Detailed Explanation of the Planting Methods and Technical Points for Orychophragmus violaceus
Orychophragmus violaceus (scientific name: Orychophragmus violaceus (L.) O. E. Schulz) is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant of the genus Orychophragmus in the Brassicaceae family, reaching up to 50 cm in height, hairless; the stem is erect, the basal leaves and lower stem leaves are pinnatisect with a large terminal lobe, the terminal lobe is nearly round or shortly ovate, the lateral lobes are ovate or triangular-ovate, the petioles are sparsely covered with fine soft hairs; the flowers are purple, light red, or fading to white, the calyx is tubular, purple, the petals are broadly obovate with densely fine veined markings, the siliques are linear, the seeds are ovate to oblong, black-brown, flowering in April-May, fruiting in May-June.
Propagation Methods
The propagation method uses seed propagation, which can be done by direct sowing or by raising seedlings and transplanting. For direct sowing in mid-to-late October, open furrows 2-36 cm deep at a row spacing of 20-30 cm and sow in drills. Before sowing, the seeds can be soaked for 2-3 hours, left to dry for a while, then mixed with fine sand and evenly scattered into the furrows at 0.5-0.8 kg per mu, then covered with fine soil and compacted, taking care to keep the soil moist and prevent surface soil crusting and drought from affecting seed germination.
For seedling raising and transplanting, in mid-to-late February choose a warm, sunny place to make a seedbed, apply sufficient base fertilizer, plow deeply and harrow finely, and make a seedbed 1-1.2 m wide. Before sowing, irrigate enough bottom water; when the water has seeped down and the seedbed soil is moist, evenly scatter the seeds on the bed surface and cover with screened soil 1-2 cm thick, then cover with wheat straw or plastic film. After the seedlings emerge completely, ventilate appropriately; when the seedlings are 3-4 cm tall, gradually remove the covering so the seedlings receive direct light; when the seedlings are 8-10 cm tall, choose a cloudy day or before rain to transplant, with a row spacing of 20-30 cm and a plant spacing of 10-15 cm, and immediately water with rooting water after planting.
Field management, thinning and reseeding: directly sown seedlings can be thinned when the seedlings are 8-10 cm tall, with a plant spacing of 10-15 cm. For transplanted seedlings, check the survival of the transplanted seedlings 1 week after transplanting; if there are missing plants, replant them promptly.
Weeding and loosening the soil: after thinning and the survival of transplanted seedlings, carry out one intertillage and weeding to loosen the surface soil, keep the lower soil moist, and promote deep rooting of the seedlings. When the leaves grow to more than 5 cm, the outer leaves of the rosette can be picked for sale on the market.
Fertilization: after picking the outer leaves, promptly apply additional human and livestock manure water or quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer to promote seedling growth; afterward, depending on conditions, apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer once more as appropriate to increase flowering and fruiting.
Symptom description: Orychophragmus violaceus has few pests and diseases, with occasional damage from aphids, red spiders, and rust disease. Rust disease mostly occurs during dry weather; its symptoms begin on the lower leaves of the plant, with raised yellowish-brown small spots appearing on the back of the leaves, later rupturing and releasing yellowish-brown powder, while yellow-green spots appear on the corresponding parts of the front of the leaves; when the damage is severe, the leaves wither, yellow, and curl.
Control methods: first, plant at a reasonable density; second, strengthen fertilizer and water management at ordinary times to enhance the plant's disease resistance and reduce the incidence rate; third, spray Bordeaux mixture at 1:1:100 in the early stage of disease occurrence for control. Aphids suck the sap of tender stems and leaves, causing leaves and flower buds to curl, slow growth, and a sharp drop in yield, with severe pest damage from April to June. The control method is to spray 40% dimethoate emulsion at 1500-2000 times dilution during the period of pest occurrence. To control red spiders, acaricides can be used.