system gradually rots. Some ginkgo trees, even if dead, can still unfurl their leaves, and may even sprout in the second or third year, but the leaves are very small. Only when the nutrients in their body are exhausted do they stop producing leaves. This is the "false alive" phenomenon of ginkgo. Some ginkgo trees do not produce leaves in the first year after planting, or even in the second year. If you pinch the bark, you will find it is fresh, and the branches do not shrivel, so such trees are not necessarily dead and may produce leaves in the third year. This phenomenon is also called the "false death" phenomenon of ginkgo. To determine whether a ginkgo is falsely dead or falsely alive, do not just look at the leaves; the important thing is to look at the roots. Fresh seedlings should have root xylem that is whitish, with the root bark slightly reddish and closely attached to the xylem.
5. Seedling management
(1) After ginkgo survives, there is no need for frequent watering. In northern regions, water once after the ground thaws and before sprouting; in May, if the weather is dry, water once, because this is the growth peak period of ginkgo in the year. In autumn, mid-August is the second growth peak period of ginkgo in the year, and it can be watered once. Both waterings can be combined with fertilization.
(2) Fertilization: Nursery fertilization can be carried out in spring and summer. In spring, apply 5000 jin to 10000 jin of decomposed organic fertilizer per mu between the two rows, then rotary-till once with a small rotary tiller to mix the fertilizer evenly into the soil. For large seedlings, several radial trenches can be opened, and organic fertilizer mixed with topsoil can be filled into the trenches. If the amount of spring fertilization is large, once a year is sufficient; if small, apply an additional dose in mid-August.
(3) Pruning: Ginkgo generally does not need pruning, because ginkgo produces few new shoots. Even for nursery seedlings, as many branches and leaves as possible should be retained to help them thicken faster. In the year before the seedlings are to be sold, cut off branches below 1.8 m. After a year of growth, the cut wounds can be filled in, the bark smooth, and the trunk upright.
(4) Cultivation: Appropriate intertillage can improve soil permeability. Intertillage also plays a pruning role on ginkgo's fibrous roots, stimulating more fibrous roots to sprout. Intertillage once each in spring and autumn is sufficient.
(5) Disease and pest control: The main disease of ginkgo is damping-off at the seedling stage. The main pest of seedlings in the field is the scarab beetle larva (white grub). At the seedling stage, pay attention to ventilation and moisture removal, loosen the topsoil, and spray Bordeaux mixture to prevent damping-off. The method to control white grubs is to apply decomposed organic fertilizer as much as possible. When fertilizing, spray the entire garden once with 3911 pesticide at 500 times dilution, then rotary-till once to turn the pesticide-sprayed fertilizer into the soil. Another method is to moisten wheat bran, rice bran, etc., mix with trichlorfon, store in a bucket for two days to let it fully absorb the pesticide, then scatter it into the ground and intertill. Yet another method is to bury a pile of dry grass every 10 meters or so, water the dry grass regularly, and every two months lift the dry grass to find many white grubs underneath, which can be killed in a concentrated manner.
(6) Cultivation of fruiting trees: Ginkgo is dioecious and cross-pollinated, so pollinator trees should be configured for fruiting trees. Ginkgo has a very strong pollination capacity; under a breeze, a downwind area of 25 kilometers is an effective pollination zone. The difference between male and female trees is: female trees have obvious whorled branching, branches growing flat and spreading, and dark leaf color, while male trees have upright, alternate branches. The planting spacing for ginkgo orchards is 4 m x 6 m. Seedlings grow fast. Select seedlings with a diameter at breast height of 3 cm to 4 cm, cut the top, and graft, generally using branch grafting. Select scions from 3-year-old trees with glossy bark and 3 to 6 short branches, from excellent varieties with large fruits. After grafting, they can bear fruit in 3 to 4 years.
Planting Techniques1. Land selection: Ginkgo has a long lifespan and provides long-term benefits from a single planting, so land selection is very important. Ginkgo is a light-loving tree species, so a sunny slope with a gentle gradient should be selected as the afforestation site. It has no strict requirements for soil conditions, but neutral or slightly acidic soil with a thick upper layer, moist and fertile soil, and good drainage is best. 2. Planting: 1. Reasonable configuration of pollinator trees: Ginkgo is a dioecious plant. To achieve high yield, pollinator trees should be reasonably configured. Select male trees with the same variety and flowering period as the female trees; the ratio of male to female trees is 25-50:1. The configuration method uses a 5-tree or 7-tree square-center pattern, or corner configuration. 2. Reasonable close planting: Ginkgo grows relatively slowly in the early stage, and close planting can improve land utilization and increase yield per unit area. Generally, a spacing of 2.5 x 3 m or 3 x 3.5 m is used, with 88 or 63 trees planted per mu. After the canopy closes, transplant by removing every other row from the plant spacing, becoming 5 x 3 m or 6 x 3 m spacing, with 44 or 31 trees per mu. After a few years, transplant every other row from the original row spacing again, becoming 5 x 6 m or 6 x 7 m spacing, with 22 or 16 trees per mu. 3. Seedling specifications: Good varieties and strong seedlings are the material basis for early fruiting and high yield of ginkgo. Seedlings with a height-to-diameter ratio of 50:1 or above, a main root length of 30 cm, uniform lateral roots, and current-year new shoot growth of over 30 cm should be selected for planting. In addition, seedlings must have strong terminal buds, plump and full lateral buds, and no pests or diseases. 4. Planting time: Ginkgo is mainly planted in autumn with leaves or in spring before leafing. Autumn planting is carried out in October-November, which allows the seedling root system a longer recovery period and prepares for the above-ground sprouting in the second spring. When planting before spring sprouting, because the above-ground part sprouts quickly and the root system does not have enough time to recover, growth is not as good as autumn planting. 5. Planting method: For ginkgo planting, dig planting holes according to the designed spacing, with specifications of 0.5-0.8 x 0.6-0.8 m. After digging the holes, backfill topsoil and apply fermented fertilizer containing calcium superphosphate. When planting, spread the seedling roots naturally, align them with the front, back, left, and right seedlings, then fill in topsoil while tamping firm. The planting depth should be 2-3 cm above the original soil mark of the seedling, and the seedling should not be buried too deep. After planting, water promptly with settling water to improve the survival rate.Correct Planting Methods for Ginkgo Trees: 1 Sowing and seedling cultivation 2 Propagation stage 3 Grafting propagation 4 Planting and rooting 5 Growth process
