Seed prices and planting methods

Water chestnut is the fruit of annual herbaceous aquatic plant water chestnut of water chestnut family, also known as wind chestnut, wuling, water chestnut, etc., native to warm areas of Europe and Asia, but only China and India have been domesticated and cultivated, especially in the Taihu Lake area of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Pearl River Delta. Let's take a look at the seed price and planting method of water chestnut.

How much is a pound of water chestnut seeds?

The price of water chestnut seeds is about 10~15 yuan a catty, but the price varies greatly due to the quality, variety, origin and market of seeds. There are many varieties of water chestnut. Selecting excellent varieties is the basis of high yield, but also the key to compete for seasons, occupy the market early and improve economic benefits. Raw food is the main choice of early and medium maturity varieties of water chestnut (Liangjiao water chestnut), and high yield is the main choice of planting late maturity varieties of Wuling.

What kinds of water chestnut are there?

1. Shajiao ling: medium-mature variety, Qingming, grain rain sowing, early autumn, summer harvest, tough rhizome, small dense leaves, small fruit shape, 400~600 jin per mu, green white and thick skin, suitable for cooked food, wind and wave resistance, deep water resistance and thin land.

2. Water red caltrop: early-maturing variety, sowing in Qingming, harvesting tender caltrop at the beginning of autumn, harvesting old caltrop in summer and frost, large fruit shape, high water content of caltrop meat, 800~1000 jin per mu, suitable for raw food, not resistant to deep water and wind waves.

3. Xiaobai ling: medium-late maturing variety, sowing in Qingming, harvesting from white dew to frost, hard meat, suitable for cooked food, small fruit shape, 600~1200 jin per mu, strong growth potential, strong wind wave resistance, wide growth adaptation range, suitable for deep water cultivation.

4. Daqingling: medium-mature variety, sowing in Qingming, harvesting from white dew to frost, medium quality, large fruit shape, green white skin, thick peel, hard meat, suitable for cooked food, 1000~1200 jin per mu.

5. Nanhu caltrop: early and medium-mature varieties, sown in Qingming, harvested from summer to frost, good quality, hard meat with japonica, medium fruit shape, 1000~1200 jin per mu, moderate water level, fertile soil and weak wind wave resistance when growing.

How to grow water chestnut

1. Selection of seedling field: seedling field should choose fields with wind and sun, fertile soil, water depth of 10~ 50cm and convenient irrigation. Before seedling cultivation, duckweed and cotton wool in seedling field should be cleaned. Greenhouse seedling cultivation and planting should be covered with film in advance.

2. Sowing method: From the spring equinox to Qingming in the Yangtze River Basin, ponds with wind protection, shallow water level, fertile soil and convenient irrigation and drainage shall be selected as seedling ponds. The seedlings shall be sown according to the row spacing of 1 meter square. The seed quantity per mu shall be 65~90 kg, which can be used for 8~10 mu of water chestnut pond.

3. Transplanting and planting: planting on the same day of seedling emergence. Generally, the row spacing of shallow water rhombus is 1.5 ~ 2m, the hole spacing is 1.5~ 2m, and a bunch of rhombus seedlings are planted in each hole. The row spacing of deep water rhombus is 2.5~ 3m, the hole spacing is 2~ 2.5m, and a bunch of rhombus seedlings is planted in each hole. About 8~10 plants.

4. Reasonable fertilization: the fertilizer required by water chestnut is relatively concentrated. Before planting, pig manure or decomposed mud manure can be applied to 2000 kg per mu. After germination, 5 kg urea can be applied to each mu as quick-acting fertilizer. After flowering, 2~3 times combined with 2~3 packets of strong yield-increasing hormone or 2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate can be sprayed on the leaves.

5. Timely weeding: There are many kinds of aquatic weeds in the water chestnut pond, such as plantain grass, centipede grass, moss grass, etc., which must be removed manually in time, otherwise it will affect the photosynthesis of water chestnut. Generally, weeds are removed every 10 days after transplanting until the water chestnut is filled with water.

6. Disease and pest control: Common pests of water chestnut include aphids, leafhoppers, etc., which can be controlled by trichlorfon or trichlorfon mixed with water spray at the initial stage of damage. Common diseases are mainly water chestnut plague, which can be controlled by Jinggangmycin and carbendazim mixed with water spray at the initial stage of disease.

7. Timely picking: water chestnut ripens 20~30 days after flowering, harvested as vegetables or raw when sepals fall off and pericarp is not fully hardened, harvested when ripe, processed or reserved seeds are fully mature, early-maturing varieties are picked once every 5 days, and late-maturing varieties are picked once every 7 days.