Key Points of Angelica sinensis Cultivation Techniques and Management Methods

[Aliases]Qingu, Yungui, Xidanggui, Mindanggui, etc.

[Family and Genus]Belongs to the genus Angelica in the family Apiaceae.

[Growth Habits]It prefers cool and humid climates and grows well in high mountains at an altitude of 1500-3000 m under natural conditions with relatively high air humidity. The best soil is slightly acidic to neutral sandy loam or humus loam with deep soil layers, loose and fertile texture, and good drainage. Continuous cropping is avoided.

[Morphology]Perennial herb. Plant height 50-100 cm. The main root is thick, fleshy, aromatic, roughly cylindrical, with a yellow or earth-yellow epidermis and a powdery-white fractured surface with chrysanthemum-like patterns. The stem is erect, slightly purple. The leaves are alternate, with the base expanded into a sheath-like structure clasping the stem, purple-brown in color. The basal leaves and lower stem leaves are 2-3 times odd-pinnately compound, with toothed incisions or coarse serrations along the margins. The compound umbel is terminal, with each small umbel bearing 12-36 small white flowers; the schizocarp is flat, with winged ribs, oblong-elliptical, yellow when mature. The flowering period is 6-7 months, and the fruiting period is 8-9 months.

[Propagation]Seed propagation is used. Seedlings are raised and then transplanted.

1. Seedling raising: Choose a wind-sheltered, shaded hillside or wasteland for the seedling bed. Turn the soil in late May, use the ash of burned weeds and shrubs as base fertilizer, dig it into the soil, then rake it level and make raised beds 1.2 m wide. Sow from early to late June. Before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water at 30°C for 24 hours, take them out and dry them in the sun, then broadcast them, cover the seeds firmly, and then cover with weeds. The sowing rate is 4-5 kg per mu. Seedlings emerge in about half a month after sowing; at this time, loosen the covering grass to prevent damaging the seedlings when removing the grass. Remove the covering grass in early August. Weed whenever weeds appear, keep the field free of weeds, and thin the seedlings while weeding, removing the weak and keeping the strong, with a plant spacing of about 1 cm being suitable.

2. Digging seedlings and storage: In early October, dig up the young seedlings with their roots, tie them into small bundles. For heap storage, choose a cool room without a fire, and in the room pile one layer of seedlings and one layer of yellow soil. For outdoor pit storage, choose a cool, dry place, dig a pit 1 m deep and 1 m wide, with the length depending on the number of seedlings, pile one layer of seedlings and one layer of yellow soil, and cover the top of the pit with about 30 cm of soil, mounded above the ground.

3. Transplanting: For the cultivation site, choose fallow land or second-year wasteland with deep soil layers, cut away weeds and shrubs, deep-plow 25 cm, apply 3000 kg of farmyard manure per mu, dig it into the soil, break it up fine and level it, and make raised beds 1.2 m wide. Transplant in April, take out the stratified seedlings, and plant them at a row spacing of 33 cm × 23 cm, with holes 20 cm deep, in a triangular arrangement, planting 2-3 seedlings per hole, then fill with soil and press firmly.

[Field Management]For transplanted seedlings, loosen the soil and weed 3-4 times in 1 year, the first time when the seedlings are 3-5 cm tall. After intertillage and weeding, apply topdressing. For the first application, apply 1500-2500 kg of dilute human and livestock manure water per mu; for the second and third applications, apply 2500-3000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure, compost, and wood ash per mu. Promptly pull out bolting seedlings. Water during drought, but stop watering in the later period to avoid causing root rot.

[Pest and Disease Control]The main disease is root rot. In affected plants, the root tips and young roots become water-soaked, then turn yellow and fall off, and the main root rots and turns rust-yellow. In the early stage of the disease, dig out the diseased plants, disinfect the diseased holes with lime, or drench the diseased area with a 500-fold solution of 50% carbendazim. The main pest is the yellow swallowtail butterfly, which eats the leaves into notches or leaves only the petioles. Spray with an 800-fold solution of 90% trichlorfon, once a week, for 2-3 consecutive times.

It can be divided into two methods: seedling raising and transplanting, and direct seeding.

[Harvesting and Processing]

1. Harvesting

Angelica sinensis grown by seedling raising and transplanting is best dug when the plants wither in late October locally, while that grown by autumn direct seeding is best dug when the plants wither in the second year. The digging time should not be too early or too late. If too early, the root flesh does not accumulate enough nutrients, the roots are not plump, the yield is low, and the quality is poor. If too late, because the temperature drops and the soil freezes, the roots are easily broken when digging. About half a month before digging, cut off the aboveground leaves and expose them to sunlight to speed up root maturation. When digging, carefully lift the whole root and shake off the soil.

2. Processing Methods

For the dug-out Angelica sinensis roots, remove diseased roots, peel off the remaining petioles, and place them in a ventilated room or under the eaves to dry in the shade. After the roots become soft, tie them into small bundles according to specifications and grade for processing. The method is: choose a dry, ventilated room or a specially built smoking shed, set up wooden racks 130-170 cm high inside, lay bamboo curtains on top, place the Angelica sinensis on them, laying 3 layers flat and then 1 layer upright on top, with a thickness of 30-50 cm; they can also be tied into small bundles and put into rectangular bamboo baskets, then place the bamboo baskets neatly on the wooden racks to facilitate turning on the rack and handling below. Use wet branches or wet grass as fuel, sprinkle them with water to moisten, light a fire to produce smoke and smoke the Angelica sinensis to color the roots; open flame is avoided. After about several days, when the root surface turns golden yellow or brown, switch to coal fire or firewood for drying. The indoor temperature is controlled above 35°C and below 70°C. After 8-20 days, when the total dryness reaches 70%-80%, the fire can be stopped and the roots left to dry on their own. Angelica sinensis processing should not be shade-dried; shade-dried Angelica sinensis is light and puffy in texture, with greenish skin and flesh. It also should not be sun-dried, baked in earthen pits, or roasted over fire; otherwise, it easily becomes dry and hard, the skin color turns red, it loses its oily luster, and the quality is reduced.

Angelica sinensis generally yields 300 kg of dried goods per 667 sq m, with a high yield of up to 400 kg.

[Yield and Quality]

1. Yield: generally about 300 kg of dried product per mu, and up to 400 kg at high yield.

2. Quality: the best is that with a thick and strong main root, oily luster, yellow-brown outer skin, yellow-white fractured surface, and strong aroma.