Cultivation techniques of Plantago asiatica

Plantain seed, also known as plantain, herb, is a perennial herb of Plantaginaceae, with dry mature seeds for medicinal use; its whole grass is called plantain. Plantain seed or plantain has the functions of clearing heat, diuresis, eyesight, expectoration and so on. It mainly treats less yellow urine, summer-damp diarrhea, urinary tract infection, astringent pain in the eyes, excessive cough in phlegm and so on.

Plant characteristics: plantain seed whole plant smooth glabrous or slightly hairy, rhizome short, with many fibrous roots, leaves clustered from roots, leaf blade broadly elliptic or ovate, entire or irregularly wavy serrated, with 5-7 arc veins. Flowers pale green, terminal spikes. Capsule ovate-conical, containing 4-8 small dark brown seeds. The flowering period is from April to June and the fruiting period is from June to September.

Choose good land: apply barnyard manure 500kg-1000 kg per mu, mash it and spread it evenly. Deep ploughing 20-25 cm, rake fine flat, make 1 meter wide, 15-20 cm high flat bed. Pour water into the border when it is dry, hoe the border surface once after the water seeps, rake flat, and wait for sowing.

Seedling raising method: spring sowing of plantain seed can be selected from Qingming Festival to Grain Rain and autumn sowing from White Dew to Cold Dew. Soak the seeds with 70% methyl topiramate for 4 hours before sowing, spread the seeds evenly on the border surface, and plant 0.5-0.75 kg per mu. Cover the back of the sowing with a thin layer of plant ash, and then cover it with a layer of straw. Watering every 3-5 days after planting. Sprout 7-10 days after sowing and remove the straw. The fresh water and fertilizer was applied once when there were 2 true leaves, and then once every other week, and the whole seedling stage was about one month. When the seedling height is 7-10 cm, dig holes according to the row spacing of 30 cm and the plant spacing of 25 cm on the border surface. Plant 1 seedling in each hole and plant as you pull out. Pour root water after planting.

Field management: watering once 10 days after transplanting and applying appropriate amount of human feces and urine at the same time. Half a month later, when the seedlings turned green, the seedlings were ploughed and weeded, and the missing seedlings were replanted. After that, the effective fertilizer was applied once every half month, and the compound fertilizer was applied 15 kg per mu. When plantain seed bolting and flowering, re-apply strong seed fertilizer for 1-2 times to facilitate heading (plants that heading prematurely are removed at any time) and promote their grains to be full.

Pest control: when grub and mole cricket damage plants, trichlorfon poison bait can be used to kill them. When aphids and bridge-building insects are damaged, 40% dimethoate emulsion can be sprayed 1500-2000 times.

Harvest and processing: plantain seeds are harvested before and after the Dragon Boat Festival when the seeds are brown. It can be harvested in batches and cut off those who mature first (be careful not to hurt immature ears and leaves). Dry the seeds after harvest, rub out the seeds, remove the impurities, sift out the seeds with a special sieve or bamboo screen with window screen, expose them for 1-2 days, and then shell them with a windmill, which is the finished product.

Economic benefit: Plantago asiatica has a short growth cycle and less investment. The investment per mu is about 100 yuan (seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, etc.). In a normal year, the yield is about 150 kg per mu, and the high-yield field can reach 250 kg. According to the current market price of 8-10 yuan / kg, the output value is 1200-2500 yuan.

Nutritional value and edible method: every 100 grams of plantain contains 4 grams of refined protein, 1 gram of crude fat, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 3.3 grams of crude fiber, 5.85 grams of carotene, 0.09 milligrams of vitamin B10.09 mg, 20.25 milligrams of vitamin B20.25 mg, 23 milligrams of vitamin C23 mg, 309 milligrams of calcium, 175 milligrams of phosphorus and 25.3 milligrams of iron. Collect its seedlings and tender leaves from April to May, blanch them with boiling water and soak them in cold water for a few hours, then you can make cold salad, dip sauce, make stuffing, make soup or steam noodles.