How much do water chestnut seeds cost? A detailed guide to growing methods
The water chestnut is the fruit of the annual herbaceous aquatic plant water chestnut (Trapa natans) of the genus Trapa in the family Trapaceae, also known as water caltrop, black water chestnut, water chestnut, etc. It is native to the warm regions of Europe and Asia, but only China and India have domesticated and cultivated it. In southern China, it is cultivated most extensively in the Taihu Lake region of the lower Yangtze River and the Pearl River Delta. Let us take a look at water chestnut seed prices and growing methods below!
How much do water chestnut seeds cost per jin?
The price of water chestnut seeds is about 10-15 yuan per jin, but prices vary considerably depending on seed quality, variety, place of origin and market. There are many cultivated varieties of water chestnut, and choosing a superior variety is the foundation for high yields and the key to seizing the season, capturing the market early and improving economic returns. For raw consumption, early and mid-season varieties with large fruits (two-horned water chestnut) can be chosen; for high yields, late-maturing black water chestnut varieties can be planted.
What varieties of water chestnut are there?
1. Shajiao water chestnut: a mid-maturing variety, sown at Qingming and Guyu, harvested at Liqiu and Chushu, with tough roots and stems, small and densely growing leaves, small fruit shape, a yield of 400-600 jin per mu, greenish-white and thick skin, suitable for cooked consumption, resistant to wind and waves, tolerant of deep water and poor soil.
2. Shui Hongling: an early-maturing variety, sown at Qingming, tender water chestnuts begin to be harvested at Liqiu, mature water chestnuts harvested at Chushu and Shuangjiang, larger fruit shape, water chestnut flesh with high water content, a yield of 800-1000 jin per mu, suitable for raw consumption, not tolerant of deep water, not resistant to wind and waves.
3. Xiao Bailing: a mid-to-late maturing variety, sown at Qingming, harvested from Bailu to Shuangjiang, firm flesh, suitable for cooked consumption, smaller fruit shape, a yield of 600-1200 jin per mu, strong growth vigour, relatively strong resistance to wind and waves, a relatively wide range of growth adaptability, suitable for deep-water cultivation.
4. Da Qingling: a mid-maturing variety, sown at Qingming, harvested from Bailu to Shuangjiang, medium quality, large fruit shape, greenish-white skin, thick pericarp, firm flesh, suitable for cooked consumption, a yield of 1000-1200 jin per mu.
5. Nanhu water chestnut: an early and mid-maturing variety, sown at Qingming, harvested from Chushu to Shuangjiang, good quality, firm flesh with a somewhat japonica-like texture, medium fruit shape, a yield of 1000-1200 jin per mu. During growth it requires a moderate water level and fertile soil, and its resistance to wind and waves is relatively weak.
Growing methods for water chestnut
1. Seedbed selection: The seedling nursery bed should be chosen as a field that is sheltered from wind and facing the sun, with fertile soil, a water depth of 10-50 cm and convenient irrigation and drainage. Before raising seedlings, duckweed, spirogyra and other matter on the water surface of the nursery field should be cleared away. When using greenhouse seedling raising and planting, the frame should be covered with film in advance.
2. Sowing method: In the Yangtze River basin, from Chunfen to Qingming, select a pond that is sheltered from wind, with relatively shallow water, fertile soil and convenient irrigation and drainage as the seedling pond, and sow by dibbling at a row spacing of 1 m square for seedling raising, using 65-90 kg of seed per mu, which can serve 8-10 mu of water chestnut pond.
3. Transplanting and planting out: Seedlings should be planted the same day they are lifted. Generally, for shallow-water water chestnut, the row spacing is 1.5-2 m and the hole spacing is 1.5-2 m, with one bundle of about 2-3 water chestnut seedlings planted per hole; for deep-water water chestnut, the row spacing is 2.5-3 m and the hole spacing is 2-2.5 m, with one bundle of about 8-10 water chestnut seedlings planted per hole.
4. Rational fertilisation: The water chestnut's fertiliser demand is relatively concentrated. Before planting, 2000 kg of pig manure or decomposed mud manure can be applied per mu; after germination, 5 kg of urea can be applied per mu as a quick-acting fertiliser; after flowering, 2-3 packets of strong yield-increasing agent or 2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate can be applied as a foliar spray 2-3 times in combination with disease and pest control.
5. Timely weeding: There are many kinds of aquatic weeds in water chestnut ponds, such as duckweed, centipede grass, moss and so on, which must be removed by hand in good time, otherwise they will affect the photosynthesis of the water chestnut. Generally, weeds are removed once every 10 days after transplanting until the water chestnut covers the water surface completely.
6. Disease and pest control: Common pests of water chestnut include aphids, leafhoppers and so on, which can be controlled in the early stage of damage by spraying trichlorfon or deltamethrin diluted with water. The main common disease is water chestnut blast, which can be controlled in the early stage of onset by spraying validamycin plus carbendazim diluted with water.
7. Timely harvesting: Water chestnut matures 20-30 days after flowering. For use as a vegetable or for eating raw, it is harvested when the sepals have fallen off and the pericarp has not yet fully hardened; for cooked consumption, processing or seed saving, it must be harvested when fully mature. Early-maturing varieties are harvested once every 5 days, and late-maturing varieties once every 7 days.