Cultivation characteristics of medicinal plants
A comprehensive analysis of the content related to medicinal plants, focusing on their cultivation characteristics. The following is a detailed explanation by the editor:
The cultivation of medicinal plants has strict requirements for environmental conditions. Climate and soil are the main environmental factors affecting the growth and development of medicinal plants. Different medicinal plants have different requirements for climatic factors such as light, temperature, moisture, air, and soil conditions. For example, mint prefers abundant sunlight, and clear weather during the bud flowering period can increase oil content; areca, coca, and pepper can only bloom and bear fruit in high temperature and humid areas; Alisma and calamus require low-lying wetlands to grow; Ephedra, licorice, and aloe have strong drought resistance and are mostly distributed in dry areas; Ophiopogon and Ningxia wolfberry prefer alkaline soil, while Magnolia officinalis and gardenia prefer acidic soil; types used for their roots and underground stems should be planted in fertile and loose sandy loam or loam soil.
Therefore, many medicinal plants can only be distributed in specific regions, such as ginseng produced in Jilin, and notoginseng produced in Guangxi and Yunnan. The quality and yield of products from these regions are good, and their clinical efficacy is also good. When expanding production and introducing and domesticating species, it is easier to succeed if the environmental conditions of the new introduction area are similar to those of the original area; otherwise, it is necessary to use a step-by-step domestication method. In China, there have been successful introductions and domestications of over a hundred species such as rehmannia, safflower, coix, gastrodia, platycodon, and salvia; and successful introductions from abroad include belladonna, digitalis, saffron, areca, and cinchona trees.
The main characteristics of the cultivation of medicinal plants include: ① Strong seasonality in cultivation. The planting period for most species is only about half a month to a month, and for species like Chuanxiong and Coptis, the planting period is only a few days to half a month. ② Fine field management is required. For example, ginseng, notoginseng, and Coptis need shade shelters to regulate sunlight, while honeysuckle and schisandra need pruning. ③ Harvesting at the right time is necessary. For example, Coptis needs to be harvested after 5-6 years of growth, and the effective ingredient content of Ephedra is highest after 8-9 months of growth. Safflower should be harvested when the corolla changes from yellow to red. In addition, medicinal fungi such as tremella, poria, and ganoderma require special cultivation methods and operating techniques.
The above is the detailed content of the characteristics of medicinal plant cultivation, hoping it can be helpful to you!