A detailed guide to Gentiana macrophylla cultivation techniques: master the key points of growing and management
Gentiana macrophylla, also known as large-leaved gentian, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Allium in the Gentianaceae family. It is produced in **, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Inner Mongolia and the Northeast region, and has extremely high medicinal value. It is often used as one of the main drugs for treating rheumatic joint pain, tuberculosis, tidal fever, jaundice and other conditions. Let us take a look at the cultivation techniques for Gentiana macrophylla below!
Growth habits of Gentiana macrophylla
Gentiana macrophylla grows on riverbanks, roadsides, ditch edges, hillside grasslands, meadows, under forests and at forest edges, at an altitude of 400-2400 m. It prefers a humid, cool climate, is cold-resistant, fears waterlogging, and avoids strong light. It is suitable for growing in deep, fertile loam or sandy loam, and should not be cultivated in waterlogged, low-lying saline-alkali land. Seeds germinate best under relatively low temperature conditions, with an optimum germination temperature of about 20°C. It usually turns green in late May each year, blooms in late June, and seeds mature in August. The annual growth period is about 100 days, and seed viability is 1 year.
Seedling-raising techniques for Gentiana macrophylla
1. Site selection: choose a location more than 200 m away from highways, away from residential areas and polluted places, close to a water source, on flat land or gentle slopes. The soil should preferably be sandy loam, forest humus soil or brown soil, requiring deep soil layers, fertile, loose and moist soil, with a soil pH of 5.5-6.5. The previous crop should preferably be legumes, corn, etc.
2. Land preparation: prepare the land in the autumn of the year before sowing or transplanting. Before land preparation, first apply 3000-5000 kg/mu of decomposed organic fertilizer, plow 20 cm deep, harrow and break up the soil, and mix soil and fertilizer evenly. Make beds 1.2-1.5 m wide and 20 cm high, with operation paths 50 cm wide. The bed soil should be loose, fine and free of tree roots, grass roots, stones and other debris.
3. Sowing: autumn sowing or spring sowing. Autumn sowing is carried out from early October to before the ground freezes, and spring sowing is carried out in early April, when there is no snow on the ground and the soil has thawed 3-5 cm. Sowing can be done by broadcasting or drilling. Open furrows on the bed, 10 cm wide, 3-5 cm deep, with a row spacing of 20 cm. The seeding rate is 500-750 g per mu. After sowing, cover the bed surface with pine needles or rice straw to a thickness of 1-2 cm. Thin the seedlings when they are 6-9 cm tall, with a plant spacing of about 9 cm. Transplanting is not advisable.
Cultivation techniques for Gentiana macrophylla
1. Site selection: after the Gentiana macrophylla seedlings emerge completely, remove the covering, clear weeds, and control pests and diseases. After 1 year of growth, they can be transplanted. Choose a plot preferably with a previous crop of grass-family crops, with deep soil layers, good drainage and easy cultivation. Apply 1500-2000 kg/mu of high-quality farmyard manure and 50 kg/mu of superphosphate, and plant after fine land preparation.
2. Transplanting: Gentiana macrophylla is planted in furrows from early to mid-October. Plant spacing 15-20 m, row spacing 20-25 cm. Keep 0.09-0.14 ten-thousand plants/mu. After planting each row, cover with soil and press firmly, then continue planting. Spring planting is carried out after the soil thaws. The seedlings must not have exposed buds; if the buds are exposed, the survival rate is not high. Therefore, according to local natural conditions, the earlier after the soil thaws, the better.
3. Management: after sowing Gentiana macrophylla, water frequently until emergence to keep the surface soil moist. Use 90% trichlorfon or dimethoate at 15 times dilution mixed with wheat bran and pile it around the four sides of the bed to trap and kill mole crickets. When the seedlings grow to 2 pairs of true leaves, remove about half of the covering; at 4 true leaves, remove all the rice straw or pine needles. In dry and high-temperature weather, the covering can be removed later to help preserve soil moisture. Weed in time and keep the field free of weeds. When the temperature is relatively high and a dry soil layer appears below 20 cm, irrigate, preferably by drip irrigation.
4. Disease prevention: the main disease of Gentiana macrophylla is leaf spot disease. When affected, brown circular or elliptical lesions appear on the leaves. Disinfect seeds before sowing, promptly detect and control diseased plants, and maintain good field sanitation. In early and mid-June, use 65% mancozeb at 400-500 times dilution, spraying once every 7-10 days; from mid-June to October, use mancozeb at 300 times dilution, spraying once every 7 days.
5. Harvesting: Gentiana macrophylla is harvested 3-5 years after sowing, dug up in autumn when the aboveground parts wither. After harvesting, wash clean with water, dry until half-dry, cut off the rhizome head, then dry until completely dry. Fried Gentiana macrophylla is prepared by placing Gentiana macrophylla slices in a frying pan, heating over low heat, and frying until the surface of the slices has slight scorch marks, then taking them out and spreading them to cool.