Ginkgo Propagation Methods: Cutting PropagationCutting propagation can be divided into hardwood cutting and softwood cutting. Hardwood cutting is suitable for breeding seedlings for large-scale greening, and softwood cutting is suitable for breeding a small number of seedlings for households or garden units. Hardwood cutting is generally carried out in spring from March to April. Collect scions from finished nurseries or select 1-2 year old high-quality branches from large trees, cut them into 15 cm to 20 cm long cuttings, with the upper cut smooth and round, and the lower cut shaped like a horse's ear. After cutting, tie every 50 into a bundle, rinse clean with water, then soak in 100 ppm ABT rooting powder for 1 hour, and insert into fine yellow sand or loose seedbed soil. After cutting, water thoroughly, keep the soil moist, and roots will form in about 40 days. After survival, carry out normal management, and transplant in the second spring. Softwood cutting is carried out from late May to mid-June. Cut shoots from around the ginkgo root zone or from branches that have sprouted but not yet lignified (cuttings about 2 cm long, retaining 2 leaves), insert into a container, and place in diffused light, changing the water about every 3 days until callus tissue grows, then transplant into yellow sand or seedbed soil. However, shade is needed around noon on sunny days, and the leaf surface should be misted 2-3 times. After survival, enter normal management.Division PropagationDivision propagation is generally used to cultivate rootstock and greening seedlings. Ginkgo easily produces root suckers, especially trees 10-20 years old, which have the most suckers. In spring, division propagation can be carried out using suckers. The method is to remove the soil around the root zone, use a knife to cut off suckers with fibrous roots from the mother tree, and plant and cultivate them separately. Suckers from female trees can advance the fruiting age.Grafting PropagationGrafting propagation is mostly used in fruit production. Green branch grafting can be carried out from late May to early August, but grafting cannot be done under high temperature and drought conditions, especially not at noon on sunny days, and rainy days should also be avoided. The specific method is: first collect robust perennial branches from excellent ginkgo mother trees, cut off one leaf from the scion, leaving only the petiole, cut each segment with 2-3 buds, then soak the lower end of the scion in water or wrap it in a wet cloth; it is best to graft immediately after collecting. Rootstock for grafting can be selected from 2-3 year old seedling trees or cutting seedlings. For early fruiting and close planting, the graft position should be about 1 meter. Generally, cleft grafting or cut grafting is used. Insert the scion with the cut surface facing inward into the rootstock incision, making the two fit together with the cambium aligned, and tie the joint well with plastic film tape. After grafting, fruiting begins in 5-8 years.Seed PropagationSeed propagation is mostly used for large-scale greening seedlings or for making clump-style bonsai. After collecting seeds in autumn, remove the outer seed coat, dry the seeds with the fruit coat in the sun, and they can be sown in winter of the same year or in spring of the following year. If sown in spring, they must first undergo mixed-sand stratification to promote germination. When sowing, place the seed embryo horizontally in the sowing furrow, cover with 3 cm to 4 cm of soil and press firm. Seedlings can grow to 15 cm to 25 cm tall in the same year. After leaf fall in autumn, they can be transplanted. However, note that the seedbed should be selected in a well-drained area to prevent water accumulation from rotting the parts of the seedlings near the ground.
Ginkgo Disease Control: Stem Rot(1) Distribution and harm: This disease occurs commonly in all ginkgo seedling areas. It mostly appears in 1-2 year old ginkgo seedling trees, especially serious in one-year-old seedlings, often causing large numbers of seedling deaths. (2) Symptoms: In the early stage of the disease, the base of the seedling turns brown, the leaves lose their normal green color and droop slightly downward but do not fall off. The infected area rapidly extends upward, until the entire plant dies. The cortex at the base of the diseased seedling becomes shrunken, and the tissue inside the bark rots in a spongy or powdery form, grayish-white in color, with many fine black sclerotia mixed in. The pathogen can also invade the xylem of the seedling, so small sclerotia are sometimes seen in the brown hollow pith. After that, the pathogen gradually extends to the roots, causing the root bark cortex to rot. If you pull out a diseased seedling by hand, you can only pull out the xylem, while the root cortex remains in the soil. For ginkgo cutting seedlings under high or low temperature conditions, stem rot can also occur, causing the cutting epidermis to form a tube-like sheath around the xylem, while the phloem parenchyma tissue all turns black and rots. (3) Pathogen: The pathogen of ginkgo stem rot is Macrophomina phaseoli (Maubl) Ashby, of the order Sphaeropsidales, family Sphaeropsidaceae, genus Macrophomina. This fungus prefers high temperatures, with an optimal growth temperature of 30-32°C; it has no strict pH requirements and can grow well between pH 4-9. (4) Disease pattern: The stem rot pathogen usually lives saprophytically in the soil and is a weak parasitic fungus. Under suitable conditions, it invades from wounds on the seedling. Therefore, disease occurrence is related to the host and site environmental conditions. The fundamental cause of seedling damage is that the surface temperature is too high, and the seedling base is burned by high temperature, allowing the pathogen to invade. The lower the degree of lignification of the seedling, the higher the incidence of this disease. When the seedbed is low-lying and waterlogged, the incidence also increases significantly. For ginkgo cutting seedlings, when the seedbed high temperature reaches above 30°C in June-August, the disease begins 10-15 days after cutting, and in severe cases, large areas of scions blacken and die. Experiments have proven that antagonistic actinomycetes can effectively inhibit the spread and diffusion of this disease pathogen. (5) Control methods: Based on the causes of ginkgo stem rot, prevention should be the main approach. 1. Sow early: Sow as soon as the soil thaws. This measure helps the seedlings lignify early and enhances their resistance to high surface temperatures. 2. Reasonable dense sowing: Dense sowing helps to bring into play the population effect of seedlings and enhance resistance to adverse external environments. Experiments have proven that the lower the seedling density, the higher the incidence; the greater the density, the lower the incidence. Practice has also proven that when the previous sowing rate of 25-40 kg of seeds per mu is changed to 80-100 kg of seeds per mu, not only is the incidence reduced, but the number of seedlings produced per unit area also increases, saving land and reducing disease. 3. Control underground pests: After seedlings are harmed by underground pests, they are very easily infected by the stem rot pathogen. Therefore, before and after sowing, always pay attention to eliminating underground pests. 