Lotus root belongs to the rhizome of lotus (or lotus), also known as lotus root, lotus root and so on. It originated in China and has been planted for more than 3000 years. It is a widely used aquatic cash crop, which is not only edible and medicinal, but also one of the top ten famous flowers in China and is deeply loved by the broad masses of the people.
Lotus root is a treasure, and its roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits have economic value. Besides lotus roots and lotus seeds, pollen, lotus leaves and lotus plums can also be used as dishes, drinks and health foods. Lotus root generally contains starch 10 ~ 20%, while protein 1 ~ 2% lotus seed contains starch and protein as high as 40 ~ 50% and 19 ~ 22% respectively, and all of them contain multiple vitamins. They are excellent aquatic vegetables and non-staple foods, which can be used for raw food, cooked food, processing and canning, and making candied fruit. Products are relatively resistant to storage and transportation, and the domestic and international markets are broad. They are important commodities for earning foreign exchange through export. Lotus root is also commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. Lotus nodes, lotus roots, lotus hearts, petals, stamens and lotus leaves can all be used as medicine.
Lotus is often used as an important plant material for waterscape layout in China gardens because of its colorful flowers and leaves and elegant fragrance.
Lotus root is widely distributed and rich in resources in China, which can be found from the northeast to Hainan Island and from the coast of the East China Sea to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The main planting areas are in the Yangtze River Basin and Huanghuai Basin, with Hubei, Jiangsu, Anhui and other provinces having the largest planting areas. It is estimated that the planting area in China is 500,000-700,000 hm2, and that in Hubei Province is about 90,000 hm2, of which the planting area of Honghu Lake is about 5hm2. In the future, with the development and utilization of lake beach resources in vast water towns, Wuhan lotus root enjoys a good reputation throughout the country. Wuhan has a long history of planting lotus roots. As early as the Sui and Tang Dynasties, lotus root was introduced into Wuhan. In the Song Dynasty, the fat lotus root of Lianhua Lake became a tribute. The research and development of lotus root in Wuhan started early and is at the leading level in China.
In 1980s, Wuhan Vegetable Branch took the lead in launching Wuhan Aquatic Vegetable Resource Park, which attracted the attention of the Ministry of Agriculture. The municipal government and the Ministry of Agriculture have invested a lot of money to provide financial support for this scientific research project. There are 0/2 species and more than 600 varieties of aquatic vegetable seed resources such as lotus root, Zizania latifolia, taro, water spinach, cress and water chestnut. In general, if there is demand in the market, you can choose the corresponding varieties. 80% of the lotus seeds in China come from Wuhan, and 90% of the lotus root production in Wuhan comes from Lotus Royal! Lotus root is a perennial perennial plant, which grows and develops once a year. In a year's growth cycle, it has to go through various stages of growth and development, such as germination, leaf spreading, flowering, fruiting, lotus knot, dormancy and so on. It is different from most plants that grow leaves before flowering or flowers before growing leaves. In the early stage of growth and development, there are leaves before flowering, and in the middle stage, leaves and flowers sprout together. Flowering and fruiting are not as neat as other plants, but blossom and bear fruit one after another. Buds, flowers, fruits and leaves can often coexist in the same plant. After the final flowering, lotus roots began to form in the later stage of growth and development. Therefore, the difference between lotus root and other plants is that it is not vegetative growth first, then reproductive growth, but vegetative growth runs through its whole growth and development process.
According to the growth and development law of lotus root, it is generally divided into five stages: seedling stage, mature stage, flower and fruit stage, lotus root stage and dormancy stage:
1, seedling stage: from lotus root germination to the first leaf exposure. When the average temperature rises to 15℃, lotus roots begin to sprout, and all the leaves grown during this period are floating leaves. In the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, usually in early April, lotus flowers begin to sprout and grow floating leaves, and in mid-May, they begin to sprout and shed leaves. South China and southwest Yunnan began to germinate in early March, and North China, Henan, Shandong and other places began to germinate in late April or early May. Northeast China will not germinate until early June. The phenology of lotus also has a great relationship with varieties. In general, the germination stage of lotus is also the best time for lotus root colonization.
2. Seedling stage: from the appearance of the first upright leaf to bud emergence. Generally, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River begin to grow and enter the seedling stage in mid-May. The typical characteristics of this period are accelerated plant growth, increased number of leaves, increased total leaf area, enhanced photosynthetic efficiency, accelerated formation and accumulation of nutrients, and formed a huge nutritional system in a short time.
