Where is the origin of snow lotus fruit?

Saussurea fruit is native to the central plateau of the Andes in South America from north-central Chile to Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. At present, snow lotus fruit is produced in Yunnan, Fujian, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Hunan and Hubei, as well as introduced and cultivated in New Zealand, Japan and other countries.

The cultivation techniques of Saussurea fruit are as follows:

1. Land preparation

Select neutral or slightly acidic sandy soil blocks with convenient drainage and irrigation, fertile soil, deep soil layer (more than 50 cm) and organic matter content of more than 15%. During soil preparation, fine, uniform and loose soil conditions are required to create deep and loose soil conditions to improve soil permeability, water storage, fertilizer conservation and drought resistance, which is conducive to the full growth and development of roots and root expansion. In the year before planting, turn about 30 cm deep in winter, sunburn, open deep trenches to make beds, make wide beds in plots with good drainage, and make narrow or high beds in plots with poor drainage (the beds are 35-40 cm high, 100 cm wide and 40 cm wide).

two。 Colonization

The single row planting method is adopted, the row spacing is about 140 cm, the plant spacing is about 50 cm, and the planting density is 900-950 plants / mu. When applying base fertilizer, open a ditch about 20 cm deep in the middle of the border, spread a layer of quicklime evenly in the ditch, and then concentrate on the application of base fertilizer. Base fertilizer 1 kg of commercial organic fertilizer and 0.5 kg of plant ash are used for each hole. After applying a layer of thin soil on the surface of the base fertilizer, transplant the seedlings and pour through the fixed root water.

3. Fertilizer and water management

The water demand of Saussurea involucrata fruit is less in the early stage of growth, but in the middle and later stage of growth, with the expansion of root tuber, the water demand increases sharply, so it should be irrigated in time. Fertilization is mainly based on base fertilizer and proper topdressing of potash fertilizer. In the tuber root expansion, combined with ploughing and soil cultivation, each plant is applied 50 grams of potassium sulfate, timely ploughing and weeding, and pay attention to soil ridging, do not expose the inflated roots outside the soil surface.

4. Prune and pick the heart

When the stem of Saussurea involucrata grows to 1 meter high, there will be some tillering branches, and too many branches should be removed; overgrown plants need to be coring to control the growth of the aboveground parts and promote the expansion of tuber roots.

Snow lotus fruits are generally harvested in early December, and the roots should be placed in a cool and ventilated place in time after harvest.