4. Prevent mechanical damage to seedlings: When loosening soil, weeding, or lifting and planting seedlings of the current year or one-year-old transplanted seedlings, be careful not to damage the root crown of the seedlings, otherwise stem rot is very easily triggered. 5. Shade and cooling: To prevent solar radiation from raising soil temperature, nursery land should adopt measures such as building shade sheds, covering grass between rows, planting corn, and inserting branches for shade to reduce harm to seedlings. 6. Irrigation and spraying: In high temperature seasons, irrigate and spray water promptly to lower surface temperature. Where conditions permit, sprinkler irrigation can be adopted, which is more conducive to reducing disease occurrence. 7. Chemical and biological control: Combined with irrigation, various fungicides such as thiophanate, carbendazim, and Bordeaux mixture can be sprayed. Antagonistic actinomycetes can also be added when applying organic fertilizer in mid-June, or plant ash/superphosphate (1/0.25) can be applied with antagonistic actinomycetes added.Leaf Blight(1) Distribution and harm: This disease occurs to varying degrees in concentrated ginkgo production areas in Guangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, and other places. Generally, old production areas have more serious disease than new production areas. According to reports, ginkgo plants cultivated near water fir trees (Metasequoia) have noticeably more serious disease, and the incidence in female plants is higher than in male plants. For infected plants, in mild cases some leaves wither and fall prematurely; in severe cases all leaves fall off completely, leading to weakened tree vigor and poor growth and development. (2) Symptoms: In the early stage of the disease, the leaf tips often turn yellow first. In June, the yellow parts gradually turn brown and die, and expand from local areas to the entire leaf margin, forming brown to reddish-brown marginal lesions. After that, the lesions gradually spread toward the leaf base until the entire leaf turns brown or grayish-brown and withers and falls off. In July-August, the boundary between the lesion and healthy tissue is obvious, the lesion edge is wavy, darker in color, and a narrow or wide bright yellow line band can be seen on its outer edge. From September, the lesions obviously enlarge, the spreading edge appears uneven, and the boundary between diseased and healthy tissue gradually becomes less obvious. In addition, in September-October, leaves on suckers at the base of seedlings or large trees produce several irregular faded spots at random locations, with brown centers. Although these spots do not obviously enlarge, they often connect with the extending leaf margin lesions. (3) Pathogen: The pathogen of ginkgo leaf blight is relatively complex. According to research, at least 3 pathogens have been identified, namely Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissl, Glomerella cingulata (Stonem) Spauld. et Schrenk, and Pestalotia ginkgo Hori. In addition, on the lesions, fruiting bodies of various fungi such as Alternaria, Colletotrichum, Pestalotia, and Cercospora can be seen. (4) Relationship between disease occurrence and environment: Observations have proven that large trees are more disease-resistant than seedlings, and the incidence in female plants increases significantly with increased fruiting. In addition, root water accumulation causing root rot or weakened tree vigor can also lead to early and severe disease. Generally speaking, those with base fertilizer are less susceptible than those with top dressing; winter fertilization has a lower incidence than spring fertilization. Ginkgo intercropped with soybean has milder disease, while intercropping with pine has serious disease; those close to water fir trees have serious disease, and vice versa. The reason may be that this disease pathogen is the same as the pathogen of the intercropped tree species (such as water fir red blight). (5) Control methods: 1. Strengthen management and enhance tree vigor. For example, strive for winter fertilization, avoid water accumulation, eliminate intercropping with pine and water fir, improve seedling planting quality, shorten the recovery period, and enhance seedling disease resistance. In addition, control excessive fruiting of female plants to prevent the spread of this disease on large ginkgo trees. 2. Chemical control: Spray broad-spectrum fungicides such as thiophanate before disease onset. Or from early June, spray 40% carbendazim suspension concentrate at 500 times dilution or 90% dimethomorph at 1000 times dilution, once every 20 days, for a total of 6 sprays, which can effectively prevent the occurrence of this disease.
Dieback Disease
Symptoms: After the pathogen invades, smooth lesions are produced on the smooth bark, round or irregular in shape. Afterward, the lesions continue to expand, the affected area gradually swells, and the bark shows longitudinal cracking. In spring, on the affected bark, many dead-yellow wart-like ascostromata can be seen, 1-3 mm in diameter. When the weather is humid, pale yellow to yellow tendril-like conidial horns squeeze out from the ascostromata. In autumn, the stromata turn dead red to soy-sauce red, and ascocarps gradually form in the middle. Between the cortex and xylem of the diseased tree, a feather-like fan-shaped mycelial layer can be seen, initially dirty white, later yellow-brown. The lesions on the infected branches spread, gradually causing the bark to become ring-shaped necrotic, ultimately leading to the death of branches and the plant.
Pathogen: Ginkgo dieback, also known as ginkgo trunk blight. The pathogen is a fungus of the class Ascomycetes, order Sphaeriales. This pathogen can also infect forest trees such as chestnut.
Disease pattern: The pathogen invades through wounds, overwinters in diseased branches as mycelium and pycnidia, and begins activity when the temperature rises. In the Yangtze River basin and south of the Yangtze River, symptoms begin to appear from late March to early April and accelerate with rising temperatures until stopping in late October. Conidia spread via rain, insects, and birds, and can cause repeated infections. It is distributed in all major ginkgo production areas nationwide, commonly found on weakened ginkgo trees.
Control Methods
1. Strengthen management, enhance tree vigor, and improve plant resistance. This is the key measure for preventing and controlling ginkgo dieback.
2. Severely diseased plants and diseased dead branches should be promptly cleaned up and destroyed to thoroughly eliminate the pathogen.
