How to Grow North American Jerusalem Artichoke? A Detailed Guide to Cultivation Techniques

North American Jerusalem artichoke is a perennial herb, with "daisy" above ground and "tuber" below ground, oblong-ovate leaves, capitulum inflorescences, blooming in autumn, and spindle-shaped tubers. The yield of stems and leaves is 5000-10000 kg per mu, with relatively high nutritional value; it is called high-quality "protein daisy" and can be used as feed. The tuber yield is 3000-5000 kg per mu. It can be used as a vegetable or coarse grain, and can also be used to make starch and alcohol. Jerusalem artichoke is also a kind of ornamental flower; its abundant blooms can beautify the environment. Compared with forage grasses grown solely for stems and leaves, such as grain amaranth and compass plant, it has greater usefulness, higher value, wide adaptability, and strong market demand.

I. Nutritional Value The stems, leaves, and tubers of North American Jerusalem artichoke are rich in protein and other nutrients, and officials of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization have called it a "crop for both humans and livestock in the 21st century." Its stems and leaves grow luxuriantly from early spring to the Beginning of Winter, with a growth period of 7-8 months. The appearance and protein content of the stems and leaves are comparable to those of cup plant, and cattle, sheep, pigs, rabbits, chickens, ducks, and others all like to eat them. In the south, 2-3 harvests can be taken per year; the crude protein content of stems and leaves per mu is 200-350 kg. After harvest, the dried stems and leaves can also be processed into pellet feed, and after fermentation, adding feed additives gives even higher nutritional value. The tubers contain more than 14% protein and 1% lysine; their palatability is better than that of sweet potato and radish, and their nutritional value is higher than that of general grain and feed crops. They are not only an ideal feed for livestock and poultry, but also an ideal green nutritional food for humans, and the market prospects for planting and development are promising.

II. Cultivation Techniques

1. Sowing North American Jerusalem artichoke is generally sown in spring. The sowing method is planting tubers. Due to climatic differences among regions, sowing is generally done from March to May. Germination and emergence can occur when the average soil temperature is 10-15°C. When sowing, because Jerusalem artichoke is drought-tolerant and has wide adaptability and resistance to salinity and alkalinity, it can be planted in front of and behind houses, at the edges of fields and roadsides, and on barren hillsides. Before sowing, first sort the tubers, cut them into several pieces according to the number of sprouting points with a clean sharp knife, dig holes 5-10 cm deep, place the tubers with the sprouting points facing upward into the soil, cover with soil, and press lightly with the foot. The sowing density is about 4000 plants per mu; where soil conditions are poor, the density can be increased to more than 5000 plants. When sowing, if the weather is dry, water before sowing or sow after rain.

2. Field Management ① Cultivation and weeding: weed 2-3 times during the seedling stage, which helps preserve soil moisture and strengthen the seedlings. When the stems and leaves are more than 30 cm tall and cover most of the ground, they can already suppress weed growth on their own, so weeding should no longer be done. A few tall, large weeds can simply be pulled out. ② If there is a long period of drought and the leaves turn yellow and wilt, water in a timely manner. Under normal circumstances, do not water. ③ Hilling: after rain and strong wind, if Jerusalem artichoke plants fall over, promptly straighten them and hill soil around them, and dig ditches for drainage to prevent disease caused by waterlogged soil. ④ Fertilization: before sowing, apply 30-50 kg of diammonium phosphate per mu; topdress 1-2 times during the whole growth period, once in June and once in August. Each topdressing should apply about 15 kg of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer.

3. Pest and Disease Control Jerusalem artichoke generally has no obvious pests or diseases. If root rot occurs at the base of the stems, spray with 0.1% thiophanate-methyl. To prevent damage from mole crickets and cutworms before emergence or during the seedling stage, soil treatment can be carried out before sowing, and after sowing low-toxicity pesticides such as trichlorfon can be mixed with poisoned bait to kill them. Omethoate or carbendazim can be sprayed to kill red spiders and stink bugs, etc.

4. Harvesting Generally around November, when the flowers and leaves of Jerusalem artichoke have dried up, the stems and leaves can be harvested and the tubers dug out.