What are the characteristics of loofah?

Luffa is also called Luffa, Luffa tendon and Luo Tian. It is an annual climbing herb of Cucurbitaceae. It is distributed in the Yangtze River basin or southern provinces and all over the country. Location: Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangxi, Jiangsu and Hubei provinces and cities. Mature fruit fiber is used in medicine. Chinese medicine is called loofah. Luffa contains xylan and cellulose; It also contains mannan, galactan and lignin. Pharmacological tests show that Luffa has antitussive, expectorant and antiasthmatic effects. Sweet in taste and cool in nature. Has the functions of relieving cough, resolving phlegm, cooling blood, detoxicating, dredging menstruation and promoting blood circulation. Indications: aching muscles and bones, chest and rib pain, amenorrhea, milk obstruction, edema, excessive phlegm, asthma and cough.

One. morphological character

The stems are fragile and rough. When young, the whole plant is densely pilose; Tendrils are usually 3-forked, with alternate leaves; Leaf blade is triangular or round-heart-shaped, usually palmately 3-7-lobed, with fine serrations on the edge and bristles when young. The flowers are unisexual, monoecious, and the male flowers are racemes with 5 stamens and 2 anthers, which are mostly bent into an "S" shape; Female flowers are solitary, calyx 5-lobed, lobes ovate-lanceolate, corolla with 5 broadly obovate lobes, yellow; Ovary inferior, 3-loculed. The fruit is cylindrical or rod-shaped, with longitudinal shallow grooves or stripes, and there are reticular fibers after the fruit matures. The seeds are black and smooth (Figure15-21).

Fig.15-21loofah morphological diagram.

1 .fruit 2. flower

Second, the reproductive characteristics.

Luffa originated in East India. The root system is developed, and the taproot goes deep into the soil and is distributed in the topsoil of 30 cm. Digging deep into the soil is beneficial to root growth. The main vine is more than 12m long and has strong branching ability. Female flowers begin to grow around the main vine 10 node, and each node can bear female flowers in the future. In the early stage, the main vine is the main vine, and in the later stage, the lateral vine is the main vine. Male flowers are inserted in each leaf axil. In order to prevent the male flowers from consuming too much nutrients when they are in bloom, they are often removed in production.

Luffa likes warmth and is afraid of cold. The germination temperature of seeds is above 65438 02℃, and the optimum germination temperature is 25-30℃. Seedlings can only grow above 15℃ and stop growing below 10℃. The optimum temperature for the growth of Luffa is 18-24℃, and the higher temperature is needed in the flowering and fruiting period, which is beneficial to the growth.

Third, cultivation techniques.

(1) land selection and preparation

Luffa has a wide adaptability to soil, so it should be planted on deep, fertile and well-drained land. In late March, turn over the ground and make the border 40-60 cm wide. In rural towns, you can plant by the river, in front of houses and behind fields, and you can also get high yield. When turning the soil, apply 1500-2000 kg fence fertilizer per mu as base fertilizer.

② Sowing and seedling raising.

Reproduce with seeds. Sowing in the Yangtze River basin is generally from late March to early April. Choose big, plump, black and flat seeds when raising seedlings. Sowing can be carried out in an insulated seedbed. Cover the seedbed with fertile soil or burnt mud, and the thickness is about 3-4 cm. Insert the tip of the seed into the bed soil for about 1/3, then cover it with fertile soil or burnt marl, then water it to keep the seedbed moist, and then cover it with film. According to the temperature of the bed soil, it can be watered 1-2 times. After the seeds emerge, the seedlings should be exercised, the two ends of the film should be uncovered during the day, and ventilated and covered at night to prevent freezing injury. Before transplanting, gradually uncover the film, increase ventilation, and transplant in late April or early May until the seedling height is 5-7 cm. Before transplanting seedlings, the seedbed soil should be watered about 1 hour, and then planted with soil, so that seedlings can return quickly and have high survival rate.

(3) Site management

1. intertillage weeding

After the survival of planting, intertillage can be carried out before scaffolding, which can be deeper. Pay attention to weeding. After the shed is set up, the number of intertillage can be appropriately increased, which should be shallow and not deep, so as not to damage the root system. When the vine leaves are covered by the crown, the sunlight under the crown is weakened, which can reduce weeding. Every time intertillage weeding is carried out, it can be combined with soil cultivation.

fertilize the soil or land

After the seedlings are planted, they must be watered with rare human excrement every night until they survive. In the future, according to the growth of seedlings, fertilization can be done once a week. After the plant begins to bear fruit, it is a period of vegetative growth and reproductive growth, which consumes a lot of nutrients. It is necessary to increase the amount of topdressing to meet the needs of normal growth, flowering and fruiting. Topdressing is usually 3-4 times, the seedling height is 15-20 cm in late May, and 700-1000 kg of human manure is applied per mu; After putting up the shed in the middle and late June, apply human excrement1000-1500 kg per mu; After the fruit is formed, apply 1500-2000 kg of human manure per mu.

3. Drought-resistant irrigation

Luffa likes humidity and is afraid of drought. The formation of young fruits needs more water, especially when entering the full fruit stage. In case of drought, irrigation should be done in time to meet its water demand. Don't flood the border during irrigation, otherwise it will affect the soil structure, field management and fruit harvesting.