3. Promptly scrape off the lesions, and apply 1:100 Bordeaux mixture or 50% carbendazim wettable powder at 100 times dilution, or 0.1% mercuric chloride water, 1% ferrous sulfate solution, or lime whitewash to the wounds to kill the pathogen and prevent its spread.Early Yellowing Disease(1) Distribution and harm: This disease occurs to varying degrees in all concentrated ginkgo production areas. Moreover, yellowed plants are more susceptible to leaf blight, leading to premature leaf fall, significantly slower height and diameter growth, reduced seed yield, and even death of the entire plant. (2) Symptoms: This disease appears around early June in Shandong and Jiangsu provinces, mostly scattered. From late June to July, the number of yellowed plants gradually increases, occurring in small patches. In mild cases, only the tip of the leaf yellows, appearing bright yellow; in severe cases, the entire leaf yellows. Because the leaves yellow early, it also leads to the premature occurrence of ginkgo leaf blight; in August, the entire leaf turns brown and withered and falls off in large numbers. (3) Pathogen: Research suggests that ginkgo early yellowing disease is caused by non-biological infection. The main causes of its occurrence are: insufficient water, underground pest damage, soil water accumulation, root damage during seedling lifting or root crowding during planting, and soil zinc deficiency. (4) Control methods: 1. Apply zinc polycarboxylate: In late May, apply 141 g of zinc polycarboxylate per seedling, which can reduce the incidence by 95%, and the disease index is also significantly reduced. 2. Promptly control underground pests such as white grubs, mole crickets, and wireworms. 3. Prevent soil water accumulation, strengthen loosening of soil and weeding, and improve soil permeability. 4. Protect seedlings from damage, and prevent root crowding and root injury during planting. 5. Irrigate in a timely manner to prevent severe drought. Ginkgo Dieback (1) Distribution and harm: This disease is also called ginkgo trunk blight, found in Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Guangxi, and other provinces (autonomous regions). Besides harming ginkgo, it also harms tree species such as chestnut. The disease occurs on the trunk and branches. After infection, the lesions rapidly surround the branches, often causing the death of the entire branch or the whole plant. (2) Symptoms: After the pathogen invades the trunk or branches from wounds, discolored lesions are produced on the smooth bark. The lesions are round or irregular; on rough bark, the lesion edges are not obvious. Afterward, the lesions continue to expand and gradually swell, and the bark cracks longitudinally. In spring, on the affected bark, many dead-yellow wart-like stromata can be seen, 1-3 mm in diameter. When the weather is humid, pale yellow or yellow tendril-like conidial horns squeeze out from the wart-like stromata. After autumn, the stromata turn orange-red to soy-sauce red. Ascocarps gradually form afterward. Between the bark and xylem of the diseased tree, a feather-like fan-shaped mycelial layer can be seen, initially dirty white, later yellow-brown. (3) Pathogen: The pathogen of ginkgo dieback is the chestnut blight branch pathogen of the genus Endothia, order Sphaeriales, class Ascomycetes. (4) Disease pattern: Both conidia and ascospores of the pathogen can cause infection. The fungus overwinters in diseased branches as mycelium and pycnidia, and when the temperature rises in the following spring, the pathogen begins activity. In the Yangtze River basin and areas south of the Yangtze River, symptoms begin to appear from late March to early April, and after late June the lesions obviously expand, with the fastest expansion in July-September. In the Yangtze River basin, the asexual generation of the pathogen begins to appear from late April to early May. Conidia spread everywhere via rain, insects, and birds and can cause multiple re-infections. In October-November, orange-red stromata embedded with ascocarps appear on the bark, and ascospores mature in early December. Ascospores spread the pathogen by wind, and the pathogen invades from host wounds. The fan-shaped mycelial layer under the diseased bark has strong resistance to adverse environments and can survive the winter. (5) Control methods: 1. Because the pathogen is a weak parasitic fungus, it is only infected when tree vigor is very weak. Therefore, management should be strengthened to enhance tree vigor and reduce disease occurrence. 2. Thoroughly remove diseased plants and diseased branches, and diseased branches should be burned promptly. 3. Chemical control. For individual lesions on the trunk or branches, scrape and treat them and disinfect the wounds promptly. The scraping depth can reach the xylem, then apply 0.1% HgCl2 or Shengsheng liquid (0.5 mercuric chloride + 0.2% Pingpingjia + 97.5 clean water) to brush the wounds to kill the pathogen. After scraping, apply 400-500 times dilution of antibacterial agent 401 plus 0.1% Pingpingjia to brush the wounds, or use the fungicide methyl thiophanate or 10% alkaline water to brush the wounds, which also gives good results.
Ginkgo Variety Classification: Famous Ancient Trees: Guizhou Ancient TreeThe largest ginkgo tree in the world is in Fuquan, Guizhou, with a tree age of about 5000-6000 years, a root diameter of 5.8 m, a tree height of 50 m, and a diameter at breast height of 4.79 m. It takes 13 people to encircle it. It was recorded in the Shanghai Guinness Records in 2001 and is known as the world's thickest ginkgo tree.Shandong Ancient TreeLocated in the Xincun Ginkgo Industry Development Zone of Tancheng County, Shandong Province, known as the "Hometown of Chinese Ginkgo," it is the largest male ginkgo tree discovered to date. The tree is 42 m tall with a girth of more than 8 m. According to the records in "Beichuang Suoji," this tree was planted in the Zhou Dynasty and is said to have been planted by the ruler of the State of Tan. It has a history of 3,000 years. In Dinglin Temple on Fulai Mountain in Ju County, Rizhao City, Shandong Province, there is a large ginkgo tree with a history of more than 3,000 years. Legend says this ginkgo tree was planted during the Duke of Zhou's eastern campaign in the early Western Zhou Dynasty. Historical records state that the Duke of Zhou's eastern campaign once passed east of "Guimeng," so setting foot on Fulai Mountain is somewhat credible. This ginkgo tree has extremely strong vitality and is still lush with branches and leaves today. The contemporary calligrapher Mr. Wang Binglong wrote the inscription "The Number One Ginkgo Tree in the World" for it. Located at the entrance of Beilaizhuangpu Village, Tanyi Town, Fei County, Linyi City, Shandong Province, standing on the bank of the Zhulong River, the county annals record that this tree was documented in the early Tang Dynasty, at least about 1,500 years ago. The tree is more than 40 m tall, with lush branches and leaves and a beautiful form. According to the leaders of the Linyi Forestry Bureau, there are 31 ginkgo trees in Linyi that are over a thousand years old, and this tree is rarely seen in both age and size. At the west end of Dasi Village, Shiheng Town, Feicheng City, Shandong Province, there was originally an ancient temple called Zhengjue Temple. Behind the temple was a ginkgo tree, said to have been planted in the Han Dynasty. The tree is 22.15 m tall, with a diameter at breast height of 1.72 m, a base circumference of 10.35 m, a crown spread of 21.3 m east to west and 15.5 m north to south. Above the main trunk, 4 branches each have a diameter of about 1 m. Its gnarled branches are luxuriant, shading nearly one mu, and it bears abundant fruit every year.Ancient Ginkgo in HubeiIn Luoyang Town, Zengdu District, Suizhou City, Hubei Province, there is a thousand-year-old ginkgo tree community with the densest distribution and the best preservation in the country and even the world. The Ginkgo Valley stretches for 12 km, containing 308 ginkgo trees over a thousand years old, more than 17,000 ginkgo trees over a hundred years old, and 5.1 million wild ginkgo trees in their original ecological state. In the area, ancient ginkgo trees connect into patches and form communities, hidden among the groups and gathering into a valley. It