Cultivation Techniques and Field Management Methods for Digupi (Chinese Wolfberry Root Bark)
Digupi, also known as Chinese wolfberry root bark, is the root bark of the Chinese wolfberry (Lycium chinense). It can be used as medicine and has the effects of reducing fever, cooling the blood, and clearing the lungs to reduce internal heat. It is widely used and is distributed across most regions of our country. So how should Digupi be cultivated? Let's take a look together.
1. Growth Habits
Digupi often grows on hillsides, wasteland, hilly terrain, saline-alkali land, or beside village roads. It has no strict requirements for soil, and ordinary soil is suitable for planting, but loose, fertile, well-drained neutral or acidic loam is preferable. Strongly alkaline soil, clay loam, and low-lying, easily waterlogged land are not suitable for planting. When planting, apply base fertilizer in combination with land preparation, level and harrow the soil, and then make beds or ridges while waiting to plant.
2. Propagation Methods
Digupi can be propagated by seed or by cuttings. For seed propagation, select seeds of excellent quality, pick them in summer, soak them in warm water, rub the seeds, wash them clean, and dry them for later use. Before sowing, place them in a greenhouse to germinate; when one third of the seeds have sprouted white, they are ready to sow. When sowing, open shallow furrows on the bed surface at a row spacing of 40 cm, and sow the seeds evenly. For cutting propagation, take lignified one-year-old branches of 0.3 cm or more from superior mother plants, cut them into 45-20 cm lengths, and then insert them as cuttings at a plant spacing of 5-10 cm diagonally in the furrows, then firm the soil by treading it down.
3. Field Management
For plants propagated by seed, after emergence, pay attention to watering according to soil moisture conditions, and loosen the soil and remove weeds in time to promote seedling growth. When the seedlings grow to 6-9 cm, thin them in time, and when the root diameter of the seedlings reaches 0.7 cm, they can be transplanted. After transplanting, also carry out timely intertillage and weeding to promote root growth and development, and fertilize at the same time. In October to November, apply decomposed farmyard manure as base fertilizer, while in May to July, apply topdressing twice: the first time with urea, and the second time with phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to increase yield. At the same time, pruning of young trees should also be done well to encourage more branching and the early formation of a tree canopy.
4. Pests and Diseases
The main diseases are black fruit disease and root rot. Black fruit disease damages flowers and fruits; Bordeaux mixture can be sprayed during fruiting, or Tuzet can be sprayed after rain, with good control results. Root rot can be controlled by watering the root system with thiophanate-methyl and carbendazim. The main insect pests are the Chinese wolfberry fruit fly and the lily leaf beetle. For the Chinese wolfberry fruit fly, during overwintering, carbaryl powder can be spread in the garden for control, or in autumn and winter, irrigation or deep plowing can be used to kill overwintering pupae. For the lily leaf beetle, spring irrigation can be used to kill the source of the pests, or trichlorfon can be sprayed during an outbreak for control.
The above is an introduction to the cultivation techniques for Digupi. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.