High-yield cultivation techniques of Catharanthus roseus

Periwinkle, alias day grass, mountain alum flower, wild goose red and so on. To the whole grass for medicinal purposes, there is anti-cancer, lowering blood pressure effect. Indications acute lymphocytic leukemia, lymphosarcoma, giant follicular lymphoma, hypertension and other diseases. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan and other provinces. It is now widely cultivated south of the Yangtze River.

It is characterized by evergreen perennial herbs of Apocynaceae family. More annual cultivation. Up to 60 cm. Young branches green or reddish brown, it and leaf back, calyx, corolla tube and fruit are white pilose. Leaves simple, opposite, oblong or obovate, 4 - 7 cm long, 2 - 3 cm wide, apex midvein projecting into mucronate. Flowers 1 - 2 axillary; calyx green, 5-lobed; corolla salverform, pink or purplish red, 2.5 - 3 cm long, lobes 5, stamens 5, included; carpels 2, separate, styles united. Follicles 2, cylindrical, 2~3 cm long, with several seeds.

1. Growth Habits

Periwinkle likes a cool, moist, sunny environment, drought tolerance and cold tolerance. Planted in the north of the Yangtze River, the above-ground plants die in winter. The soil requirements are not strict, and it is good to cultivate sandy loam with loose fertile soil and rich organic matter.

II. Soil preparation and fertilization

Choose loose fertile, well-drained fields and cultivate them intensively. Combined with soil preparation, apply sufficient base fertilizer: 3000 kg of miscellaneous fertilizer, 20 kg of urea and 50 kg of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer per mu. And make 1.3 meters wide high bed, dig a good drain, waiting for sowing.

III. Sowing

Periwinkle propagates from seed. Breeding and transplanting are carried out in two steps. It can also be broadcast live. The sowing period is mostly spring sowing. Seedlings will be mixed with fine sand or plant ash seeds evenly scattered in the whole good ridge surface, gently loosen the soil surface, so that the soil cover no seeds, watering moisture preservation, in order to facilitate emergence. After emergence, strengthen field management, cultivate to the middle of June, seedlings grow 3~4 pairs of true leaves can be transplanted. Sowing rate per mu is 1 kg. Transplanting in cloudy and rainy weather, planting Changchun flower seedlings on the well prepared bed surface according to the row spacing of 30 * 10 cm. Water preservation, in order to survive. direct seeding: direct seeding the seeds of periwinkle on the ridge surface according to the row spacing of 25 * 20cm. Put 5 - 10 seeds into each hole. Water preservation, 10 days or so can be Qi seedlings. When the seedling height is 10 cm, the seedling is fixed, and 1~2 seedlings are reserved in each hole.

IV. Field management

Pay attention to intertillage and weeding after periwinkle seedlings are fully planted. Dry weather often watering, rainy weather timely drainage. Topdressing once before sealing: urea 10kg and potassium dihydrogen phosphate 10kg per mu. Topping begins when the seedlings are 20 cm high to encourage lateral branch distribution and increase yield. Then top it once a month.

V. Pest control

The main disease of Catharanthus roseus was damping-off, which could be prevented by 1∶1∶100 Bordeaux mixture or mancozeb before occurrence. Carbendazim was used to control the disease at the early stage. Underground pests were killed by acine sulfur scale combined with poison bait.

VI. Harvesting and processing

The first year of periwinkle is harvested after autumn when the lower leaves of the plant begin to yellow. With a sickle at the base of the stem 15 cm from the ground cut, dried can be sold as medicine. It can be harvested 2 - 3 times in the second year. It can produce 150 kilograms per mu each time.