3. Flowering and fruiting period: from budding to the appearance of terminal leaves. Lotus root flowers are in full bloom one after another, and the flowering period usually lasts for about 2 months. The number of flowers varies from species to species. After the lotus grows 3 ~ 4 vertical leaves, it is basically a leaf and a flower. Lotus flowers have few or no flowers. Generally, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River begin to bloom in June, and the flowering period is from July to August.
4. Lotus root stage: from the appearance of the back leaves to the yellowing and withering of the aboveground parts of the plants. When the lotus grows to a certain period, the roots begin to swell and form lotus roots. Early-maturing varieties generally enter this period in early July, and middle-late maturing varieties enter this period in late July or early August.
5. Dormancy period: from the above-ground part of the plant to yellow and wither, until the new lotus root is completely formed, until the leaf buds and terminal buds begin to germinate in the next spring. The winter dormancy period of lotus root in the Yangtze River basin is generally from late June 65438 to March of the following year. Lotus is a plant that likes light and temperature. The initial germination temperature of lotus is about 65438 05℃, the optimum growth temperature is 28 ~ 30℃, and the temperature difference between day and night is large, which is beneficial to the expansion and formation of lotus root. Lotus can't leave water during the whole growth period, and the suitable water depth is below 100 cm. When the same variety is planted in shallow water, the internodes of lotus root are short and there are many nodes, but when it is planted in deep water, the elongation becomes thicker and the number of nodes becomes less.
Lotus does not require high soil quality, and can grow in a wide range. The suitable PH value is 6.5 ~ 7.5. Fertilizer-tolerant, suitable for growing in clay with rich organic matter, deep plough layer (30 ~ 50 cm) and strong water retention. 1, type
Lotus root can be divided into different types according to different basis. For example, according to the main cultivation purposes, lotus roots can be divided into three types: Hualien, seed lotus and lotus root. The one for viewing flowers is called Hualien, the one for harvesting lotus seeds is called seed lotus, and the one for harvesting overgrown underground roots is called lotus root, which is also commonly called lotus root, lotus leaf and lotus root.
According to the suitable cultivation depth, it can be divided into two categories: one is shallow water lotus, which refers to varieties with suitable cultivation depth of 5 ~ 50 cm; One is deep-water lotus root, which refers to the variety with suitable water depth of 50 ~ 100 cm.
In addition, it can also be divided into early maturity, middle maturity and late maturity.
Step 2 diversify
Lotus root variety resources are very rich. Several varieties of lotus root with large cultivation and popularization area were briefly introduced.
1, Hubei 1 is early-maturing. Spend less. Shallow into the mud, the main lotus root is 6 ~ 7 knots, the length is 130 cm, the weight of a single branch is about 5kg, and the skin color is yellow and white. In early July, green lotus root 1000kg can be harvested per mu, and after 9 ~ 10 months, 2000~2500kg of old lotus root can be harvested, which is suitable for frying lotus root.
2. Erian No.4 is medium-cooked. The flower is white, the main lotus root has 5 ~ 7 nodes, the length is 120 ~ 150 cm, the weight of a single branch is about 5 ~ 6 kg, the top node is thick and the skin is yellow and white. Green lotus root can be harvested in the middle and late July, and the yield per mu is about 750 ~ 1000 kg. In September, the ripe lotus root can be harvested, with an yield of about 2500 kg per mu. The raw lotus root is sweet and stewed with powder, which is suitable for frying.
3. Erian No.5 (3735) is early-maturing and medium-maturing. The main lotus root is 5-6 knots, with a length of 120 cm, thick meat, small vent holes and white skin. In the middle and late July, 500 ~ 800 kilograms of green lotus roots were produced per mu, and 2500 kilograms of old lotus roots were produced in late August. Strong growth, not premature aging, strong resistance, stable output, good flavor of fried stew, very popular in the south and export markets.
4. The new 1 lotus root has 5-6 nodes and is 120cm long. Lotus-shaped hypertrophy, white skin and crisp meat, good commodity. After ripening in the middle and late August, the average yield per mu is about 2500 kg. Stewed soup powder, cold salad and fried food are all sweet. The purpose and significance of studying miniature lotus seeds.
