High-yield planting techniques of Castor

Castor, also known as hemp, old hemp, herb, etc., is an annual or perennial herb of the genus Euphorbiaceae. It often grows into perennial shrubs or small trees in the tropics or south. It is native to Egypt, Ethiopia and India, and then spread to Brazil, Thailand, Argentina, the United States and other countries. China's castor is cited from India. Let's take a look at the high-yield planting techniques of castor.

Land selection and preparation

The adaptability of castor is very strong, and all kinds of soil can be planted. It can be planted sporadically by the roadside of the ditch, the gap between the front and the back of the house, or by the barren hills and slopes. When planting in pieces, turn the soil 4-6 weeks before sowing to make the soil mature, and sporadic planting also turn the soil ahead of time and dig holes of 35 cm in depth and 35 cm in width. Because castor is afraid of water stains, if it is planted in low-lying land, the land should be changed into a platform in advance, and a good drainage ditch should be opened between the platforms. Plant castor in the wasteland and change the slope into a banded terrace around the mountain in order to keep soil and water loss and facilitate management and harvest. Steep slopes with a slope of more than 25 degrees are suitable for burrow planting.

Seed treatment

1. Seed selection: select castor plants with exuberant growth, more branches, early fruit and more capsules before harvest, pick down the capsules with the most fruit and maturity, dry them in the sun, put them into baskets or bags, and keep them in a dry and ventilated place, but it is best to go to scientific research and production units to choose and buy excellent hybrids.

2. Soaking seeds to promote germination: soak the seeds in 40-50 ℃ warm water for 24 hours before sowing and bury them in moist sand. It usually takes 5-7 days for seeds to germinate, and they can be sowed immediately after germination. If you want to sow the seeds late, soak the seeds in warm water for 48 hours to soften the hard shell and absorb enough water to speed up the germination of the seeds. After soaking, the seeds can be sowed in time or accelerated, and can be sowed when some of the seeds are sprouting.

Fine sowing

1. Sowing time: Castor is generally sown from "startled mat" to "the Beginning of Summer", sowing earlier in some provinces in South and Southwest China, and from April to May in some provinces in East China and North China. Some provinces and regions in southwest China can sow seeds in spring, summer and autumn, and they can also sow seeds in winter in tropical areas of South China.

2. Sowing methods: there are two sowing methods of castor: direct seeding and transplanting. Direct seeding each litter has 2-3 seeds, the seed spacing is 3-5 cm, and the cover is 2-3 cm thick. Transplanting should choose leeward to the sun, water is more convenient, the soil is more fertile loam or sandy loam, deep turn fertilization leveling, make a bed width of 1 meter, and then sow, water, cover seed.

3. Timely transplanting: when castor seedlings grow out of 3 or 4 true leaves, they can be transplanted with mud. After planting, the roots should be watered every 3 to 5 days until they survive. The density is generally 1.7 square meters, about 160 plants per mu, persistent root castor, can be a little bit denser, 200 million 250 plants per mu is appropriate. Planting on steep slopes and gentle slopes can also be slightly denser.

Field management

1. Rational fertilization: Castor has strong fertilizer absorption, needs more nitrogen fertilizer in the early stage, and mainly applies phosphorus and potassium fertilizer after flowering, so mixed plant ash such as stable manure or soil fertilizer should be used as base fertilizer. Large areas of planting can be ditched and fertilized, or two handfuls of compost are applied in each nest to cover the soil before sowing. Sporadic planting can be applied in holes, cover the nest with plant ash mixed with fine soil after sowing, and apply thin human and animal manure when fixing seedlings. If planted in reclaimed wasteland, soybeans and peanuts can be planted in castor rows after emergence.

2. Interseedling soil cultivation: when castor seedlings are 10 cm high, interseedlings are carried out, and the delicate seedlings that are too dense are pulled out, and weeding is combined with intertillage. The seedlings can be fixed when the height of the seedlings is 17cm to 20cm, and one strong seedling is selected for each hole, and the second intertillage weeding is carried out. For those planted on barren hills and slopes, the setting of seedlings can be delayed. The third intertillage weeding can be carried out before flowering. When the seedling height is 30 cm, combine with ploughing to cultivate the soil and keep the root fixed, which plays the role of drought resistance, wind resistance and lodging resistance.

3. Topping and heart-picking: when castor grows out of 7-8 true leaves, it should be topped. After that, according to the growth trend of bacteria, the top of each branch can be cut again to promote branches so as to increase yield. At the same time, it dwarfs the plant and makes it easy to pick fruit. When the plant grows to 55-60 cm, prune, cut off the dry branches, disease and insect branches, in order to promote more new techniques and prevent the spread of diseases and insect pests. Manure should be applied in time after pruning, and watering should be carried out in times of drought.

4. Overwintering management: perennial castor should pay attention to overwintering protection after harvest. In areas with heavy frost and snow, the castor stalks should be wrapped up with straw in front of Frosts Descent and removed after the beginning of spring next year. For the frozen branches or main stem, it can be sawed off at 35 cm from the ground, and the saw is pasted with cow dung. After the beginning of spring, the main pile can germinate and grow again. In areas with severe frost damage, the main stem is sawed off before frost, leaving a pile 20 to 30 centimeters above the ground, and the saw mouth is pasted with cow dung, then the castor pile is covered with soil, and the following spring or when there is no snow, the soil can sprout and grow branches.

5. disease and pest control: the main pest of castor is small land tiger, which is unearthed at night to bite off the seedlings, so it can be scratched off the topsoil around the rhizosphere of the bitten seedlings in the early morning, or trapped with poison bait. The main diseases are Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and powdery mildew. Once the disease occurs, the diseased plants should be removed in time, and the pathogens should be burnt or buried deeply. 1000-fold solution spray can be used, once every 7-10 days, 2 times or 3 times continuously, or spray with Bordeaux solution 120-fold spray.