Dry Pinellia Greenhouse Planting Methods and Technical Key Points

Dry Pinellia, also known as three-leaf pinellia, three-step jump, and hemp jade fruit, is a commonly used Chinese medicinal herb, with wild distribution throughout both northern and southern China. In recent years, due to people's reclamation and utilization of barren hillsides and the extensive use of herbicides in farmland, its ecological environment has been damaged, resources have decreased year by year, and prices have continued to rise. According to surveys, dry Pinellia products are currently scarce in seventeen specialized medicinal herb markets nationwide, supply has fallen short of demand, and the market price has remained firm at 36-42 yuan/kg. Therefore, the market prospects for artificially cultivating dry Pinellia are very broad. In recent years, relevant technical personnel at the GAP planting base of our Chinese medicinal herb association, through introduction and cultivation trials, have successfully domesticated wild dry Pinellia, achieving a yield of 160 kg per mu (dry product). After deducting costs and expenses, the profit per mu is more than 3,500 yuan, achieving relatively good economic benefits. The key points of its introduction and cultivation technology are now introduced as follows:

I. Selection of planting site.

Dry Pinellia prefers a mild and humid climate, is cold-tolerant and shade-tolerant but not drought-tolerant, and is suitable for cultivation on hillsides and flat land. It can be intercropped with fruit trees, and can also be intercropped with tall-stemmed plants such as corn, rapeseed, and @#@245@#@. Sandy soil is best for planting; heavy clay and low-lying waterlogged plots are not suitable for planting.

II. Planting.

The suitable sowing period for dry Pinellia is from November in winter to April of the following spring. Before sowing, in combination with land preparation, apply 2000 kg of barnyard manure or compost and 25 kg of superphosphate per mu, plow them into the soil as base fertilizer, plow and turn once more at sowing time, then break up the soil finely and rake it level to make beds. Dry Pinellia is mainly propagated by tubers and bulbils. Tuber propagation is best; plant immediately after digging, dig holes at a row spacing of 17-20 cm and plant spacing of 7-10 cm, plant two to three tubers per hole, use 40-50 kg of tubers per mu, and do not cover with soil too thickly; 1-2 cm is appropriate. After covering with soil, water promptly if the soil is dry. For propagation by bulbils, in summer and autumn when the old leaves are about to wither and the bulbils under the petioles have matured, take mature bulbils and plant them in rows, with the same row and plant spacing as tuber propagation.

III. Field management

(1) Weeding:

Before the seedlings close the rows, weed promptly. The depth of intertillage should not exceed 5 cm to avoid damaging the roots. Because the roots of dry Pinellia grow around the tubers and the root system is concentrated in the 12-15 cm surface soil layer, intertillage should be shallow rather than deep.

(2) Fertilization:

After the seedlings emerge completely, apply 1000 kg of human and livestock manure water at 1:3 per mu. During the bulbil formation stage, apply 2000 kg of human and livestock manure per mu. When the daughter Pinellia shows new buds and the mother Pinellia sheds its shell and regrows new roots, splash-irrigate with manure water at 1:10. Afterward, according to growth conditions, apply 25 kg of decomposed cake fertilizer, 20 kg of superphosphate, and 10 kg of urea per mu.

(3) Pest and disease control:

The diseases dry Pinellia is relatively prone to are leaf spot disease and viral disease. For leaf spot disease, spray with 1:1:120 Bordeaux mixture or 65% zineb 500-fold solution, once every 7-10 days, for 2-3 consecutive times. For viral disease, irrigate with 5% lime milk, and promptly pull out diseased plants and burn them in a centralized manner. The main insect pest is the red hawk moth. The control method is spraying with 90% crystal trichlorfon 800-1000-fold solution, once every 5-7 days, for 2-3 consecutive times.

IV. Harvesting and processing.

The growth period of dry Pinellia is 180-210 days. For tuber propagation, harvesting can be done in the same year or the following year depending on the sowing season. Generally, dig after the stems and leaves wither and the plants fall over in summer and autumn. Choose a sunny day and carefully dig out the tubers, avoiding damage, shake off the mud and sand, and put them in baskets and cover them well. Do not expose them to strong sunlight, otherwise the skin will be difficult to remove. During processing, first grade fresh Pinellia into large, medium, and small sizes, then put them separately into hemp sacks, lightly strike them a few times on the ground, then pour them into a vat of clean water and rub repeatedly until the outer skin is completely removed, then take them out and sun-dry until completely dry.

Dry Pinellia is generally sown from February to April in spring. Because the temperature is relatively low at this time, the seed tubers sprout slowly. Therefore, before sowing, the seed tubers can be pre-sprouted indoors in a hotbed, with the pre-sprouting temperature maintained at about 20°C, and buds can emerge in 15 days. Alternatively, the seed tubers can be placed outdoors in a plastic greenhouse at 20-25°C and treated continuously for 15 days. When the bud sheaths are found to be whitish, sow the seed tubers with buds into the previously prepared field and cover with plastic film. The plastic film only needs to cover the rows where the seed tubers are planted, and it can be removed after the seedlings emerge completely.