Detailed Explanation of Fritillaria cirrhosa Planting Techniques and Field Management Methods
Fritillaria cirrhosa is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Fritillaria in the family Liliaceae. It often grows in temperate high mountains and plateau regions in mixed broadleaf-conifer forests, coniferous forests, and alpine shrublands, with soils such as mountain brown earth, dark brown earth, and alpine meadow soil. It is a precious Chinese medicinal herb for moistening the lungs and stopping coughs, with a long history of application and remarkable efficacy, possessing extremely high cultivation value. Let us now take a look at the planting techniques for Fritillaria cirrhosa!
Fritillaria cirrhosa Growing Environment
Fritillaria cirrhosa is mainly produced in Tibet (southern to eastern parts), Yunnan (northwestern part), and Sichuan (western part), and is also found in Gansu (southern part), Qinghai, Ningxia, Shaanxi (Qinling Mountains), and Shanxi (southern part). It prefers cool climate conditions and has the characteristics of being cold-resistant, moisture-loving, afraid of high humidity, and shade-loving. When the air temperature reaches 30°C or the soil temperature exceeds 25°C, the plant will wither. It cannot survive in areas with low altitude and high temperatures. When planted under completely unshaded conditions, seedlings are easily scorched to death in patches. Excessive sunlight will promote increased water evaporation and respiration in the plant, easily leading to a low drying rate of the bulbs, and the fritillaria color will be slightly yellow, easily becoming “oil seeds”, “yellow seeds”, or “soft seeds” after processing.
Fritillaria cirrhosa Site Selection and Land Preparation
1. Site selection: Choose a wind-sheltered shady or semi-shady mountain slope, and keep away from wheat crops to prevent rust infection. Loam or oily sandy soil with deep soil layers, loose texture, and rich in humus is preferable. For virgin land, one season of hemp can be planted to purify weeds, mature the land, improve soil structure, and increase organic matter.
2. Land preparation: The Fritillaria cirrhosa planting site needs to be prepared before freezing. Clear ground weeds, deep plow and finely harrow, and make beds 1.3 m wide. Apply 1500 kg of compost (barnyard) manure, 50 kg of superphosphate, and 100 kg of oil cake per mu. After composting and decomposing, spread on the bed surface, shallowly turn, and shape the bed surface into an arched form.
Fritillaria cirrhosa Sowing Methods
1. Seed cultivation: When harvesting Fritillaria in June to July, select bulbs with a diameter of more than 1 cm, disease-free, and undamaged as seeds. Plant bulbs separately by large, medium, and small sizes, planting while digging. Use 100 kg of bulbs per mu. From the second year after planting, spray glyphosate before emergence in March each year, timely remove weeds and apply dilute human and animal manure water after emergence in early April, apply topdressing once more from late April to early May, and when the fruit is plump and expanded, the fruit shell is yellow-brown or brown, and the seeds have dried in July to August, cut off the fruit, either thresh while fresh or carry out after-ripening treatment with the fruit shell.
2. After-ripening treatment: For Fritillaria cirrhosa seeds with shells, use sieved fine humus soil with a moisture content below 10%, layer one layer of fruit and one layer of soil, place in a ventilated wooden box, and keep in a cool, moist place. For threshed seeds, mix at a ratio of 1:4 (seeds:humus soil) and store indoors or in a ventilated wooden box. During storage, keep the soil moist. The fruit skin (seed coat) swells, and after about 40 days, the embryo length exceeds 2/3 of the seed's longitudinal axis, and the embryo tip is curved. After completing embryo morphological after-ripening, sowing can be done.
3. Timely sowing: Fritillaria cirrhosa is usually sown from September to October before snow. Drilling, broadcasting, or point sowing by splitting capsules into valves can all be used.
① Drilling: Open horizontal furrows on the bed surface with a depth of 1.5-2 cm, evenly sprinkle seeds mixed with fine soil or plant ash into the furrows, cover with sieved fine humus soil 3 cm thick, and cover the bed surface with mountain grass or leafless branches. Use 2-2.5 kg of seeds per mu.
② Broadcasting: Evenly scatter seeds on the bed surface, preferably 3000-5000 seeds per sq m. Covering is the same as drilling.
③ Point sowing: Carry out while the fruit is not yet dry. Divide the undried fruit into 3 valves, open holes on the bed surface at a plant-row spacing of 5-6 cm, place 1 valve per hole, and cover with 3 cm of soil. This method is more labor-intensive but has a high emergence rate.
Fritillaria cirrhosa Field Management
1. Erecting shade frames: Fritillaria cirrhosa needs appropriate shading during the growing period. After sowing, remove the bed surface covering before emergence in spring, and erect shade frames by bed for shading. Low frames are 15-20 cm high, with a shading degree of 50-70% in the first year. It decreases to 50% in the second year and 30% in the third year. No more shading is needed in the harvest year. High frames are about 1 m high, with a shading degree of 50%. It is best to shade on sunny days, and open the frames on cloudy and rainy days to harden the seedlings.
2. Weeding: Fritillaria cirrhosa seedlings are delicate and weak, so weeds should be removed frequently without damaging the seedlings. Small Fritillaria brought out should be immediately planted back into the soil. Before emergence in spring and after stem withering in autumn each year, use glyphosate to weed once.
3. Topdressing: After stem withering in autumn, mix humus soil and farmyard manure with 25 kg of superphosphate per mu, cover the bed surface with a 3 cm thick layer, then cover the bed surface with shade frame branches, bamboo tips, etc., to protect Fritillaria through winter. If conditions permit, topdress 3 times per year.
4. Drainage and irrigation: One- and two-year-old Fritillaria cirrhosa plants are afraid of drought. Especially in spring during long periods of clear weather without rain, water should be sprinkled promptly to keep the soil moist. After long periods of rain or heavy rain, attention should be paid to drainage to prevent waterlogging. In hail-prone areas, hail prevention measures should also be taken to avoid breaking flower stems and fruits.
Fritillaria cirrhosa Pest and Disease Control
1. Rust disease
[Harm] Rust disease is the main disease of Fritillaria cirrhosa. The source of the disease mostly comes from wheat crops, and it mostly occurs from May to June.
[Control] Choose plots far from wheat crops or not easily attacked by upriver winds for planting. During land preparation, remove diseased and residual tissues to reduce overwintering sources of the disease. Increase application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers or reduce field humidity to enhance disease resistance. In the early stage of the disease, spray 0.2 Baume degree lime-sulfur mixture or 97% dinocap 300-fold solution. Amobam or thiophanate can also be used for control.
2. Damping-off
[Harm] Damping-off harms seedlings and occurs during the rainy season of the wheat season.
[Control] Pay attention to drainage, adjust the shading degree, and uncover the frames on cloudy and rainy days. Spray 1:1:100 Bordeaux mixture before and after the disease occurs.
3. Root rot
[Harm] Root rot usually occurs from May to June, with roots turning yellow and rotting.
[Control] Pay attention to drainage, reduce soil humidity, and pull out diseased plants. Drench with 5% lime water to prevent spread.
4. White grubs
[Harm] White grubs harm plants from April to June.
[Control] Boil tobacco leaves in water and drench (2.5 kg tobacco leaves per mu, boil into 75 kg stock solution; when using, add 30 kg of water per kg of stock solution), or use 0.5-1 kg of 50% chlordane emulsifiable concentrate per mu mixed with soil during land preparation or diluted with 500 kg of water after emergence and poured into the soil for control.
5. Cutworms
[Harm] Cutworms bite and eat stems and leaves.
[Control] Capture in the morning and evening or use 90% crystalline trichlorfon mixed with poison bait to trap and kill.