Cultivation Techniques and Pest and Disease Control Methods for Leafy Goji (Vegetable Goji)

When people think of goji, they picture the bright red goji berries, and few know there is also a leafy goji whose tender leaves can be eaten.

Leafy goji is a deciduous shrub in the Solanaceae family, with a plant height of 1 m. The branches are slender, long, curved or drooping; young branches are angular, gray on the outside, hairless, usually with short thorns borne in the leaf axils. Leaves are alternate or clustered on short shoots, with leaf blades ovate, ovate-rhombic or ovate-lanceolate, and entire. Flowers are usually 1-4 clustered in the leaf axils; the calyx is bell-shaped; the corolla is funnel-shaped, pale purple, with ciliate margins, and deeply 5-cleft. The berry is ovate or oblong, red, with numerous seeds that are flat-kidney-shaped and yellow; the flowering period is June-September, and the fruiting period is August-November.

Leafy goji is highly adaptable and can tolerate cold and drought, but it fears waterlogging. For artificial cultivation, deep, fertile, well-drained sandy loam and neutral or slightly alkaline soil are best. In cultivation, attention should be paid to:

1. Site Selection and Land Preparation

Choose sandy loam close to a water source, with light loam as second best. A salt content below 0.2% is preferable. In autumn, plow deeply 20-30 cm, apply 2000-2500 kg of barnyard manure per 667 sq m; if fertilizer is abundant, 4000-5000 kg may be applied. Spread it evenly, plow it into the soil, and water with winter irrigation. Before sowing the following spring, shallow plow and harrow finely to make beds 1 m wide and of unlimited length, level the bed surface, and wait for planting.

2. Sowing Period and Sowing Methods

Leafy goji can be sown in spring, summer, and autumn. In northern regions, spring sowing is generally used, sowing in late March. Before sowing, soak the seeds in 40°C warm water for a day and a night, which can promote uniform emergence. When sowing, open shallow furrows for drilling, with a furrow depth of 3-5 cm and a furrow spacing of 30 cm. Mix the seeds with sand evenly, scatter them into the furrows, cover with 2-3 cm of soil, press lightly, and then water. The sowing rate is 0.5-0.7 kg per 667 sq m. In dry weather, the bed surface can be covered with rice straw, wheat straw, rapeseed straw, etc., and the mulch removed after emergence. Pay attention to weeding, loosening the soil, and controlling insects.

3. Planting of Cuttings or Tillering Shoots

After the spring thaw, make the plowed land with sufficient basal fertilizer into high ridges 30 cm wide and 20 cm high, with a ridge spacing of 20 cm, and plant the cuttings or tillering shoots at a plant spacing of 10-15 cm. After planting, water in the furrows between the ridges, preferably soaking the high ridges thoroughly. Pay attention to intertillage and loosening the soil to promote rooting.

4. Field Management

After sowing or planting leafy goji, attention should be paid to intertillage and weeding. After the cuttings or tillering shoots have rooted, apply fertilizer 1-2 times per month and water appropriately to keep the soil moist. At 50-60 d after sowing, when the seedlings are about 50 cm tall, they can be harvested. Harvesting begins successively from May. When harvesting, cut off the tender shoots, leaving 2-3 young branches to allow continued growth and development. The tender shoots can be packaged and sold on the market.

5. Pest and Disease Control

1. Leafy goji gall mite. It mainly damages leafy goji leaves, tender shoots, and flower buds. The damaged leaves are densely covered with small yellow nearly round raised blister-like spots; in severe cases, they form pale purple or black diseased galls, severely hindering plant growth and causing declines in fruit yield and quality.

