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Key Technical Points for Sexual Propagation of Gastrodia elata

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Gastrodia elata, also known as red arrow, immortal's foot, and huilongzi, is an orchid family plant. Both the roots and rhizomes of Gastrodia elata can be used medicinally, and it is a scarce and valuable Chinese medicinal herb. The propagation methods of Gastrodia elata are divided into asexual propagation and sexual propagation; propagation by seed is sexual propagation, which not only solves the problem of a shortage of seed tubers, but also avoids variety degeneration caused by long-term asexual propagation. The key techniques for sexual propagation of Gastrodia elata are recommended below for reference. 1. Site selection. The site for cultivating seeds should be chosen in a place that is convenient to manage, sheltered from wind, and where the soil does not accumulate water. The cultivation pit should be shallow and rectangular,

Gastrodia elata, also known as red arrow, immortal's foot, and huilongzi, is an orchid family plant. Both the roots and rhizomes of Gastrodia elata can be used medicinally, and it is a scarce and valuable Chinese medicinal herb. The propagation methods of Gastrodia elata are divided into asexual propagation and sexual propagation; propagation by seed is sexual propagation, which not only solves the problem of a shortage of seed tubers, but also avoids variety degeneration caused by long-term asexual propagation. The key techniques for sexual propagation of Gastrodia elata are recommended below for reference.

1. Site selection. The site for cultivating seeds should be chosen in a place that is convenient to manage, sheltered from wind, and where the soil does not accumulate water. The cultivation pit should be shallow and rectangular, laid with 1 to 2 rows of already cultured fungal material, then covered with 6 to 10 cm of humus soil. When harvesting Gastrodia elata, select arrow tubers that are well developed, undamaged, have intact bud tips, and weigh more than 100 grams as mother tubers for seed cultivation. Mother tubers should be planted as soon as they are dug and should not be stored for long. When planting, plant one mother tuber every 15 cm on both sides of the cultured fungal material, with the bud tip facing upward; after planting, cover the seed tubers with 10 cm of soil, and cover with anti-freeze straw mats or similar materials.

2. Hand pollination. Gastrodia elata flowers are bisexual. Because the stigma is located at the base of the lip, the anther cap at the tip does not fall off on its own, and the anther is block-shaped and sticky-moist, so it cannot disperse. Therefore, hand pollination is necessary to obtain more seeds. When pollinating, hold the flower stem and ovary gently with the left hand, use a small tweezers with the right hand to reach into the crooked pot-shaped opening, open the mouth wide, then clamp the anther cap and pollinia, reach into the lower part and place them steadily and accurately on the stigma. When checking the next day's pollination, flowers without an anther cap are those that have already been pollinated. During the flowering period, pollination is needed every day until pollination is finished. The best time for pollination each day is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. When pollinating, it is necessary to judge the maturity of the pollinia. The signs of maturity are: loose and swollen, slightly lifting the anther cap, with pollen faintly visible at the edge of the anther cap; pollination is most suitable at this time.

3. Gastrodia elata fruits mature successively from late June to early to mid-July. After maturity, the fruit skin gradually splits into six valves, and the seeds fall out through the gaps and scatter. Therefore, during the seed maturity period, it is necessary to check frequently to avoid seed loss. When the lower fruits first split, cut off and collect the nearby 3 to 5 fruits, and harvest in batches in this way. Put the harvested fruits into paper bags, bring them indoors and spread them out to air-dry, and record the number of fruits; when the fruit skin splits, shake out the seeds and sow them promptly; they should not be stored for long.

4. For the cultivation fungal bed of Gastrodia elata, it is appropriate to culture 20 pieces of fungal material per pit. The pit depth is 20 to 25 cm, using fixed fungal material cultivation, with a distance of 2 to 3 cm between pieces. After filling the gaps between the pieces, spread a layer of about 3 cm thick green maple and birch oak leaves on top of the material, then pour sufficient water, and then cover with grass or fallen leaves 6 to 10 cm thick.

5. When sowing, first uncover the covering on the fungal bed. Remove the fallen leaves on the sowing layer and sow the seeds evenly. After sowing, cover with sterilized leaves 3 to 4 cm, then place a layer of new material, with a spacing of 6 to 10 cm being suitable, and finally cover the fungal material with humus soil or sand 10 cm thick, while also covering with grass to retain moisture. Generally, it should not be turned, so as not to affect the growth of young tubers. After sowing, in the winter of the second year, in November, they can be harvested and transplanted; the transplanting method is the same as tuber propagation.

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