What are the excellent varieties of honeysuckle? This article introduces them in detail
Currently, Pingyi County has 21 varieties of honeysuckle, planted throughout the county. Due to the long history of cultivation and long-term propagation by cuttings and sexual reproduction, many varieties or strains have naturally formed, with the good and the poor mixed together and difficult to distinguish. The currently common varieties include the Mao Hua (hairy flower) series: Da Mao Hua, Xiao Mao Hua; the Ji Zhua (chicken claw) series: Da Ji Zhua Hua, Xiao Ji Zhua Hua, Shan Yin Hua, Xian Hua Zi, Zi Jing Zi, Da Ma Ye, Xiao Ma Ye, E Ling Tong, Hong Hua Zi, Ye Li Cang, Ye Li Qi, etc. In recent years, the center has, through multiple rounds of purification and rejuvenation and seed verification of the Mao Hua series and Ji Zhua Hua series, bred excellent varieties and named them "Menghua No. 1 and No. 2". Their main advantages are: 1. Many branches when seedlings 2. Where there are branches, there are flowers 3. Fewer seedlings needed for planting 4. Fast development of branches and leaves 5. Large flower buds, high yield 6. 1-2 years earlier entry into the high-yield period. The excellent varieties are mainly developed as economic forests, and the mixed varieties are mainly developed as ecological forests.
Characteristics:
Well-developed root system and wide adaptability. At temperatures below 3°C, honeysuckle shows quite weak activity, and its growth is in an extremely slow state; above 5°C it begins to sprout and produce new branches; above 16°C new shoots grow rapidly and begin to form flower buds; at around 20°C the flower buds grow and develop well.
It grows vigorously and has a very wide adaptability. Whether in mountainous areas, plains, clay loam, sandy soil, slightly acidic or alkaline soil, it can grow. Its production conditions in Pingyi: mostly gravelly sandy soil, under conditions of a pH value of 5.8-8.5, organic matter content of 0.5-0.6%, and hydrolyzable nitrogen of 30~40 ppm, it can also flourish with both branches and leaves.
Vigorous growth and strong stress resistance. As long as honeysuckle does not suffer from insect pests, its branches and leaves are all luxuriant. This is of course related to fertilizer and water management, but the most important thing is that it has extraordinary stress resistance. It is both drought-resistant and waterlogging-resistant, cold-resistant, and barren-resistant. Some grow on mountain tops, some grow by ditch edges; as long as they are sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, their branches and leaves do not wither even in deep winter. Buds that sprout in late autumn can resist cold and survive the winter, and continue to grow the following year. In soil with an organic matter content below 0.4, it can still form buds. There is a local farming proverb that says: "Waterlogging kills crops, drought kills grass, freezing damages pomegranates, sunburn damages melons, but none of this will affect honeysuckle." This very vividly illustrates the tenacious vitality of honeysuckle.
In addition, it also has strong disease resistance. According to our investigation and understanding, up to now, apart from mild infection by honeysuckle brown spot disease, southern blight, and powdery mildew, no other serious diseases have been found harming honeysuckle. It is precisely because of these physiological and biochemical characteristics that it shows its unique vitality and is widely distributed throughout the motherland. In recent years, through the center's development and planting, it has been proven to grow well in Yunnan, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Shanxi, Hubei, Hunan, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi, Jilin, Shenyang and other provinces.