is one of the world's four major densely contiguous ancient ginkgo communities. Every golden autumn, the Thousand-Year Ginkgo Valley turns golden everywhere, a magnificent sight. The ancient ginkgo community is organically combined and mutually set off with the surrounding semi-hilly and semi-mountainous terrain, lakes and rivers, and rural farmhouses. In 2003, the Suizhou ginkgo forest as a whole was included in the national nature reserve list with an area of 171,400 sq km, becoming the largest wild plant ginkgo nature reserve in the country. Wangyizhen Town, Anlu City, Hubei Province, is a township that combines old revolutionary base, mountainous, and border areas. Within its territory is China's second-largest ancient ginkgo community, including 48 ancient ginkgo trees over a thousand years old, 1,036 ancient ginkgo trees over five hundred years old, and 4,370 trees over a hundred years old. At Maoziwan, Wuduhe Town, Yiling, Yichang, Hubei Province, a thousand-year-old ginkgo tree was reborn from fire and has received plaque protection from relevant departments. It is said that when Emperor Shenzong of Song ascended the throne, natural disasters continued throughout the country. To pray for sweet rain from heaven and ensure good harvests from fertile fields, the people asked a Taoist master, a Heavenly Master, to plant a ginkgo tree on the most barren hilltop. Later, no matter whether there was drought or flood, this place could still guarantee a harvest. During the 2008 Spring Festival, a great fire burned this ginkgo tree for a day and a night. Just as people were grieving that this thousand-year-old ginkgo tree would die, the ancient tree later miraculously revived and has already received protection from relevant departments.Ancient Ginkgo in SichuanThe oldest ginkgo tree in the Chengdu area. It is said to have been planted by Zhang Tianshi 1,800 years ago, and its actual age is more than 2,000 years (the latest measurement in 2012 was a tree age of 2,500 years). The ancient ginkgo tree is about 50 m tall, with a circumference at breast height of 7.06 m and a diameter of 2.24 m. Dense stalactites (tree shoots) hang from its waist and body, with a color like coarse, heavy stone and forms like pestles, shoots, and cones. On the trunk there seems to be slowly flowing rock mucus, seeming to move yet not moving, very strange. On July 13, 2009, the ancient ginkgo tree in Group 4 of Longyang Village, Duiyan Town, Yucheng District, was preliminarily confirmed by the Chinese Ginkgo Research Society as the largest ancient ginkgo tree in Sichuan Province. This ancient tree is more than 3,000 years old, with a circumference at breast height of 845 cm and a height of more than 23 m, with a peculiar shape and strong branches. It grows on Baiguoshu Street in Langzhong City, Nanchong, and was planted during the Western and Eastern Han Dynasties, with a tree age of 1,800 years. In August 2000, the ancient ginkgo tree became a "famous ancient tree" under plaque protection by the Langzhong City government. Baiguoshu Street got its name precisely because of the thousand-year-old ancient ginkgo tree. It was discovered in Group 4 of Baiguo Village, Dahua Township, Chongzhou, less than 40 km from Chengdu. This ginkgo tree has a circumference at breast height of 9.84 m and a trunk diameter of 3.04 m, of which the circumference of the trunk above 2 m is 5.2 m. The oldest ginkgo in the five urban districts of Chengdu's main city is located in Baihuatan Park, with a tree age of 1,700 years. It grew in the Tang Dynasty, suffered burning in the late Ming Dynasty, and was struck by lightning again in the Qing Dynasty. Its fate has been full of hardships, yet today it is still lush with branches and leaves. This ancient ginkgo tree, numbered 0371, was excavated and transplanted into the park in 1983 from near Guanyin Temple in Xuankou Town, Wenchuan County, Aba Prefecture. After cultivation by landscape experts, this old tree gradually took deep root and produced many new shoots.Ancient Ginkgo in ZhejiangThe ancient ginkgo tree in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, was planted in the Sui Dynasty, with a tree age of 1,410 years. The old ginkgo is more than 20 m tall, and its crown spreads as large as 20 round table surfaces. Around the roots, many large and small branches and trunks have sprouted, resembling "descendants filling the hall."Ginkgo in HenanThe ancient tree in Shenlou Village, Shangqiu City Economic and Technological Development Zone. According to research, this tree is a remnant tree of the 300-li Liang Garden of the Liang State in the Western Han Dynasty. It has a history of more than 2,000 years and is still lush with branches and leaves without "looking old." Having endured two thousand years of historical wind and frost, it remains sturdy, tall, and imposing. Its cracked yellowish-brown bark is just like a suit of armor. Its crown blocks the sky and sun, reaching more than 2,000 sq m. In the Wangwu Mountain Scenic Area of Wangwu Township, Jiyuan City, Henan Province, there is a ginkgo tree 35.5 m tall with a circumference of 9.1 m. Its trunk is upright and its branches and leaves are luxuriant. Its tree age is about 2,000 years, said to be a relic of the Han Dynasty. It has the laudatory title of "China's plant living fossil." People call it "seven embraces and eight walking sticks." The ginkgo tree at Longwangzhang, Xianghe Township, Biyang County, Zhumadian, is more than 30 m tall and more than 10 m thick, and eight people cannot encircle it with their arms. There is a spring on the tree that overflows water in all four seasons and does not dry up even in severe drought. Related varieties by seed kernel shapeFive major categories: Changzi type, Foshou type, Maling type, Meihe type, Yuanzi type, etc.By cultivated varietyCultivated variety types, representative varieties. Nut varieties: Jia Fozhi, Maling No. 3 (Kuiling), Dajinguo, Dongtinghuang, Dameihe, Haiyanghuang. Leaf varieties: Gaoyou Y-2, Anlu No. 1, WL43.
Ornamental varieties: Yiezi ginkgo, Jindai ginkgo, Duolie ginkgo, Chuiru ginkgo. Male varieties: G♂~12#, Songyou No. 1, Guangxi Zaohua. Timber varieties: Yuwan No. 9, Zhigan Ginkgo S-31.Seed varietiesThese are traditional excellent varieties selected and bred over many years in various ginkgo production areas, such as Taixing Fozhi, Dongting Foshou, Tancheng Jinzhui, Maling, Tancheng Yuanling, and so on.
The Hometown of Ginkgo
Taixing City, Jiangsu Province, China, is called the "Hometown of Ginkgo" by many people. Taixing has fertile soil, abundant rainfall, four distinct seasons, and rich products, and the area is rich in ginkgo. In 1996, the Development Research Center of China's State Council awarded Taixing City the title "Hometown of Chinese Ginkgo," and in 2000 it was named by China's State Forestry Administration among the first batch of "Hometowns of Chinese Famous, Special, and Excellent Economic Forest Ginkgo." Taixing ginkgo is famous for its high yield and good quality. The whole city has planted 4.512 million ginkgo trees, of which 298,100 are fruiting trees. The annual output of ginkgo nuts is normally around 3,000 tons, accounting for more than one third of China's total output.
In addition to Taixing, Pizhou City, Jiangsu Province, was named in March 2000 by the State Forestry Administration among the first batch of "China's Famous, Special, and Excellent Economic Forest - Hometown of Ginkgo."
