Planting techniques of bergamot

(1) Overview

Alias bergamot.

It is a variety of citron in Rutaceae, the nearly mature fruit of bergamot. Regulating qi and resolving phlegm, calming the liver and stomach. Main treatment of liver and stomach qi depression, cough and asthma, loss of appetite, vomiting, chest septum fullness and so on. Mainly produced in Yunnan.

(2) Plant characteristics

Evergreen shrubs or small trees, as high as Zhang Yu, stem and leaf base with ca. 6 cm hard sharp thorns, new branches trigonous. Simple leaves alternate, long oval, with transparent oil spots. Most of the flowers come out in the axils of leaves, often in bundles, among which there are more male flowers, some are bisexual flowers, Corolla five-petal, white with purplish halo, the Spring Equinox blossoms for the first time from Qingming to Qingming, often many male flowers, bearing small fruit, another time before and after the Beginning of Summer, mature from September to October, the fruit is large for medicinal use, bright yellow skin, wrinkled and shiny, the top is different, often open like a finger, so the name bergamot, flesh white, no seed.

(3) growth characteristics

Like warm and humid, sunny, gentle slope, soil thickness of about 30 cm, slightly acidic, sandy soil, good drainage, more fertile place.

(4) cultivation techniques

1. Methods of reproduction

(1) cutting

From March to September, after the Summer Solstice at the beginning of the rainy season, select the green and robust branches that grew last year or that year (avoid growing branches in the same year), cut them off, remove the leaf thorns, cut them into a section 12-15 cm long, with 3-5 buds, cut the lower end into a 45-degree slope with a sharp knife, select sandy loam, deep ploughing fine rake, plant spacing 12-15 cm, oblique insertion of soil about 2 × 3, compaction, watering, and then keep the sand moist. But there can be no stagnant water, about 20 days to take root, timely weeding, summer overheating needs shade, and the application of 10 times dilution of human feces and urine, cold protection in winter. It can be planted in the rainy season next year. Watering the seedlings 1 ~ 2 days before seedling emergence, be careful not to hurt the root system, and the row spacing of the planting plants is 150cm to 200cm.

(2) in the strip pressing method, the lower tender technique was pressed on the border surface with soil from July to August every year, and then truncated and transplanted in February to March of the following year.

(3) High branch crimping

Select 2-3-year-old branches, cut the cortex with a knife about 3 cm long (or annular peeling width about 1 cm), then use mat or cloth to moisten the soil, tie it tightly, often water and moisturize, and cut off and transplant after about 2 months. It can also be cut with a knife, go deep into the half of the branch, and then bend the branch upward, allowing its longitudinal crack to reach 10 to 15 centimeters, clamped in with barrel-shaped tiles, or bamboo tube (cross-section), and then into the moist soil after rooting.

(4) grafting

Cutting citron is often used as rootstock (cutting bergamot, fruiting period is about 20 years, while citron is used as rootstock for 40 to 50 years, in addition, citrus such as wild citron and lemon can be used as rootstock), citron with a diameter of about 3 cm is selected in the rainy season, and most of the branches and leaves are cut off. In addition, the bergamot branch, which was born last year and is slightly smaller than the rootstock, is selected as the scion, and the lower part of it is peeled off to connect with the peeled part of the rootstock, so that the two cut planes are closely connected, and the upper citron and the lower scion are cut off after healing.

(5) ramet

Take the sprouting caused by root injury next to the tree, and transplant it.

Bergamot forest must be intercropped with citron, planting one citron every five to eight bergamot, so that the bergamot will not degenerate and the fruit will be enlarged.

2. Field management

(1) fertilization

But four times a year. The Beginning of Spring applied more pre-flowering fertilizer, topdressing in April to reduce fruit drop, topdressing in May and June to promote fruit growth, and fertilization after fruit harvest to enrich autumn shoots or restore injury.

(2) pruning

Thinning branches to remove summer axillary buds (no fruit) and flowers and fruits (densification and fruit thinning), and cut off old branches, front branches and diseased branches among the Summer Solstice, which had fallen fruit, in order to reduce the consumption of nutrients.

(3) bending branches after fruit picking, in order to inhibit the upward growth of bergamot and promote the growth of autumn shoots, increase fruit-bearing branches, and facilitate pruning and fruit picking. At the same time, it is combined with the work of weeding and cold prevention.

3. Pest control

(1) the main disease is soot disease. First, the small disease spot infected by coal gray on the leaf surface gradually spread to the whole leaf surface.

Prevention and control methods: immediate removal of diseased leaves, proper pruning, and additional application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer.

(2) longicorn beetles

The larvae eat into the branches and feed on the pith, so the ends of the branches are withered and yellow.

Prevention and treatment: can be cut off from 3 cm, if there is still a hollow, cut down until the larvae are found. Adults like to move in the trunk at dusk and can be hunted and killed.

(3) aphids

Can be killed manually, spray tobacco and grass water.

(4) Leaf minkers and leaf rollers can be killed by picking leaves.

(5) harvesting and processing

The medicinal part is near-mature fruit. In July, when the pericarp changes from dark green to light green (not suitable for yellowing), cut longitudinally into thin slices about 1 cm thick and dry in the sun or Kang.