Build a shed to draw vines.

In the middle and late June, when the main vine has grown to 30-40 cm, the scaffolding can be built with bamboo or bamboo pieces in time. Its benefits: (1) Improve the land utilization rate. (2) Avoid sun exposure and reduce fruit sunburn. (3) Improving ventilation and light transmission conditions is beneficial to the results. (4) The fruit has good shape and quality. There are three forms of scaffolding: fence type, herringbone type and ceiling type, which are selected according to local conditions. Scaffolding should not be too high, generally 150- 170 cm is appropriate, and it should be firm and practical. Tie it into a well shape with straw rope or plastic on the aircraft frame to climb the melon and vine. It is best to draw vines at noon, when vines are soft and easy to climb. If it is carried out in the morning, it is easy to break the melon vines because of more water. After the main vines are shed, attention should be paid to avoid overlapping and affecting photosynthesis.

The lateral vines of the main vine of loofah can bear melons. In order not to affect the growth and fruit of the main vine, the lateral vine can generally be removed before the shed, and will not be carried out after the shed. Only when they are too dense will the lateral fine vines be removed. When vines are found upside down, they should be tied firmly in time. If vines are placed on a shelf, the fruit should be put down vertically to reduce the bending or deformity of the fruit and improve the quality of the fruit.

5. emasculate flowers

There are many and dense male flowers in Luffa, and too many male flowers should be removed in time to reduce nutrient consumption.

④ Pests and diseases and their control

1. Downy mildew

Downy mildew of cucumber. ) Rostov. 〕

The disease began in May, and it became more serious in June, with high humidity in the field and serious disease. At the beginning of the disease, pale yellow spots appeared on the leaves, and then gradually expanded into polygonal light brown spots. Dark gray or purple villous mold grew on the back of the leaves, and soon the diseased leaves dried up. Prevention and control methods: cultivate strong seedlings and improve plant disease resistance; Ditching and drainage to reduce field humidity; At the initial stage of the disease, it is best to remove the diseased leaves in time and alternately spray 40% ethyl phosphate 300 times solution or 1: 1: 200 bordeaux solution. Spray once every 7- 10 days and spray continuously for 3-4 times.

2.DC powdery mildew. And Fuliginea(Schlecht. ) vote. The disease began in the first half of June and worsened in July. At the beginning of the disease, there are white round powdery spots on the back or leaves, and the spots are expanding, showing a piece of white powder. In severe cases, the leaves are yellow. This disease is more likely to occur under humid conditions. Control methods: strengthen fertilizer and water management, cultivate strong seedlings and enhance plant disease resistance; Remove residual plants and diseased leaves in winter to reduce overwintering germs; At the initial stage of the disease, 50% thiophanate-methyl 800 times solution or 25% triamcinolone acetonide 4000 times solution can be sprayed every 10 day 1 time for 3-4 times.

3. Huangshou Melon Huangzu Subspecies

(Chinese salamander)

Adults began to occur in April, and the damage was serious from May to June. Adults bite the leaves, and in severe cases, they can eat up the whole leaves. Larvae harm the root system. Prevention and control methods: clear the garden in winter, treat residual weeds and reduce overwintering insect population; Spraying 800- 1000 times of 90% trichlorfon before and after transplanting; Sprinkle lime powder on the soil near the melon seedlings to prevent adults from laying eggs.

4. Cotton aphid

(cotton aphid)

Also known as cotton aphid. It began to occur in May, and it gathered on the back of leaves, endangering tender stems, causing leaves to curl, slow growth, shortened fruiting period, and even withered and died in severe cases. Control methods, strengthen field management, timely intertillage weeding; Spray 40% omethoate 1000-2000 times.

Fourth, harvesting and processing.

Seeds.

We should choose plants that are robust and free from pests and diseases, and it is best to take melons from the main vines for the second time. Because of its long growth time and full seeds, its offspring have strong vitality. Choose a fruit with a big stalk and a straight shape, and mark it after selection. When the peel turns yellow and becomes hard, harvest it and hang it in a ventilated place to make the seeds fuller. After the melon is dried, pour out the seeds and put them in a cloth bag and put them in a cool and dry place.

(2) harvesting

Harvest fruits from June to the end of the year 10. Due to different harvest seasons, fruits can be divided into mildewed melons, soft melons and autumn melons. Mildew melons grow small; Fugua is strong and big; Autumn melon is long and slightly soft, with dense tissue and good quality. When the skin color of the pedicel is slightly yellow and the veins are thick, it can be picked. Pick melons in time (remove seeds), otherwise it will affect the growth of autumn melons. Cut it from the fruit handle with scissors in sunny days, classify it according to size, and bundle 10-20 pieces into a bundle for processing.

(3) Processing

After harvesting, the fruit is immersed in river water, gullies or water tanks with heavy objects, so that the fruit is completely immersed in water and the peel is rotten. The soaking time depends on the temperature and is usually 7-65 days. After the peel is completely rotten, unpack the bundles of melons, rub them in clear water and wash them until white melons appear. Expose the melon seeds for 4-5 days until they are completely dry, and then pour out the seeds after drying. Hang the melons in bundles and put them in a ventilated and dry place. The average yield per mu is 75- 100 kg.

Commodity specifications, straight, soft and thin, white and refreshing, seedless.