What are the control measures for flower and fruit drop in Sichuan pepper?
Sichuan pepper is a common seasoning in daily life and is widely planted in our country. It can also be used as traditional Chinese medicine, with effects such as dispelling cold, relieving pain and killing insects, and can also be processed into soap, so it has a wide range of uses. However, many growers experience flower and fruit drop during cultivation. So what causes flower and fruit drop in Sichuan pepper? How should it be controlled? Let's learn about it together.
I. Causes of flower and fruit drop
1. Insufficient nutrition
During the flowering period of Sichuan pepper, flower growth requires a large amount of nutrients. In summer, photosynthesis and open stomata release a large amount of fragrance, attracting large numbers of aphids and causing damage, which reduces leaf photosynthesis, leads to poor plant nutrition, and causes severe flower and fruit drop. After fruit set, fruit growth requires even more nutrients, and insufficient nutrient supply makes physiological flower and fruit drop severe.
2. Poor environment
Low-temperature freezing damage, long-term drought, pest and disease damage, excessively dense branch growth, insufficient light, and excessive rain can all affect the quality of pollination and fertilization, causing flower and fruit drop.
3. Pest and disease damage
Pest and disease damage is also one of the main causes of flower and fruit drop in Sichuan pepper, reducing the fruit-setting rate and causing flower and fruit drop.
II. Control methods
1. Promote flower formation
Young trees can be stimulated with chemicals to promote flower formation. Ethephon can be used to control and promote flowering in 4~5-year-old trees that have initially formed a fruiting canopy or vegetative branches. The autumn shoot sprouting rate reaches over 95%, and the flower formation rate reaches about 50% to 90%, while untreated plants can hardly form flowers.
2. Prevent drought and waterlogging
In spring and summer, temperatures are relatively high and rainfall is scarce, so watering should be done in time to avoid drought, generally once a month. After watering, it is best to cover the soil to preserve moisture. In summer, if heavy rain occurs, drainage and waterlogging prevention should be done well to avoid plant death.
3. Increase fertilizer application
During the fruit-setting period, apply fertilizer three times in a timely manner together with watering. The first is young fruit fertilizer, generally applying 0.1~0.3 kg of nitrogen fertilizer and 0.5~1.0 kg of phosphate fertilizer per plant; the second is fruit-swelling fertilizer, applied into the root soil through ring-shaped holes, generally applying 15 kg of farmyard manure, 0.1 kg of zinc fertilizer and 0.5 kg of phosphate fertilizer per plant; finally, one month before harvest, the main purpose is to restore tree vigor, so only farmyard manure is applied, generally by trenching in strips or by hole application.
4. Scientific pruning
A good tree shape can be cultivated, watering can be done reasonably, and the plant's ability to resist adverse environments can be improved. During the flowering period, attention should be paid to controlling leaf rust and more than 20 kinds of pests and diseases such as longhorn beetles, aphids, gall midges and Sichuan pepper white scale, and pesticides should be sprayed at any time for control.
The above is an introduction to control measures for flower and fruit drop in Sichuan pepper. We hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.