The Cultural Background of Ginkgo: Ancient GinkgoAccording to statistics, there are about 12 ginkgo trees in the country over 5,000 years old, of which Guizhou Province alone has 9. They are mainly distributed within 200 km around Guiyang, namely: 1 in Fuquan, 2 in Changshun, 2 in Duyun, 2 in Zunyi, 1 in Anshun, and 1 in Majiang. The largest ginkgo tree in the world is in Fuquan. This ginkgo tree is a male tree, about 6,000 years old, with a base diameter of 5.8 m, wider than an ordinary living room. The first-generation tree of this tree has already died, and the heart is hollow, while the outer part is the second-generation tree. The tree is 50 m tall, and it takes 13 people to encircle it with their arms. It was recorded in the Shanghai Guinness Records in 2001 and is reputed as the thickest ginkgo tree in the world. It is said that an old person once lived inside it for a long time and kept a cow.Chengdu City TreeIn 1983, Chengdu officially named the ginkgo tree as the city tree of Chengdu. According to a survey by the Chengdu Municipal Landscape Bureau, there are 2,042 existing ancient ginkgo trees in ten districts of Chengdu including Qingyang, Wuhou, and Chenghua. According to statistics from the Chengdu Municipal Forestry and Landscape Bureau, there are nearly 1,800 registered ancient and famous trees in the city, and ginkgo occupies more than half of them, with nearly 1,000 trees. Moreover, among the ten oldest ancient trees in Chengdu, 8 are ginkgo, and only 2 are other types. Located beside the bus station on the west side of Tianfu Square in downtown Chengdu, two ancient ginkgo trees now stand in the middle of the west road of Tianfu Square. Both ancient trees are more than 300 years old and have witnessed the city's vicissitudes. The oldest ginkgo in the five urban districts of Chengdu's main city is located in Baihuatan Park, with a tree age of 1,700 years. The remaining thousand-year-old ginkgo trees in the five urban districts are respectively located as follows: 1 at No. 100 Shaanxi Street under the Wangjiaguai Subdistrict Office of Qingyang District; 1 at the Sinopec Building at No. 91 Tidu Street; 1 in Baihuatan Park; 2 behind the Buddhist scripture library of the Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum; and 2 in Jinniu Hotel. The suburban counties of Chengdu near the mountainous areas of western Sichuan are the main distribution areas of ginkgo. In 2002, a thousand-year-old ginkgo with a circumference at breast height of 9.84 m was discovered in Chongzhou. The ancient ginkgo of Baiyan Temple in Dayi County, the ancient ginkgo of Jitou Town, and the ancient ginkgo of Xilin in Pengzhou are all famous ancient trees within the greater Chengdu area. The oldest ginkgo tree in Chengdu is located in Tianshi Cave on Qingcheng Mountain in Dujiangyan, with a tree age of 2,500 years. There are many places in Chengdu to admire ginkgo, such as Jinxiu Street and Jinxiu Lane, Baiguolin Community and Yinxing Road, Du Fu Thatched Cottage, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, and especially Jinxiu Street and Jinxiu Lane, which were developed in 2010 as Chengdu's first ginkgo cultural district. In 2010, the ginkgo cultural district located on Jinxiu Street and Jinxiu Lane of Tiaosan Pagoda Subdistrict in Wuhou District, Chengdu, was formally completed, making it Chengdu's first ginkgo-themed cultural district. Jinxiu Street and Jinxiu Lane in Tiaosan Pagoda Subdistrict of Wuhou District are filled with ginkgo trees. The two ginkgo avenues are more than 400 m long and are the most densely planted ginkgo area in Chengdu. Following the approach of "building an ecological district, displaying ginkgo landscapes, shaping a cultural district, and improving the living environment," the district was built into a distinctive district themed on "ginkgo" for citizens to relax and enjoy the scenery, highlighting the four major themes of "Tasting Apricot," "Chanting Apricot," "Savoring Apricot," and "Knowing Apricot." "Tasting Apricot," "Chanting Apricot," "Savoring Apricot," and "Knowing Apricot" respectively contain different meanings. "Tasting Apricot" uses the cultural wall at the entrance of the street to display the aesthetic value of ginkgo; "Chanting Apricot" uses the openwork wall surfaces of the street to display the literary value of ginkgo; "Savoring Apricot" uses the surrounding openwork wall surfaces and bulletin boards to introduce the different uses of ginkgo; and "Knowing Apricot" uses planting beds along the street to set up ginkgo-themed sculptures and landscape stones to introduce ginkgo-related knowledge and allusions.Dandong City TreeIn March 1984, after deliberation and approval by the Second Session of the Ninth Dandong Municipal People's Congress, the ginkgo tree was officially named the city tree of Dandong. Ginkgo trees have a history of thousands of years in Dandong. As early as the early 1930s, Dandong transplanted ginkgo trees along both sides of streets. According to textual research, there are only 6 streets planted with century-old ginkgo trees in cities around the world today, and Dandong has 3 of them. Dandong is the city with the most ginkgo trees over a hundred years old in Asian countries. A ginkgo tree in the temple on Dagu Mountain in Dandong has a tree age of more than 1,300 years and a height of 35 m, and its fruit reaches hundreds of kilograms every year. In the streets, alleys, and parks of Dandong's urban area, there are a considerable number of ginkgo trees aged 300 to 500 years. The main streets of the urban area are almost covered by ginkgo trees over a hundred years old. In Kuandian County and Yongdian Town under the jurisdiction of Dandong City, most street trees are ginkgo trees, with beautiful tree shapes and pleasant scenery. According to statistics, Dandong City has nearly a thousand large ginkgo trees over 80 years old and more than 4,000 trees over 30 years old. The city's ginkgo nursery land reaches more than 1,000 mu, with more than 1.5 million standing trees per mu. The people of Dandong love ginkgo trees and have carefully planted and protected them for many years, enabling ginkgo trees to grow robustly and develop rapidly on this border-city fertile land of Dandong.Huzhou City TreeChangxing ginkgo in Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, can be called the "hometown of ginkgo." Changxing ginkgo is related to three emperors. Legend says that when Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of Han, was a crown prince and fled as a refugee, he once roasted ginkgo in Badujie to satisfy his hunger. After Changxing native Chen Baxian became emperor, he personally planted a ginkgo tree at Xiaruo Temple in his home village and went to Sichen Pond in Badujie to fish for dragon fish. People in Changxing originally called ginkgo "Baiguo." During the Song Dynasty it was presented as tribute, and the emperor, seeing that it resembled a small apricot but was white like silver, bestowed the name "Yinxing." The dragon throne of the Northern Song emperor was made from 12 ginkgo wood boards from throughout the realm, and because Changxing ginkgo wood is fine and dense, it was specially used for the chair surface. China's Ancient Ginkgo Corridor is located in Badujie, Xiaopu Town, Changxing. The 12.5 km long ginkgo forest has become a scenic line characterized by "original, wild, and strange." People praise it as "traveling all over the world's scenery, it is hard to see an ancient ginkgo tree community." As a "sacred tree" and "feng shui tree," ginkgo generally appears only rarely in temples or at village entrances. Ginkgo can fully represent Huzhou's classical elegance, fresh tranquility, and also represents the industrious, simple, and endlessly enduring spirit of the people of Huzhou.Linyi City TreeTo improve the taste of urban construction and establish a good image of opening to the outside world, Linyi City, Shandong Province, designated ginkgo as the city tree. Tancheng County in Linyi is one of the four famous major ginkgo production areas in the country and has the reputation of "the number one county of ginkgo in the world." The county has planted 7 million ginkgo trees, including 28,000 large trees over a hundred years old, with an annual output of 2 million kg of ginkgo. Ginkgo production has become a pillar industry of the county's economy. Tancheng is one of the few concentrated ginkgo production areas in the country, famous throughout the country as the hometown of ginkgo, and has a long history of ginkgo cultivation. According to research, ginkgo cultivation within the territory dates back as early as the Zhengguang period of the Northern Wei Dynasty (520-524). An ancient ginkgo at the site of the former Guanzhu Temple in the Ancient Ginkgo and Plum Garden at the seat of Xincun Township is 37.5 m tall, with a diameter at breast height of 2.24 m, and has a history of 1,490 years. It