Detailed Explanation of High-Yield Cultivation Techniques for Codonopsis pilosula

The Chinese medicinal herb Codonopsis pilosula (poor man's ginseng) uses its root as medicine, and it grows at forest edges or in thickets. It is distributed in western Sichuan, Gansu, Shanxi, Henan, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shaanxi, Northeast China and other places. It is cultivated in most provinces and cities across the country. Its taste is sweet, and its nature is neutral.

I. Biological Characteristics: It has strong cold resistance and prefers cool mountainous areas. It can be planted in mountainous areas at an altitude of 800-2000 m. Deep soil layers, good drainage, and sandy loam soil rich in humus are best. Continuous cropping is avoided.

II. Propagation Methods: Codonopsis pilosula adopts sexual reproduction, divided into direct sowing and seedling transplanting.

III. Seedling Raising and Transplanting: Choose a semi-slope field, plow the land deeply in the winter of the first year, apply 15,000 kg of farmyard manure and 750 kg of phosphate fertilizer per hectare as base fertilizer, and in the spring of the second year, break up the soil finely and rake it level. Around the Spring Equinox, make raised beds 170 cm wide. Use 45 kg of seeds per hectare, mix them with fine soil and sow in drills, open furrows at a row spacing of 10 cm, with a furrow depth of 1-2 cm, sow evenly in the drills, and cover with fine soil. After emergence, pull weeds and topdress. Transplant in the second year. Each hectare of seedbed can plant 6 hectares of field. Apply 15,000 kg of farmyard manure and 750 kg of phosphate fertilizer per hectare, then level and harrow the soil finely, dig out robust two-year-old seedlings, and plant the seedlings around "Qingming" or after "Bailu" in autumn. When planting seedlings, arrange the main roots diagonally in the furrow at 10-20 cm, with the rhizome about 7 cm below the soil surface. Use 7,500 kg of barnyard manure and 300 kg of phosphate fertilizer per hectare, and dig soil from the second row to cover the seedlings in the first row.

IV. Field Management: After planting, weed twice each year. For autumn planting, weed in spring; for spring planting, weed in autumn. Codonopsis pilosula is tolerant of fertilizer, mainly relying on base fertilizer. In the year of planting, apply 15,000 kg of dilute manure water or 375 kg of ammonium bicarbonate per hectare. After planting Codonopsis pilosula, choose small stakes or branches 170 cm long and insert them alternately between rows every 30-60 cm for the Codonopsis pilosula vines to twine around. For seed collection, seeds set after 2 years of planting should first be used. Around "Chushu," harvest and store the mature seeds.

V. Pest and Disease Control: Red mold root rot and yellow rust generally occur severely from May to July. After disease occurs, pull out diseased plants and burn them, and disinfect the diseased holes with quicklime. Before sowing, disinfect the soil with 30 kg of pentachloronitrobenzene per hectare. Spray or drench the roots with 500-fold 65% wettable zineb solution or 1:1:200 Bordeaux mixture, once every 7 days, for 2-3 consecutive times. To control aphids and red spiders, use 1 kg of dimethoate plus 200 kg of water to spray the plants. For white grubs, cutworms, mole crickets, and wireworms, irrigate the Codonopsis pilosula field with 700-fold 75% phoxim emulsifiable concentrate, or use bait to trap and kill them.

VI. Harvesting and Processing: It can be harvested in 2-3 years. Carry out around "Bailu." Dig up the roots along the rows, without damaging them, and dry them in the sun or by heat. Knead and bake repeatedly 4-5 times. Quality requirements: root length 10-15 cm, cross-section yellow-white, aromatic odor, and slightly sweet taste.