Planting Methods and Key Technical Points for Chinese Yam (Dioscorea nipponica)
Dioscorea nipponica, also known as Chuandong yam, wild yam, or chuandi long, is a common Chinese medicinal herb with the effects of relaxing sinews and invigorating blood, and dispelling wind and relieving pain. It is an important raw material for synthesizing contraceptives and has promising market prospects. So how should Dioscorea nipponica be planted? Let's take a look together.
1. Site Selection and Land Preparation
Dioscorea nipponica often grows wild on hillsides, forest edges, and in weed and shrub forests. It has low requirements for soil, but it is best to choose loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam or hillside land for planting, followed by loam and clay loam. Sloping land can also be used for planting. Dioscorea nipponica has a relatively large growth volume, so sufficient fertilizer should be supplied during planting. Before planting, base fertilizer should be applied in combination with land preparation. The base fertilizer should mainly be organic fertilizer, spread on the ground surface, then deeply plowed and finely cultivated to turn the fertilizer into the soil.
2. Sowing
Before sowing, the seeds must undergo low-temperature treatment to break seed dormancy and increase the germination rate. Therefore, generally in early February, mix the seeds with fine sand and place them indoors in an environment below 10°C for 7-10 days, then bury them in a pit for freezing. After Qingming Festival, they can be sown. Use the drill sowing method, open furrows on the seedbed at a row spacing of 10 cm, evenly scatter the seeds into the furrows, cover with 2 cm of soil, press lightly, and water. After that, keep the soil moist frequently until seedlings emerge. After watering, straw can also be spread to keep warm and moist, and it can be removed when seedlings emerge. About 5 cm of rice straw is used. At sowing, use about 3 kg of seeds per mu.
3. Transplanting
Transplanting is carried out before sprouting in spring, generally using the ridge planting method with a ridge spacing of 65 cm, and the plant spacing should also depend on the cultivation period. If growing for two years before harvest, the plant spacing should be about 15 cm, that is, root segments connected end to end; if growing for three years before harvest, the plant spacing should be about 20 cm, with 5-10 cm between the ends of root segments. After transplanting, cover with 10-15 cm of soil and water once to settle the roots, so as to help the plants survive.
4. Field Management
When seedlings grow to more than 15 cm, thin them in time. The principle of thinning is to remove the weak and keep the strong, and remove the dense and keep the sparse. While thinning, timely cultivate and weed to promote root growth, so as to prevent weeds from taking nutrients and growing space and affecting seedling growth. Cultivation and weeding should be carried out 2-3 times per year. After thinning, topdress once in time, applying 1000 kg of farmyard manure per mu. In the second and third years, plant growth accelerates, and at this time topdressing should be done twice a year to ensure the plants have sufficient nutrients for growth. When seedlings grow to 20-30 cm, set up supports in time to guide the vines, increase air circulation between plants, and promote photosynthesis.
The above is an introduction to the planting methods for Dioscorea nipponica. We hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.