What are the effects and benefits of intercropping Corydalis yanhusuo with garlic

Garlic is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Liliaceae family, and is a familiar vegetable and medicinal material. Garlic contains volatile oils with a pungent taste and odor that have a strong antibacterial effect against many plant pathogenic fungi and bacteria. The pesticide "antibacterial agent 402", modeled on the synthesis of allicin, primarily has a protective effect on plants, and also has a certain therapeutic effect and systemic activity. It strongly inhibits spore germination and mycelial growth of many plant pathogens, and can effectively control downy mildew, as well as black spot, anthracnose, damping-off, red rot, Fusarium wilt, Verticillium wilt, bacterial leaf blight, leaf spot and many other diseases, giving it a very broad antibacterial spectrum. Among garlic varieties, purple-skinned garlic has stronger antibacterial power than white-skinned garlic.

In the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region, the sowing time of garlic is basically the same as or slightly earlier than that of Corydalis yanhusuo. By mid-April the garlic plants are already relatively tall, and the shaded leaf area is also fairly large. This is exactly the time when Corydalis yanhusuo most needs shade during suddenly arriving sunny and hot weather above 20 degrees Celsius. The tall garlic plants can effectively block part of the scorching sunlight, reducing the degree to which Corydalis yanhusuo leaves are scorched, thereby delaying the withering period of the seedlings, extending the time for effective nutrient accumulation and tuber expansion in Corydalis yanhusuo tubers, and achieving the goal of a high yield.

Because garlic is easy to cultivate and manage, and its growth cycle largely coincides with that of Corydalis yanhusuo, it can significantly reduce disease losses and increase the yield per plant of Corydalis yanhusuo; at the same time, garlic is also an indispensable agricultural product for the vast number of urban and rural residents, with relatively high economic value (including green garlic, garlic scapes and garlic bulbs). Therefore, intercropping Corydalis yanhusuo with garlic is both an economical and scientific approach. As for whether other winter vegetables can be intercropped or relay-cropped with Corydalis yanhusuo, this must be analyzed according to specific circumstances. For example, intercropping cruciferous plants such as radish and bok choy with Corydalis yanhusuo has both advantages and disadvantages. On the favorable side, after Corydalis yanhusuo is sown in November it does not emerge until February of the following year, so during this time intercropping radish, bok choy and other cruciferous plants can effectively use the space for photosynthesis. However, there are also relatively many unfavorable aspects for the growth of Corydalis yanhusuo: first, these crops are relatively tolerant of fertilizer and consume a lot of soil nutrients, competing with Corydalis yanhusuo for fertilizer; second, their leaf area is large and their shading is heavy, easily blocking light, which makes Corydalis yanhusuo grow thin and weak; more importantly, the cruciferous family is also a host of Corydalis yanhusuo sclerotinia disease, and intercropping them with each other may lead to severe disease. Therefore, it is not suitable for intercropping.