Detailed Explanation of Gorgon Nut Seed Prices and Planting Methods

Gorgon nut, also known as chicken-head rice, chicken-head seed, wild goose beak seed, etc., is the dried mature seed kernel of the plant Euryale ferox in the Nymphaeaceae family, genus Euryale. It is produced throughout northern and southern China. It is rich in starch and used for food, brewing, and making secondary food products. Medicinally, it has the effects of tonifying the kidney and securing essence, strengthening the spleen and stopping diarrhea, and removing dampness and stopping leukorrhea. Let's take a look at gorgon nut seed prices and planting methods below!

How much is a jin of gorgon nut seeds?

The price of gorgon nut seeds is about 20-30 yuan per jin, but prices vary greatly depending on seed quality, variety, place of origin, and market conditions. Gorgon nut grows wild in lakes, ponds, and swamps throughout northern and southern China, and is cultivated in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang area. By place of origin, it is divided into southern gorgon nut and northern gorgon nut. Southern gorgon nut is produced in the Taihu Lake area of Jiangsu and has good quality, but its adaptability is inferior to that of northern gorgon nut. Northern gorgon nut is produced in the Hongze Lake area and exists in a wild or semi-wild state. Its quality is poor, but its adaptability is strong.

Gorgon Nut Planting Methods

1. Seed soaking and germination: In the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, in early April, rinse the seeds clean and soak them in clear water. The water depth should be just enough to submerge the seeds. Change the water frequently and cover at night while exposing to the sun during the day. Keep the temperature at 20-25°C during the day and above 16°C at night. After 7-10 days, when most have germinated, they can be sown.

2. Sowing and seedling raising: 5-7 days before sowing, dig a seedling pond 2 m square and 20 cm deep, remove harmful organisms such as filamentous algae, duckweed, and weeds, level the bottom mud, and fill with about 10 cm of water. After the muddy water clears, evenly broadcast the germinated seeds near the water surface.

3. Transplanting seedlings for temporary planting: About 1 month after sowing, when the gorgon nut seedlings have 2-3 young leaves, they can be transplanted for temporary planting. 1 kg of seeds requires 40-50 sq m of seedling field. Thoroughly remove weeds and harmful organisms from the seedling field, fill with about 15 cm of water, level the soil, and avoid excessive fertility. Do not transplant too deeply.

4. Timely final planting: In mid-to-late June, when the round shield-shaped later leaves of the gorgon nut seedlings have reached 25-30 cm in diameter, they can be finally planted. Before planting, open holes at about 125-166 plants per mu. When opening the holes, remove weeds from the holes and apply an appropriate amount of base fertilizer. After 1-2 days, once the muddy water in the holes has cleared, they can be planted.

Gorgon Nut Planting Management

1. Checking seedlings and filling gaps: Gorgon nut seedlings generally turn green 7-10 days after planting. After survival, at least 1-2 checks for missing plants should be carried out to ensure a full stand. When checking seedlings, if poorly growing gorgon nut seedlings are seen, check whether their central leaves have accumulated mud, and if so, remove it.

2. Water level management: When planting gorgon nut seedlings, the water layer should not be shallower than 30-40 cm. After survival, it can be gradually increased to 50-80 cm, and the deepest should not exceed 1.2-1.5 m. For gorgon nut grown in shallow rice fields, a water depth of 30-50 cm is suitable.

3. Weeding and earthing up roots: Before gorgon nut leaves close the rows, weed the field 3-5 times according to weed growth. Weeding can be combined with earthing up roots, that is, during weeding, gradually push the mud at the edges of the holes toward the center of the holes to earth up the roots. Do not damage the plants during operation. Topdressing can be combined with weeding and earthing up roots.

4. Reasonable topdressing: Gorgon nut seedlings generally use deep application of fertilizer balls (before row closure) or foliar spraying (after row closure). Fertilizer balls are made by composting soil and fertilizer. For every 100 kg of fine soil, add 50 kg of decomposed manure, 20 kg of urea, 20 kg of superphosphate, and 10 kg of potassium chloride.

5. Splashing water to cool down: When planting gorgon nut, in July-August, go to the field frequently in the early morning and splash cool water onto the leaf surface by hand to lower leaf surface temperature and promote flowering and fruiting. When splashing water, clear water must be used. Do not splash muddy water onto gorgon nut leaves, as this may affect photosynthesis and cause leaf rot.

6. Harvesting and processing: Gorgon nut can be harvested in the same year. It can be harvested in September-October when the fruit skin turns reddish-brown. If the planting area is small and labor is sufficient, it can be harvested as it ripens. Hammer the harvested fruits with a wooden stick or similar object to break the spiny fruit skin, take out the seeds, and dry them in the sun.

Gorgon Nut Disease and Pest Control

1. Leaf spot disease

[Symptoms] In the early stage of the disease, there are many circular lesions on the leaf margins, initially dark green, later turning dark brown, sometimes with concentric rings, and extremely prone to rotting and perforation. When severe, the lesions can merge into patches, causing the entire gorgon nut leaf to rot.

[Control] In addition to crop rotation and avoiding excessive nitrogen fertilizer, gorgon nut leaf spot disease can also be controlled by foliar spraying with carbendazim (50% wettable powder) at 400-500 times dilution.

2. Leaf tumor disease

[Symptoms] The pathogen is a fungus, with more cases occurring in July-August. At the initial stage, pale green yellow spots appear on the leaf surface, then bulge and swell into tumor-like shapes, with a diameter of 4-40 cm and a height of 2-8 cm.

[Control] In addition to crop rotation, gorgon nut leaf tumor disease can also be controlled during the disease season by foliar spraying with thiophanate-methyl at 800-1000 times dilution and 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate.

3. Anthracnose

[Symptoms] Anthracnose mainly occurs on plant leaves, often damaging leaf margins and leaf tips. In severe cases, more than half of the leaf withers, turns black, and dies.

[Control] Remove diseased plants and diseased leaves, use 50% Shibaogong wettable powder at 1000-1500 times dilution, spray or splash with plenty of water, once every 7 days, for 2-3 consecutive times.