Field Cultivation Techniques of Softened Chicory

① variety selection. At present, the varieties of softened chicory in China are relatively backward compared with foreign countries. there are few domestic varieties and the price is cheap. when there is no high-quality cultivation, we can choose domestic varieties. The price of foreign varieties is high and there are many varieties, but the characteristics of each variety are different. If it is a new variety, it needs to be planted successfully before it can be planted in a large area.

Preparation of ② seeds. The 1000-grain weight of chicory seeds is 1.2-1.5 grams. The seed germination rate of softened white chicory should be more than 80%, 150 grams for direct seeding and 30 grams for seedling. The germination time of chicory seeds is about 8 years under general conditions.

③ soil preparation, fertilizing, making beds. The cultivation of ideal roots is the key to obtain high yield and high quality. It is appropriate to choose loam or sandy loam with deep ploughing layer. according to the situation of the land, there are 45000 to 75000 kg of mature organic fertilizer per hectare and 750 kg of long-acting compound fertilizer. After fertilization, the land is leveled and made into a high border with a width of 80 cm (ditch to ditch) from north to south, with a height of about 15 cm. Pay attention to the application of rotten organic fertilizer, otherwise, it is easy to produce grubs, harm the roots, grubs occur in serious plots to avoid planting or control as far as possible.

Sow seeds on ④. Chicory is suitable for direct seeding, and seedling transplanting is easy to form curved roots or divergent roots. However, the amount of seed used for direct seeding is greatly increased, otherwise it is easy to lack seedlings and break ridges. Curved root and forked root have little effect on softening yield and quality, but it is not easy to operate in softening cultivation. The selection can be made according to the source of the seed. The seedling can be raised by pot, the germination rate can be determined in advance, and the seed dosage can be determined according to the germination rate and field seedling density. Direct seeding in the field should be sowed according to 3-5 times the amount of seedlings, ditch sowing or hole-on-demand sowing, covering soil 0.5cm 1.0cm (similar to Chinese cabbage sowing), watering after suppression, and emergence in 3-4 days.

⑤ sowing and nurturing stage. Beijing area is suitable for autumn cultivation, spring cultivation is easy to bolting, can not form good roots. Those who sow directly should sow around July 10, and those who raise seedlings can advance 2-3 days. Sowing time coincides with the hottest season in Beijing, so it is necessary to strengthen management after sowing, especially water management. Watering can not only provide water, but also improve the microclimate in the field. Watering should be carried out according to the weather conditions, the weather is hot, the scorching sun should be watered every day, it is better to replenish water with sprinkler irrigation, after the seedlings come out, the roots have been planted, watering can be slightly relaxed.

⑥ colonization and seedling density. Seedling cultivation can be planted in early August, 80 cm wide and high border planting two rows, wide and narrow rows, ridge row spacing of 30 cm, plant spacing of 15 cm, 150000 seedlings per hectare, direct seeding after two times, select the best and get inferior, and the number of remaining seedlings is the same as above.

⑦ post-seedling management. Prophase: the weather is still hot in the first ten days of August, and water management should be strengthened. In this period, nitrogen fertilizer can be applied twice to promote plant growth. Mid-term: September is sunny, the climate is suitable, it is the exuberant growth period of chicory, both above ground and underground. Watering is better to keep the soil moist, apply compound fertilizer once in the middle period, 300-450 kg per hectare, and ploughing in the ditch, each time the water should be fully watered. Later period: the weather is getting cooler in October, and the roots and leaves have been basically formed at the beginning of October, so watering should be controlled. Except that it can be watered for 1 or 2 times in the first ten days, it will not be watered in the middle and late ten days. Spraying potassium dihydrogen phosphate on the leaves twice to promote the transfer of nutrients to the roots, so that the dry matter in the roots increased, water decreased, in order to facilitate the next stage of storage and softening cultivation.

⑧ roots were harvested. Roots can be harvested at the end of October and the beginning of November in Beijing. When collecting roots with a spade, you should dig out all the roots as far as possible, do not leave the broken roots in the soil (the roots left in the soil will sprout in the second year, will form weeds that are difficult to remove), put the roots with the seedlings neatly according to the border, dry them for 2-3 days depending on the weather conditions, and then pile them in a round pile like cabbage in the field, with the roots inside and the leaves outside. In this way, we can put more time in the field and set aside time for finishing the roots. We should pay attention to not causing frost damage to the roots, which will rot during softening cultivation. When finishing, leave 4cm from the upper part of the root and cut it with a knife. If it is kept too long, it is easy to rot during storage, it is too short, it is easy to hurt the growing point and cannot form a commercial bud ball. Breaking off the external yellow leaves and rotten leaves, storing them in the storehouse or cellar of 0: 1 ℃, softening cultivation of chicory in stages and batches, combined with root storage, the supply period of chicory can be greatly prolonged. The root of standard chicory should be straight, without forked root, 3-5 cm in diameter, 99-127 g in diameter, more than 5 cm in diameter and easy to form lateral buds.