can be called the number one male ginkgo tree in the country - the "King of Ginkgo." In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, ginkgo cultivation in the county entered its peak period. Baiguoshu Village in Shengli Township, built in the mid-Ming Dynasty, was named because there were two ginkgo trees in front of the village. An ancient ginkgo in the east of Qiannian Village, Gangshang Town, was planted during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty and produced up to 450 kg of ginkgo per year until it was cut down in 1985. An ancient ginkgo in the schoolyard of Hounian Village Primary School in Gangshang Town has a tree age of more than 400 years. In the Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China period, ginkgo production in the territory entered a second peak period. Along both banks of the Yi River, from Xincun in the south to Matou in the north, ginkgo forests stretched continuously. During this period, the first development peak was in the early Qianlong period, the second in the middle and late Qianlong period, the third in the mid-Guangxu period, and the fourth in the early Republic of China period. Many large ginkgo gardens built in the above periods still remain in the county, mainly distributed in townships such as Xincun, Gangshang, and Chongfang. Ginkgo is one of the main cultivated fruit trees in the county. It is recorded in books such as "Chinese Ginkgo" and "Afforestation Techniques for Major Tree Species in China."PizhouPizhou is the hometown of ginkgo and one of the five major ginkgo production areas in the country. Pizhou has a long history of ginkgo cultivation, with historical records as early as the Zhengguang period of the Northern Wei Dynasty, more than 1,400 years ago. However, judging from the large number of ancient cultural relics such as "Han Dynasty Pictorial Stones" unearthed in Pizhou in recent years, the history of ginkgo cultivation in Pizhou can be traced back to before the Han Dynasty, only that there are no historical records. In ancient Pizhou, people had long had the tradition of planting ginkgo, especially in the alluvial plain area of the Yi River, where the planting scale was relatively large. After the changes of feudal dynasties and the influence of wars, the people still retained the tradition of planting ginkgo. Although the ginkgo planting industry was severely damaged during the War of Resistance Against Japan and later during the "Great Leap Forward," there are still 12 thousand-year-old ancient ginkgo trees, 69 large ginkgo trees over 500 years old, and 4,160 large ginkgo trees over 100 years old in Pizhou today. Since reform and opening up, Pizhou's ginkgo planting industry has made considerable progress. In the early 1990s, due to the introduction of new ginkgo leaf extraction technology, the development of the ginkgo leaf extraction and processing industry drove the rapid expansion of the planting scale of ginkgo leaf-harvesting gardens. Pizhou Ginkgo Expo Garden: located in Gangshang Town, Pizhou City, formally established in 2002. In May 2002 it was approved as a Jiangsu provincial-level ginkgo forest park, and in April 2004 it was approved as a national-level ginkgo expo garden, the only national-level forest park for a single tree species in the country.Taixing, JiangsuTaixing City, Jiangsu Province, has more than 5 million ginkgo trees in the whole city, and is especially famous worldwide for its "Dafozhi Ginkgo," which has large fruit, full kernel, rich pulp, thin shell, heavy grain, white color, sweet and glutinous taste, and good storability. Annual income from ginkgo reaches hundreds of millions of yuan, and health products from ginkgo leaves and ginkgo nuts have been developed.
Historical CultureThe plants related to it had already emerged 270 million years ago and belong to the Ginkgophyta. In the late Jurassic about more than 100 million years ago, ginkgo species were widely distributed on Earth. The present ginkgo is the only surviving member of this phylum, so it is also called a "living fossil (relict plant)."
Chinese people have a long history of planting ginkgo. It is said that some trees in temples are already 1,500 years old [source requested]. Because Buddhism considers ginkgo a sacred tree, monks planted it in temples and maintained it for thousands of years. Europeans first saw ginkgo in 1691, planted in a Japanese Buddhist temple garden. Because ginkgo is famous in both Confucianism and Buddhism, many people in Japan and Korea also plant ginkgo. In 1712, a German doctor introduced it to Europe. Although ginkgo is found everywhere, wild ginkgo was not discovered in Zhejiang Province, China, until modern times. However, some people in the West believe that these ginkgo trees may not be wild, but were planted by monks more than a thousand years ago.
Ginkgo trees generally have a very long lifespan and are known as "thousand-year ginkgo." The tree can grow very tall and large. There is one in Lijiawan, Guizhou, 40 m tall, and another in Gansu, 60 m tall. There is a ginkgo tree in Xincun Township, Tancheng County, said to have a history of 3,000 years. It is a male tree and is locally called the "Old Sacred Tree." At the foot of Fulai Mountain in Ju County, Shandong Province, there is a ginkgo tree with a tree age of more than 3,000 years. Legend says this ginkgo tree was planted during the Duke of Zhou's eastern campaign in the early Western Zhou Dynasty. Historical records state that the Duke of Zhou's eastern campaign once passed east of "Guimeng," so setting foot on Fulai Mountain is somewhat credible. This ginkgo tree has extremely strong vitality and is still lush with branches and leaves today. The contemporary calligrapher Mr. Wang Binglong wrote the inscription "The Number One Ginkgo Tree in the World" for it. The tree is miraculous, and the stories inspired by the tree are also very interesting.
It is said that during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, a scholar from eastern Ju County was going to the capital for the imperial examination. On the way he encountered rain, so he took shelter under this huge ginkgo tree. Suddenly feeling inspired, he wanted to investigate just how thick the tree was, so he measured the tree's girth by embracing it. The scholar actually embraced it seven times without returning to the starting point. Just as he was about to embrace it for the eighth time, he was frightened by what he saw - at the starting point where the scholar was measuring the tree stood a young woman. It turned out that the young woman had also come under the large ginkgo tree to take shelter from the rain. Because the tree was too large, neither of them had seen the other. What was to be done? The scholar wanted to ask the young woman to move aside, but was too embarrassed to speak, yet he did not want to give up his measurement, so he had no choice but to switch to using his hands and quietly move past the young woman. When he counted to the eighth, he happened to reach the young woman's side, and she actually did not notice either. But how should the space occupied by the young woman's body be measured? The scholar could not think of any other way, so he had to count the young woman's body width as one length in the measurement. Thus the ginkgo tree's girth became "seven embraces, eight hand-spans, and one wife." Several hundred years have passed, and the ginkgo tree's girth has long exceeded "seven embraces, eight hand-spans, and one wife," but the amusing story of "seven embraces, eight hand-spans, and one wife" has been passed down from generation to generation in the surrounding villages. Liu Xie wrote the world's first great literary criticism masterpiece, "The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons," here. Guo Moruo once came to this mountain to pay his respects and personally inscribed "Wenxin Pavilion" and "Jiaojing Tower." "Zuo Zhuan" records: "In the eighth year of Duke Yin of Lu, (715 BC) on the xinmao day of the ninth month, the duke and the people of Ju made a covenant at Fulai." It can be seen that the tree had already formed dense shade at that time and had become a famous tree. Experts have verified that this tree has a history of at least 3,500 years. The tree is now 26.3 m tall, its crown shades more than 20 mu, and its trunk circumference is 15.7 m. It takes eight people stretching out their arms to encircle it. This ancient tree is a tree species left from the Ice Age and is called a "living fossil." Authenticated by experts from the Ministry of Forestry, it is "the number one ginkgo tree in the world." This ancient ginkgo has gone through many vicissitudes. There is a poem that says: Suddenly seeing the ginkgo tree towering to the sky, having seen all vicissitudes without counting the years. The Qin cypress and Han pine are all of later generations; its roots coil around the ancient Buddha before birth.
