There are several growth and development stages of Astragalus membranaceus.

When it comes to astragalus, I think we are all very familiar with it. It is a relatively common and commonly used traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine has a culture and history of thousands of years in our country, so the role of traditional Chinese medicine has always been recognized by people in our country.

There are several growth and development stages of Astragalus membranaceus.

Astragalus membranaceus needs at least more than 2 years from seed sowing to new seed maturity and goes through five stages of growth and development, namely, seedling growth stage, wilting and overwintering stage, returning to green stage, pregnant bud flowering stage and fruiting maturity stage.

1. Seedling growth period. It is called the seedling growth period from the unearthed cotyledons of Astragalus membranaceus to the formation of flower buds. When the astragalus seedlings were unearthed, before the emergence of 5 leaflets, the root system was not fully developed, the absorptive capacity was poor, and the people were shallow, and they were most afraid of drought, high temperature, strong light and hot wind. When Astragalus membranaceus seedlings appeared 5 leaflets, the underground absorption roots increased significantly, the water and nutrient supply capacity of the roots was stronger, the leaf area expanded, the photosynthesis increased, and the seedling growth rate was accelerated. Usually, Astragalus membranaceus can not blossom and bear fruit in the sowing year, which is the seedling growth period.

2. Withered overwintering period. The overwintering period when the aboveground parts wither until the plants turn green in the second year is called wilting. Generally, in late September, the leaves begin to turn yellow, the shoots wither and the overwintering buds form, which requires 180~190d0.

3. Rejuvenation period. Refers to the period when the terminal buds of overwintering astragalus germinate and grow on the soil surface. When the local temperature reaches 5 ℃ ~ 10 ℃ in spring, Astragalus membranaceus begins to turn green, first grows tufted terminal buds, and then differentiates stems, branches and leaves to form new plants. In the early stage of turning green, the growth rate is generally slow, which is mainly affected by soil temperature and water.

4. The flowering stage of pregnant buds. Refers to the period from the formation of flower buds in leaf axils to before the emergence of fruits, plants growing for more than 2 years generally appear flower buds in June, gradually expand, pedicels draw flowers, flower buds gradually form, flower buds open at the beginning of July, and the flowering period is 20-25 days.

5. The mature stage of results. Refers to the period from pollination to fruit ripening after flowering of Astragalus membranaceus. Usually from mid-August to mid-September. If high temperature and drought are encountered in this period, the stage will be advanced, the seed coat will be impermeable, the hard seed rate will increase, and the seed cortex will decrease.

Field Management of Radix Astragali

When Astragalus membranaceus is 6-8 cm high, the seedlings should be uncrowded. After the seedlings are fixed, they should be watered and fertilized, 10-15 kg per mu of urea should be used, and attention should be paid to weeding in the seedling stage, excessive humidity in the rainy season, and drainage.

1, seedling replenishment: when the seedling height is 5-7 cm, carry out the first inter-seedling, after passing 2-3 times, leave a strong seedling every 8-10 cm. If the seedlings are missing, the seedlings should be replanted with soil, and the seedlings can also be replanted with buds.

2. Topdressing: in the first and second year of growth, combined with weeding and topdressing fertilizer once a year, 1000 kg of mature human and animal dung water or 7-8 kg of three-element compound fertilizer (15% of N, P, K) were applied per mu. 2000 kg of barnyard manure plus 10 kg of three-element compound fertilizer (15% of N, P, K) and 150kg of cake fertilizer were applied per mu after winter withering in the first year.

3. Topping: in order to control plant height growth and reduce nutrient consumption, topping before the end of July can increase yield.

4. Intermediate ploughing and weeding: Astragalus seedlings grow slowly, and weeding is easy to cause grass famine if not paying attention to weeding. Therefore, when the seedling height is about 5 cm, intertillage weeding should be carried out in time, the second time at the seedling height of 8-9 cm, the third time after the seedling is fixed, the weeding should be carried out once in May, June and September, respectively.

Control of Diseases and insect pests of Radix Astragali

1. Powdery mildew: powdery mildew is the prevalent period from July to August, which harms leaves and pods. There are white velvet mildew spots on both sides of damaged leaves and pods, and many small black spots appear in the later stage, resulting in a serious reduction in yield. It can be sprayed 2-3 times with 1500-fold solution of 25% strychnine or 1-1-12 Bordeaux solution at the initial stage of the disease, and the effect is better.

2. Aphids: they often occur from July to August, causing damage to tender shoots, especially in years of high temperature and drought. 40% dimethoate 1000-1500 times or 50% aphid spray 2000-3000 times can be used to control.

3. Pod borer: the adults lay eggs on the tender pods or flower bags of Astragalus membranaceus. After hatching, the larvae eat into the pods and bite the seeds. The mature larvae drill out of the pods and form cocoons in the soil to survive the winter. During the flowering period, they are sprayed with dichlorvos or dichlorvos every 7 days for 3-4 times until the seeds are ripe.

4. Astragalus purple feather disease: Astragalus purple feather disease is commonly known as "red root disease". After the disease, the root becomes reddish brown, first from the fibrous root, then gradually spreads to the main root, the root rots from the cortex to the interior, and finally the whole root rots. In addition to the removal of disease and debris, crop rotation and rainy season drainage, 70% dimethazone 1.5-2.0 kg per mu can be used for soil disinfection or root irrigation with carbendazim, caramel, bacilli and so on.

Land selection and deep ploughing of Astragalus membranaceus

Astragalus membranaceus is a deep-rooted plant, the planting land should choose deep soil layer, loose, fertile soil, good drainage, high dry, sunny neutral or slightly acidic sandy soil, flat land, hills, slopes can be planted. Astragalus membranaceus should not be planted because of high groundwater level, high soil moisture, cohesive soil, low-lying clay or barren sand-gravel soil. After selecting the plot, we should deeply plough and improve the soil. when the autumn crops are harvested, plough the soil more than 30 centimeters to break the bottom of the plough; remove weeds, gravel and residues in the field before ploughing.

According to the planting proof of Runkang traditional Chinese Medicine Research Institute Base in Heze City, Shandong Province for many years, deep ploughing can thicken the living soil layer, mature the soil, enhance the ability of soil water storage and moisture conservation, improve soil ventilation, promote the activity of microorganisms, and accelerate the decomposition of organic nutrients. Improving soil fertility is conducive to root growth, reducing the formation of lateral roots and the formation of "chicken claw astragalus", which is an effective measure to obtain high quality and high yield of Radix Astragali.

The cultivation of traditional Chinese medicine is quite common in our country. Many years ago, many people made a living by planting traditional Chinese medicine, mastering the growth habits of some traditional Chinese medicine and some basic planting techniques, which are very helpful to the cultivation of traditional Chinese medicine.