High-yield cultivation techniques of Radix Puerariae

Radix Puerariae, also known as Pueraria lobata and Pueraria lobata, is a commonly used Chinese herbal medicine, and its demand is increasing year by year. The key points of its high-yield cultivation techniques are introduced as follows.

Use the root head as seed

When the kudzu root is harvested every year, the root head with sturdy growth, no diseases and insect pests, no injury and individual integrity is selected as the seed. Cut off the root, spread it in a dry and cool place for 1 or 2 days and then plant it. If it is dug out in winter, it is necessary to carry out sand storage, the method is to spread a layer of river sand 10 cm thick on the indoor ground, then put a layer of root on the sand, cover the root head with a layer of 15 cm thick river sand, and surround it with bricks. During the sand storage period, the river sand should be kept slightly moist, and often checked, rotten should be removed immediately, and can be taken out and planted the next year. In areas where there is no frost or only short-term frost, you can leave the seed in place and dig it out the next year when planting, and put 1 root in each hole when planting.

Select parcels

The root of kudzu root grows hypertrophy and goes deep into the soil, so it is appropriate to choose sandy soil with abundant sunshine, such as gentle slope, flat land or field edge corner, with deep soil layer, loose and fertile soil and good drainage. Before planting, turn more than 30 cm deep, then plant spacing 60 cm, plant spacing 50 cm, dig holes 40 cm deep and 40 cm wide, and apply 10 kg of mixed fertilizer such as stable fertilizer, turf ash and compost in each hole. Mix the surface soil layer with fertilizer and plant it. After planting, the hole cover grass is used to keep the soil loose and moist in the hole, so as to facilitate the plant growth.

adequate manuring

Radix Puerariae is a fertilizer-tolerant plant. Adequate application of base fertilizer and reasonable topdressing are important measures to increase root yield. Topdressing is usually carried out many times, the first time is between March and April, when the seedling height is 30 cm, 3-5 kg of human and animal manure is applied in each hole, and then once a month, the type and quantity of fertilizer used are the same as the first time. The 4th and 5th times were carried out every 45 days. Stable fertilizer, 10kg of turf ash, 100g of calcium superphosphate and 100g of potassium sulfate were applied in each hole. The above fertilizers were mixed and applied in a ring ditch or hole beside the plant, and the soil was cultivated after application to promote root growth.

Pick seedlings and build scaffolds

Kudzu root has a strong sprouting power, and the planted kudzu root will often grow multiple vines. Excessive growth of stem vines will affect the formation or growth of underground root tubers. Therefore, when the seedlings grow to 15 cm and 20 cm, only 2 sturdy seedlings are left in each hole, and the rest are removed. Pueraria lobata is also a kind of twining herbaceous vine with many long nodes, and when its nodes come into contact with the soil, it is easy to grow adventitious roots. Therefore, bamboo or wood strips should be used to build a support when the seedling grows to 30 centimeters, and the support can be built into a fence or triangular cross, and the seedlings can be pulled onto the frame to make it grow around the support, which is convenient for management, and is conducive to photosynthesis and ventilation and transparent light. it can also prevent stems and vines from coming into contact with the soil to produce adventitious roots and consume nutrients. It is not too late to build the bracket, and if it is too late, the vines will be entangled with each other, resulting in inconvenient management.

Take off the top and beat the inflorescence

When the vine of kudzu rhizome grows to 200 cm, the terminal bud should be removed to promote its branching and how long leaves to enhance photosynthesis. However, too many branches will cause too many leaves and cover each other, affect photosynthesis, and make the stems and leaves consume too much nutrients, which is not conducive to root tuber growth. Therefore, too many and too dense branches and leaves should be removed properly. From May to July every year, except for planting plants, the inflorescences should be removed in stages and in batches in time to prevent excessive consumption of nutrients during flowering, which is beneficial to the accumulation of nutrients in root tubers and increase yield.

Root pruning

If the plant grows too many tuberous roots, it is often due to the lack of concentrated accumulation of nutrients, so that the tuber root is small, affecting the yield and quality. Therefore, when the root tuber grows to 2 cm in diameter, the soil around the plant should be removed, 2-3 thicker tubers should be selected, and the others should be removed so that nutrients can be concentrated on 2-3 tuber roots to increase yield.