Control methods: (1) Spray pesticide before adult mites overwinter and when adult mites emerging from galls appear in large numbers after overwintering to reduce the density of the harmful mites. Agents such as 50% fenpyroximate suspension concentrate at 600 times dilution, 50% sulfur suspension concentrate at 300 times dilution, or 1.8% abamectin at 3000-4000 times dilution may be selected. (2) Grasp the local period when adult mites emerging from galls are exposed or when adult mites emerging from dormancy are active, and spray 0.5 degree Baume lime sulfur mixture, 4% amitraz emulsifiable concentrate at 2000 times dilution, or 50% sulfur suspension concentrate at 300 times dilution 2-3 times.

2. Leafy goji leaf beetle. It mainly damages the tender leaves and tender shoots of leafy goji. Adults and larvae feed on the leaves, causing irregular notches and holes; in severe cases, they eat all the leaves and excrete droppings on the branches, seriously affecting the product quality of leafy goji.

Control methods: (1) In spring, when overwintering larvae and adults resume activity, combine field management with irrigation and loosening the soil to destroy their overwintering environment and eliminate the overwintering population. (2) In mid-April, when overwintering adults begin activity, use 50% phoxim emulsifiable concentrate at 4000 mL per hectare plus an appropriate amount of water, mix it into the soil, scatter it into the field, and then carry out intertillage. (3) During the damage period of seedlings and adults, spray 90% trichlorfon crystal at 1000 times dilution, 20% fenvalerate at 3000 times dilution, or 20% fenpropathrin at 3000 times dilution, etc., for a total of 3-5 sprays depending on pest conditions, with an interval of about 10 d.

3. Leafy goji aphid. Adult aphids or nymphs mostly gather on tender leaves and tender buds to pierce and suck sap, causing the tender shoots to become brown and withered. When the infestation is severe, the leaves are covered with oily secretions, called "honeydew," which affects photosynthesis, causes early leaf fall, and weakens tree vigor.

Control methods: (1) Branches pruned in autumn and winter should be gathered and burned to eliminate overwintering eggs; during the growing season, promptly prune and remove excessive vegetative branches to eliminate aphids clustered on young tender parts and reduce field pest density. (2) Spray pesticide promptly at the early stage of damage; 20% fenpropathrin at 2000 times dilution, 50% mieyajing at 3000 times dilution, or 10% imidacloprid wettable powder at 1500 times dilution may be selected.

6. Harvesting

When the main stem of leafy goji is 20 cm tall, the tender tips can be harvested for consumption; after the tender tips are harvested. In warm seasons, harvest once every 15-20 d; in cool seasons, harvest once every 30-40 days.

Related information link: Nutritional and Medicinal Value of Leafy Goji

The tender leaves of leafy goji can be picked throughout the entire growing season, and their flavor is fresh, tender, and delicious. Every 100 g of leafy goji tender shoots contains 0.6 g of fat, 5.6 g of carbohydrates, 2 g of crude fiber, and also contains vitamin B, vitamin C, carotene, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and other substances.

Leafy goji has the effects of nourishing the liver and tonifying the kidneys, can enhance human immunity, and prevent and fight cancer. It has relatively good therapeutic effects on myopia, wind-heat common cold, night blindness, hypertension, diabetes, anemia, and so on.

There are many ways to prepare leafy goji. It can be blanched in boiling water and served cold with shredded tripe, tofu skin, and the like; it can be stir-fried with shredded bamboo shoots, eggs, pork tenderloin, pork kidney, pork heart, and the like; it can be cooked into congee with mung beans, chrysanthemum, pork liver, minced pork, and the like; and it can be stewed into soup with white fungus, Polygonum multiflorum, ginseng, deer antler slices, pork heart, duck kidney, Angelica sinensis, pigeon eggs, Astragalus membranaceus, squab, red dates, and the like, and is rich in nutrients.

Note: It is not suitable for people with exogenous excess heat or spleen deficiency with loose stools.

Folk proven recipes:

1. For diabetes: 100 g leafy goji, 250 g rabbit meat, simmer over low heat until cooked, drink the soup and eat the food.

2. For cirrhosis: 100 g leafy goji, 500 g glutinous rice, 50 g ham, braise as rice and eat.