High-yield cultivation technology of water chestnut

Water chestnut, also known as ground chestnut, water chestnut and horse hoof , has a long growing period, generally 210-240 days. If you want to grow water chestnuts with high yields, you must master the cultivation and management methods. Here, the editor will introduce the high-yield cultivation techniques of water chestnuts. Let’s take a look.

1. Site selection and land preparation

Water chestnuts are not very demanding on soil and can adapt to various soil environments, but neutral and slightly acidic soils are the best choices. Choose a sandy loam paddy field with flat terrain, deep soil, a tillage layer of more than 18-20 cm, and rich organic matter.

2. Selection of seeds

Select large bulbs with undamaged epidermis, strong terminal and lateral buds, dark brown color, for seeding. Remove the damaged, small, shriveled, or unevenly colored shepherd's purse.

3. Germination and seedling raising

Before germination, cut off 0.2-0.3 cm of the top bud tip of the washed shepherd's purse, soak it in clean water for 48 hours, remove the floating shepherd's purse, take it out and drain it. There are two ways to grow water chestnuts: bulb seedlings and division seedlings. Bulb seedlings are grown from mid-June to early July, while division seedlings are grown in mid-April.

4. Planting

It is usually carried out in mid-to-late July when the seedlings are 30-45 cm tall. In the Yangtze River Basin, early-water water chestnuts are planted before late June, late-water water chestnuts are planted in July, and late-water water chestnuts are planted from late July to early August. Before transplanting, dig out the seedlings and bulbs together, remove the weak seedlings and "male seedlings", and maintain appropriate plant and row spacing. When transplanting, insert the seedlings into the soil to a depth of 8-10 cm, and plant one clump of seedlings in each hole.

5. Water and fertilizer management

After transplanting, maintain a shallow water layer to promote stem and leaf growth and tillering and division. Deepen the water layer in high temperature seasons to prevent high temperature injury to the seedlings. Deepen the water level during the heading period to promote bulb expansion. After the bulbs mature, drain the water to keep the soil moist. Top dressing is mainly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, with nitrogen fertilizer being the main fertilizer in the early stage to promote the growth of aboveground stems and leaves. In the later stage, potassium fertilizer is mainly used to promote the rapid expansion of the bulbs. Generally, topdressing is done twice, once during the tillering and division stage and once when the bulbs begin to swell, with 8-12 kg of urea applied per mu each time.

6. Field management

Shallow tillage and weeding should be carried out 2-3 times after the plants grow to life and before the tillering stage, once every 10 days. The tillage depth is 6-8 cm, and fertilization is combined with weeding. Inspect the fields regularly and take timely measures to prevent and control pests and diseases when discovered. A combination of biological and chemical control can be used to reduce pesticide use and protect the ecological environment.

The above is the high-yield cultivation technology of water chestnuts. Farmers who want to grow water chestnuts can choose high-yield, high-quality and stress-resistant varieties, such as Yuhang Dahongpao, Diantou water chestnut, etc.