Key Techniques for Shade Net Coverage Cultivation of Allium Vegetables

Chives, scallions, garlic and other allium vegetables prefer cool climates and have poor heat tolerance, but they tolerate shade well. Cultivating them under shade net coverage during the high-temperature seasons of summer and autumn can promote growth and increase both yield and quality. For example, after covering chives, the leaf tips show no scorching, the leaves are tender and green, and the quality is noticeably improved. For garlic planted in August, covering with shade net increased the seedling survival rate by 44.54% compared with no covering, and plant height and leaf number increased significantly.

In shade net coverage cultivation of allium vegetables, floating row cover can be used after sowing and before emergence, and after emergence, large tunnels, flat shelters and small arched tunnels can be used for covering. For floating row cover, multiple layers can be used or straw and other mulching materials can be added on top of the net, and it should be removed promptly after emergence. For large tunnels and other frame-supported covers, cover early and uncover late, but the daytime covering time can be longer than for other vegetables; when using large tunnel covering, continuous covering can also be adopted to save the labor of uncovering and covering.

In recent years, some vegetable growers in the suburbs of Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, have used shade net coverage to cultivate yellow chives in summer and autumn and achieved good economic returns. The method is to begin in June to July using small arched tunnels to cover chives with 2 to 3 layers of shade net, then cover the outside of the shade net with wild rice stem straw or rice straw, creating inside the tunnel a growing environment that is both ventilated and breathable, while shading light and lowering temperature to a cool level, causing the chives to form yellow chives.