Cultivation techniques of licorice

Licorice belongs to perennial plants of Leguminosae, and the medicinal parts are roots and rhizomes. It contains 11% triterpenoids, glycyrrhizin, followed by flavonoids such as glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhizin, isoglycyrrhizin, isoglycyrrhizin and so on. Xingping taste sweet, harmony and emergency, moistening the lungs, detoxification, reconciling various medicines, is an indispensable medicine in many traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions.

(1) selecting and preparing land. Licorice likes dry climate and is suitable for sandy loam with deep soil layer and low groundwater level, which can achieve more silty, less fiber, strong sweetness and good quality. Deep ploughing 30cm in autumn, combined with applying high quality agricultural fertilizer 4 000-5000kg, urea 20kg, calcium 50kg, rake flat, to be planted in the following year.

(2) sowing and cultivation. Licorice seeds and rhizomes can be used as sowing materials.

Seeds reproduce. It can be sowed in spring, summer and autumn, and can be sowed after soil thawing in spring, about between March and April, if the spring drought is serious, it can be sown after summer rain, and in autumn and winter, the soil can be sown before freezing, so as to make the seeds dormant in the soil and survive the winter. the next year the temperature rises and sprouts. The seeds should be mechanically ground before sowing to damage the seed coat and ensure seedling emergence. When sowing, strip sowing, row spacing 30-50cm, trench depth 3-5cm, flat covering soil after sowing, sowing rate per mu 2.5-3kg were used. If the seed germination rate is low, the sowing rate should be increased according to the situation. When raising seedlings, the sowing rate can be increased to 5-6kg, and other methods are the same as before.

Rhizome propagation. It is appropriate to dig licorice in spring and autumn, select the young rhizome with a diameter of about 1cm, cut it into 15cm segments, each section with two axillary buds, sow deep the trench about 5cm, the furrow distance 30-50cm, put the rhizome smoothly in the ditch, segment spacing 7-10cm, after soil covering and pressing, planting seedlings 75-100kg per mu.

(3) field management. When the seedlings had 3 true leaves, the seedlings were carried out at one time to evacuate the seedlings, and the seedlings were fixed when the seedlings were 5 true leaves, and the distance between plants was about 15cm. During the growing period, loosen the soil and weed at the right time. In case of heavy rain, we should drain the water in time to prevent rotting roots. During the growing period, 30-50kg/ mu of nitrogen and phosphorus compound fertilizer was applied combined with rainfall. The main diseases and insect pests of licorice are powdery mildew, rust, aphids and red spiders. It can be controlled in time according to the occurrence in the field. Cultivate the soil properly in autumn to facilitate overwintering.

(4) harvest. Seed propagation for 3-4 years, rhizome propagation for 2-3 years harvest. It can be dug in late autumn and early winter and before sprouting in spring. The digger in autumn is the best, with high glycyrrhizic acid content and strong quality. After the licorice is dug up, remove the soil, remove the stem base, branches, and whisker roots, cut them into segments of appropriate length, sun until half-dry, tie them into small bundles, and then dry them all, and then store them.