Lichuan Chinese Yam Achieves Scale, and Yishizhuang Formula Fertilizer Promotes Its Development

Lichuan Chinese yam, also known as red-skinned Chinese yam due to its light purplish-red skin, is a typical local characteristic variety. It is characterized by thin skin, white color, solid texture, low water content, high mucilage content, mild nature, sweet taste, pleasant fragrance, and a soft and smooth taste. With a planting history of more than 1,500 years, it is an authentic delicacy from the mountains, rich in rare trace elements such as selenium and germanium. It is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine in medical treatment, and more importantly, it is a superior tonic vegetable and a natural health product that people love to eat. It is also a geographical indication product and a green food. In 2005, the national soil testing formula fertilization project was launched, and Lichuan became one of the first pilot counties and cities. The research on the special formula fertilizer for Chinese yam kicked off in Tuanbao Town, the main production area of Lichuan Chinese yam. Hubei Yishizhuang Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. quickly got involved in this work and developed the "Yishizhuang" special fertilizer for Chinese yam. In 2015, in order to fully demonstrate the effect of this fertilizer, multiple-point demonstrations were carried out in Tuanbao Town, Lichuan City. The summary of the demonstration effects is as follows.

【Comparison of Growth and Quality】

Through field observation, the growth of Treatment ① (formula fertilization) is stronger than that of Treatment ② (conventional fertilization). The leaves are darker green and thicker. Shen Hengqing, a retired teacher from Group 1 of Daweng Village, introduced: "The disease resistance has been enhanced, and one less application of pesticides is needed; the fertilizer effect is long-lasting, and there is no performance of nutrient deficiency in the later stage." Xiao Caiyuan, the former secretary of Daweng Village, summarized: "The appearance quality of Chinese yam has been improved. The skin is smooth, does not stick to the mud, and the color is bright; the palatability has been enhanced, and the taste is more 'floury' (high starch content)."

【Conclusions and Discussions】

The results of the multiple-point demonstration comparison show that the application of the "Yishizhuang" special fertilizer for Chinese yam has an obvious effect of increasing production and efficiency on Chinese yam. Through formula fertilization, the disease resistance of Chinese yam has been enhanced, the quality has been improved, and the taste is better. Therefore, the "Yishizhuang" special fertilizer for Chinese yam can be widely promoted and applied in the Chinese yam planting areas of Lichuan.
The annual planting area of Lichuan Chinese yam is nearly 20,000 mu. Each mu requires 200-300 kilograms of special fertilizer for Chinese yam, and the total demand reaches 4,000-6,000 tons. The annual planting area of Tuanbao Town, the main production area of Chinese yam, is nearly 10,000 mu. There are 26 professional planting villages, and the fertilizer demand is 2,000-4,000 tons. Occupying half of the market means a sales volume of 1,000-2,000 tons, and the market prospect is promising.

At present, the demonstration has achieved initial results. The Shibanling Vegetable Professional Cooperative in Lichuan City has supplied 36 tons of special fertilizer for Chinese yam, covering nearly 100 Chinese yam growers. In particular, Teng Renfu, a demonstration farmer from Group 10 of Xintianba Village, has driven the sales of 10 tons of special fertilizer for Chinese yam. The demonstration effects in Daweng Village and Xuetangping Village are also very good. However, the demonstration effect in Heipizhang Village is poor, and the effect of increasing production and efficiency is not obvious.

Therefore, it is recommended to further strengthen the comparative demonstration in Tuanbao Town, combine centralized display with multiple-point demonstrations, focus on the villages with poor demonstration effects and the villages without demonstrations, achieve full demonstration coverage of the 26 professional Chinese yam villages, and rapidly expand the influence of the "Yishizhuang" special fertilizer for Chinese yam!