How to Grow Sophora tonkinensis? A Detailed Explanation of Planting Methods and Technical Key Points
Sophora tonkinensis is a plant in the genus Sophora of the Fabaceae family, also known as Guangdòugēn, and it is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. The main medicinal part is its dried root and rhizome, which have the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and relieving pain, and are often used to treat sore throat, hepatitis, tumors, and other diseases. At present, it is mainly distributed in Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, and other places in China, and has broad prospects for cultivation. Today we will mainly learn about the cultivation techniques of Sophora tonkinensis. Let's read the content introduced in this article together below.
1. Site Selection and Land Preparation
Sophora tonkinensis has characteristics such as preferring shade, preferring moisture, not being cold-tolerant, and fearing waterlogging. In addition, since Sophora tonkinensis is mainly used medicinally for its roots, the soil layer of the planting site should preferably be deep and the soil texture should be loose. For example, sandy loam, red soil, and yellow soil are all acceptable. Another thing to note is that it is not suitable for growing in acidic soil or alkaline soil; neutral soil is best. Deeply plow the land, break the soil clods into fine pieces, appropriately improve the soil permeability, and apply sufficient base fertilizer. The base fertilizer can be barnyard manure, farmyard manure, and so on, then make beds that are 1 m wide and 20 cm high.
2. Cultivation Techniques
Sophora tonkinensis is generally grown by seed propagation. The sowing time is usually in spring, but seed collection is best carried out around October each year. When sowing, we mainly use two methods, namely direct sowing and seedling transplanting. For direct sowing, we generally use the method of hole sowing, so that the planting density can be reasonably ensured. The sowing density is generally maintained at 40 cm between rows and 35 cm between plants. For seedling transplanting, the seeds can be evenly scattered directly on the seedbed for raising seedlings, and after the seedlings emerge, they are planted according to a reasonable density.
3. Field Management
After sowing Sophora tonkinensis, seedlings can emerge in about half a month. After the seedlings emerge, it is necessary to observe the seedling emergence situation, replant missing seedlings in a timely manner, and ensure a full stand of seedlings in the field. In the early stage of growth, Sophora tonkinensis grows very slowly, so weeds are likely to grow in the field. In order to prevent nutrients from being absorbed by weeds, intertillage and weeding are needed. When weeding, shallow hoeing should be carried out to avoid damaging the roots of Sophora tonkinensis. Also, the field soil should be kept moist, and watering should be done appropriately, which is beneficial to the thickening of the roots. At the same time, waterlogging in the field should be avoided, and drainage should be carried out during periods of heavy rain. Also, the amount of watering should not be too large. Finally, topdressing management should be done well to promote plant growth. Because Sophora tonkinensis has strong nitrogen fixation, its demand for nitrogen fertilizer is not large, but appropriate topdressing with nitrogen fertilizer is still needed. Next, foliar fertilization should be carried out reasonably, mainly with compound fertilizer, phosphate fertilizer, and micro-fertilizers. Finally, appropriately spraying foliar fertilizer and growth hormones is beneficial to the growth of Sophora tonkinensis.
4. Disease and Pest Control
The most common diseases of Sophora tonkinensis are root rot and southern blight, both of which are fungal diseases and generally occur in hot and humid seasons. Root rot is generally controlled with chlorothalonil, while southern blight is controlled with carbendazim. Finally, there is also the threat of pests, such as stem borers, pod borers, red spiders, scale insects, and so on, all of which can be controlled with corresponding insecticides.
The above is an introduction to the cultivation techniques of Sophora tonkinensis. I wonder, after reading the above, how confident are you about growing Sophora tonkinensis? Can you achieve high yield and high quality? Looking forward to your good news.