During the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, Chen Quanguo, the prefect of Ju Zhou, erected a stone tablet with an inscribed poem saying:
The great tree coils like a dragon to meet the Marquis of Lu; mist and clouds like a canopy cover Floating Mound. Its form is divided petal by petal like a lotus seat; its substance compares layer upon layer to a coiled bun. History records twenty-one generations of emperors; how many streams of immortals and monks have people passed through. It seems past and present all become illusion; only you alone live long accompanying guests on their travels. It is a male tree and is locally called the "Old Sacred Tree."
Origin of the NameThis plant was called "Yinguo" in ancient Chinese and is now often called "Baiguo" or "Yinxing." The name "Baiguo" was directly borrowed into Vietnamese and pronounced according to Sino-Vietnamese readings as "b?ch qu?"; the name "Yinxing" was borrowed into Korean and Japanese, and according to Sino-Korean character readings is read respectively as "??" (eunhaeng) and "ぎんなん" (ginnan).
The scientific name "Ginkgo" comes from Japanese folk usage. Chinese characters often have multiple readings in Japanese, and "ginkgo" can also be pronounced "ginkyō." In 1690, the German botanist Engelbert Kaempfer became the first Westerner to discover this species. He recorded the pronunciation of this species in his work "Amoenitates Exoticae" (1712); the "y" he wrote was misread as "g," and this misreading has been used ever since.
In addition, the shape of the ginkgo leaf has also become the symbol of Tokyo, Japan.
Ginkgo Pictures
Ginkgo Seed Seedling Cultivation Techniques
Using ginkgo seeds to raise seedlings is the most basic method of cultivating ginkgo seedlings. The ginkgo seed seedling cultivation techniques are introduced as follows:1. Seed collection and seed selection. The mother trees for seed collection must be of good quality, bear many seeds, and be robust. It is best to collect them on the ground after the fruit naturally matures and falls. Pile and compost the collected fruit for 2 to 3 days, then soak in water and rub off the outer skin, dry in the shade, and store in cold storage or low-temperature sand storage. For seed selection, choose large seeds for seedling cultivation, because large seeds contain more endosperm and can fully meet the needs of early seedling growth, especially within 50 to 60 days after seed germination.
2. Land preparation and germination acceleration. Choose nursery land that is flat, sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, and convenient for irrigation. Deep plow in autumn, shallow plow in early March of the following spring, apply 4,000 kg to 6,000 kg of farmyard manure per mu, and carry out soil disinfection. When accelerating germination, soak dry-stored seeds in 40°C warm water for 5 to 7 days, changing the water once every two days. After the seeds absorb water, carry out high-temperature germination acceleration. Build a plastic shed on the seedling bed, set up layered racks inside, spread straw mats or wet burlap on each layer, then spread mats, evenly spread the water-saturated seeds on the mats at a thickness of about 5 cm, and cover with wet burlap on top. Uncover the burlap every morning and evening and spray once with wet water. The temperature in the shed should be controlled at 30°C to 35°C. When 2/3 of the seeds have cracked and shown white, they can be sown.
3. Sowing and seedling cultivation. Generally sow by dibbling in early spring, with wide rows 40 cm apart and plant spacing 15 cm, sowing depth 3 to 4 cm, and covering soil 3 to 4 cm thick; drilling can also be used, with row spacing 25 to 30 cm, sowing one seed every 10 cm, slightly pressing after covering with soil, and covering with plastic film. Use 50 kg of seed per mu.
4. Seedling period management. 1. Loosen soil and weed in time. During the ginkgo seedling stage, the shaded area is small and weeds are likely to grow, so loosen soil and weed 6 to 8 times throughout the year. 2. Fertilize reasonably. After the seedlings emerge, apply 20 kg to 30 kg of urea per mu in mid-May, 30 kg of compound fertilizer per mu in mid-June, and 30 kg of potassium dihydrogen phosphate per mu in early August. When topdressing, stay 5 cm to 10 cm away from the seedlings to avoid burning them. 3. Water at the right time. Generally do not water before mid-May, and pay attention to drainage during the flood season. 4. Control underground pests. During the seedling stage, they are often harmed by underground pests such as cutworms and grubs. Poison bait can be made with 90% trichlorfon 1000x solution for trapping and killing. 5. The initial seedling density is relatively large. Starting from the second year, remove rows or thin plants every year, and retain an appropriate density according to the different specifications required for afforestation.
5. Field planting. Generally plant in early spring. The density depends on the purpose, with a female-to-male ratio of 25:1 and a plant-row spacing of 2 m x 3 m. They bear fruit in 3 to 5 years. For timber forests, the plant-row spacing is 3 m x 4 m; for leaf forests, the plant-row spacing is 0.4 m x 1 m. For fruit-timber plastic forests, seedlings can be used for field planting, with a plant-row spacing of 3 m x 4 m, and high-branch grafting. As the crown expands, finally retain about 20 trees per mu. When ginkgo is interplanted with crops, use 3 to 5 trees per mu, with row spacing 40 m and plant spacing 5 m.
6. Grafting. Generally graft around Qingming Festival. Grafting can improve quality, accelerate growth, and bear fruit earlier. For grafting, choose 1- to 2-year-old seedlings of excellent varieties as rootstock. Cut 1- to 3-year-old robust fruiting branches from the middle and upper part outside the crown as scions, leaving 2 plump buds on each scion, and cut the lower end of the scion into a 2.5 cm to 3 cm long wedge shape, thin inside and thick outside. Cut the rootstock stump at 10 cm to 15 cm high, cut off the upper end, choose a smooth surface, split downward with a knife to the same depth as the scion cut surface, insert the scion downward tightly aligned with the cambium, smear with wet mud, and then wrap tightly with plastic film. Grafting can be done in the nursery, or after field planting, by high-branch grafting.
Latest Information
Tips for Improving the Survival Rate of Ginkgo Cutting Seedlings Comprehensive Techniques for Dwarfing Potted Chrysanthemums How to Propagate and Cultivate Anthurium Ornamental Plants
Give Foliage Flowers a "Bath" with Beer