How to grow water banxia (Pinellia pedatisecta)? Detailed explanation of cultivation techniques and management key points

Water banxia, also known as jiye banxia (Pinellia pedatisecta), uses its tubers as medicine and has the effects of detoxifying, reducing swelling and stopping bleeding. According to pharmacological tests, its efficacy is the same as that of banxia (Pinellia ternata), but its toxicity is even lower than that of banxia. It is mainly produced in Guangxi, especially most abundant in Pingnan and Guiping. For planting, deep and fertile sandy loam soil is best.

Cultivation methods

1. Land selection and land preparation.

Choose water-retentive paddy fields with sufficient sunlight, fertile soil and convenient drainage and irrigation for planting. The land preparation method for paddy fields is the same as that for rice seedling fields. Dryland cultivation uses raised-bed planting. Whether planted in paddy fields or dryland, fully decomposed organic fertilizer must be applied in sufficient quantity, such as human excrement and urine, barnyard manure, green manure and bran fertilizer, etc.

2. Propagation method -- propagate by tubers

(1) Raising seedlings

At harvest in the previous year, select tubers 2-3 fen in size and free of pests and diseases as seed tubers. After the selected seed tubers have slightly dried on the surface, place them in a dry, ventilated place or store them mixed with moist fine sand. Sow in March-April of the following year. Prepare the seedling nursery land the same as the main field. Evenly sow the seed tubers on a leveled seedbed, pour decomposed dilute human and livestock excrement and urine as seed fertilizer, and finally cover with soil about half a cun. When the daily average temperature is above 20°C, seedlings emerge one after another in 7-12 days. The seed dosage per mu is 1000-1100 jin. Management during the seedling period: after sowing, keep the bed surface moist and not cracking, which is preferable. After the seedlings form 2 true leaves, keep the water depth on the bed surface at 2-3 fen. After that, apply decomposed human excrement and urine every 10 days to promote seedling growth.

(2) Field planting. After more than one month of seedling raising, transplant when the seedlings are 4-5 cun high. When lifting seedlings, use a shovel to cut horizontally 5-6 fen below the bed surface, then take out each plant one by one, or use a bamboo strip to dig up each plant, remove excess soil, and be careful not to let the tubers of the seedlings fall off, so as not to affect survival. The planting spacing is 2×2 cun or 2×3 cun. The depth at which the seedlings enter the soil and are watered should be consistent with that during growth in the seedling field. Too deep makes it difficult to turn green, and too shallow makes them easy to float in the paddy field.

3. Field management

1. Drainage, irrigation and weeding: at planting, the field water depth is 2-3 fen. After about one week, once roots are established, irrigate to a water depth of one cun, and weed in time.

2. Topdressing: within 15-2 months after planting, fertilize continuously 2-3 times, mainly with nitrogen fertilizers such as human excrement and urine, to promote seedling growth. After July, mainly apply decomposed compost, phosphate fertilizer, etc. as topdressing.

4. Pest and disease control

The main pest is armyworm, which damages leaves. It can be controlled by manual capture or with trichlorfon.

5. Harvesting and processing. Around the Beginning of Winter of the same year, harvest when most leaves have withered and yellowed. Harvesting method: drain the field water, wait until the field soil dries until it turns white, then loosen the soil and sift it or pick out the tubers. Alternatively, before harvest, irrigate to soak the field, and use a rake to loosen the soil back and forth so that the tubers float on the water surface and can be scooped out. The harvested fresh banxia can be peeled with a peeling machine; or placed in limewater and soaked for a day and night; or soaked in clean water for about 15 days, then stirred back and forth in a water pool with a wooden stick so that they rub against each other to remove the peel. After peeling, air-dry the moisture, fumigate with sulfur for one day, then sun-dry or oven-dry.