**Planting Technology of Northern Sea Cucumber**
*Also known as Coral Vegetables, Vegetable Yang Adenophora, Liao Sha, and Ginseng.*
**Common Genus:** This plant belongs to the genus *Adenophora*, commonly referred to as coral plants.
**Overview:** Northern sea cucumber is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine with properties that help moisten the lungs, relieve coughs, nourish the stomach, and promote fluid production. It is mainly cultivated in provinces such as Liaoning, Shandong, and Hebei.
**Botanical Description:** A perennial herb, it typically grows up to 30 cm tall. The main root is slender, with a park-like shape, reaching up to 40 cm in length. The roots are fleshy and dense, with a yellowish-white skin. The stems are upright, unbranched, and mostly buried in sandy soil, with some parts exposed above ground. The leaves are simple, with long petioles, red-purple in color, and arranged in 2–3 pinnate or split patterns. The leaves are obovate, green, glossy, hairless on the surface, and have a fluffy back with serrated edges. The inflorescence is complex and umbellate, with small white flowers. The fruit is double, obovate or elliptical, covered with brown spiny hairs. Flowering occurs from May to June.
**Growing Conditions:** This plant prefers sunny, warm, and humid environments. It has good cold and drought resistance but does not tolerate high temperatures. It thrives in deep, loose, fertile, and well-drained sandy loam soils. Clay or poorly drained soils are unsuitable. Avoid continuous cropping. Seeds germinate best under low-temperature, moist conditions. The lifespan is 1–2 years, and the germination rate declines significantly after one year, with no viability after three years. Therefore, fresh seeds should be used for planting.
**Breeding Methods:** Seed propagation is the primary method. In autumn, select 1–2-year-old plants that have not flowered, with thick roots and no pests, to serve as mother plants. Plant 3 seedlings per hole, spaced 20–25 cm apart. After summer, when the fruits turn yellow-brown, collect them and dry in a ventilated area. For autumn sowing, use fresh seeds; for spring sowing, pre-germinate seeds by mixing them with river sand before winter. Keep the mixture moist during stratification.
**Planting Techniques:** Choose deep, loose, and well-drained sandy soil. Dig to a depth of about 40 cm, add fertilizer, and prepare the field. Create ridges 1.3 meters wide. Sow in autumn (August–September) or spring (after snow melt). For autumn sowing, plant seeds directly into furrows 3–5 cm deep, spacing them 2–3 cm apart. Water and compact the soil, using approximately 7 kg per mu.
**Field Management:**
1. Keep the soil moist after sowing. Seedlings emerge within 15 days. Thin the seedlings when they have 2–3 true leaves, keeping a spacing of 3 cm. Overcrowding leads to weak growth and disease, while spacing too far results in forked roots and poor quality.
2. Weeding begins when seedlings reach 3 cm in height. Be careful to loosen the soil and remove weeds without damaging the young plants.
3. Apply top dressing three times: first with diluted manure after seedlings appear, second with decomposed manure after weeding, and third in July with superphosphate and organic fertilizers to promote root development.
4. Remove side shoots promptly to concentrate nutrients on root growth.
**Pests and Diseases and Control:**
1. **Rust** appears in August–September, causing yellow-green lesions on the leaf backs. Treat with fungicides like triadimefon, mancozeb, or benomyl.
2. **Root Rot** starts with yellow spots on the lower roots. Rotate crops every 3+ years, disinfect soil, and apply thiophanate-methyl.
3. **Diamondback Moth** larvae damage stems and roots. Spray trichlorfon during egg and larval stages.
Other pests like locusts can be controlled with dimethoate.
**Harvest and Processing:** Harvest after one year of growth. Dig up roots when leaves begin to yellow. Wash and process the roots by briefly boiling them, then cooling in cold water. Dry thoroughly to preserve quality.
**Yield and Quality:** Average yield is about 750 kg of fresh roots per mu, with a drying rate of 30%. High-quality roots are dry, slender, tight, and white.
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