In recent years, with the adjustment of agricultural planting structure, many paddy fields have turned to aquatic vegetables with good economic benefits, such as lotus roots. In order to enhance the planting advantages of lotus root, the old lotus root producing areas are also actively replacing new lotus root varieties. However, many lotus root varieties in the old producing areas have been seriously degraded and suffered from serious diseases due to long planting time, so the demand for lotus root seeds has increased sharply. In the past ten years, the new lotus varieties of Erian series, such as Erian 1 No.2, No.3, No.4 and No.5, which were selected by the Aquatic Vegetable Research Office of Wuhan Institute of Vegetable Science, have been popularized to more than 60 counties and cities in China 18 provinces/KLOC-0, and achieved good social and economic benefits. However, lotus root is a kind of plant that mainly reproduces asexually. Its tufted rhizome is not only a product organ, but also a reproductive organ. Using more than 200 kilograms of seeds per mu is bulky, expensive, inconvenient to transport, low in propagation coefficient (about 1: 10), long in cycle (one generation per year) and easy to carry germs. It is a new variety of lotus root. Tissue culture and rapid propagation of lotus root are effective ways to solve the above problems, so we have carried out related technical research.
First of all, we obtained lotus root test-tube seedlings through tissue culture, but the test-tube seedlings were difficult to transplant and the survival rate was low, which limited their application in production. We continue to study the induction of test-tube lotus root, which is a small lotus root induced in test tubes on the basis of test-tube seedlings. Generally, the lotus root in test tube has 3-5 nodes, with an average length of about 3 cm, a diameter of about 0.5 cm and a weight of about 2 grams. It is a complete organ in vitro, which overcomes the defects of test-tube seedlings, is convenient for long-distance transportation and greatly improves the survival rate of transplantation. 200 1, we carried out a small-area field cultivation experiment of test-tube lotus root, which has successfully grown into commercial lotus root. However, due to the small volume of test-tube lotus root (only weighing about 2 g), it is used in the field. Therefore, on the basis of test-tube lotus root, we carry out outdoor hydroponics to breed and form miniature seed lotus root. The miniature seed lotus root is generally about 250g, which is larger than the test-tube lotus root and smaller than the conventional lotus root. It has the advantages of both test-tube lotus root and conventional lotus root, which is convenient for farmers to master and apply. Micro-seed lotus root is non-toxic, economical, labor-saving and efficient. It is mainly used to replace the traditional lotus root cultivation seeds and accelerate the upgrading of lotus root varieties in China.
The main advantages of miniature lotus seeds and lotus roots are:
1, rapid propagation. The conventional lotus roots are propagated by edible commercial lotus roots, and the propagation coefficient is 1: 10, that is, to plant lotus roots in 10 mu, it is necessary to leave lotus roots as seeds in 1 mu. Miniature lotus root is based on tissue culture and rapid propagation technology. One stem tip can breed thousands of lotus roots a year, which is beneficial to the promotion of new varieties.
2. Convenient transportation and carrying, cost saving, loss reduction and convenience for long-distance farmers to buy seeds. Traditional lotus seeds are bulky, with a single branch weighing 4 ~ 5 kg and a length of 100 ~ 120 cm, which consumes more than 200 kg of seeds per mu. However, a miniature lotus root weighs about 0.25 kg and has a length of about 30 cm. When miniature seed lotus root is used as seed lotus root, the seed consumption per mu is 120 ~ 150, and the total weight is about 30 ~ 40kg. It can greatly save the cost and loss of long-distance transportation.
3. The cultivation management technology is simpler and more feasible, and the survival rate is high, which is beneficial for farmers to master and apply this technology.
4, without germs. Rot of lotus root has become a major factor restricting the production of lotus root. Micro-seed lotus root is obtained by shoot tip culture. The first step is to remove the germ. Because rot is spread by planting lotus roots and soil, it is very important to introduce disease-free lotus roots in Xin' an area.
It can be produced in the factory. Tissue culture and rapid propagation are carried out in an artificially controlled indoor environment, which is not limited by seasons.
In 2003 and 2004, we carried out the field planting experiment of micro-seed lotus root for two consecutive years. The results showed that the growth rate of micro-seed lotus root was slower than that of conventional seed lotus root, and its leaves were smaller. After one month, the growth rate of micro-seed lotus root is faster than that of conventional seed lotus root, and the plant height in the middle and late growth period is close to or higher than that of conventional seed lotus root.
The application of miniature seed lotus root in production has broad prospects.