Spiny amaranth is an annual herbaceous plant of the Amaranthaceae family, which can reach a height of 100 cm. The stem is upright, multi-branched, hairless or slightly pubescent. The leaves are rhombic-ovate or ovate-lanceolate, glabrous or slightly pubescent along the veins when young; the petioles are glabrous, the panicles are axillary and terminal, and the bracts become at the base of the axillary flower clusters and terminal flower spikes. Sharp straight spines, the upper part of the terminal flower spike is narrowly lanceolate, the midrib is green; the bracteoles are narrowly lanceolate, the tepals are green, the cells are oblong, and the seeds are nearly spherical, black or brownish black. Flowering and fruiting from July to November.
Distributed in Shaanxi, Hebei, Beijing, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, Hong Kong, Fujian, Taiwan and other places. It is distributed in Japan, India, Indochina, Malaysia, Philippines, America and other places. Grows in open fields, gardens, agricultural land, etc.
Amaranthus amaranth was included in China’s second batch of invasive alien species list released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection on January 7, 2010. The young stems and leaves of spiny amaranth can be eaten as wild vegetables; the whole plant is used medicinally and has the effects of clearing away heat, detoxifying, dispersing blood and reducing swelling.
Prevention and control methods
Clear tillage method: Use manual or animal power to carry out cultivating and weeding between rows of fruit trees, usually 5-8 times between April and September. This method is simple and easy to implement, but it is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and highly labor-intensive. Furthermore, cultivating will damage the nutrient roots of fruit trees in shallow soil layers. It will also cause soil erosion and reduce the organic matter content in the soil in mountainous orchards.
Intercropping method: In young orchards or adult orchards with large row spacing between fruit trees and low ground coverage, crops with short growth periods and short plants, such as peanuts, soybeans, sweet potatoes, and potatoes, can be planted between the rows. , wheat, spinach, Shantou vegetables, etc. This method can cover the ground, reduce the damage caused by weed growth, increase income, and prevent soil erosion.
Grassing method: that is, planting grasses such as osmanthus, sweet potato, clover, sesbania, sesbania and other grasses or green manure between the rows of fruit trees. This method can not only cover the ground, inhibit the growth of weeds, but also obtain Pasture or green manure is also helpful in protecting natural enemies, but fertilizer and water management should be strengthened, mowing in time, and maintaining a height of 10em, and clearing grass under the canopy in a timely manner.
Covering and weeding method: Use crop straw and mulching film to cover the ground so that weeds cannot grow. When covering and weeding with crop straw, the thickness should be maintained at 20 cm, and fire prevention must also be paid attention to.
Biological weeding method: Generally, specific natural enemies are introduced from the origin of weeds to control weed damage, or local specific enemies are released to increase the population density of natural enemies in the field to achieve the purpose of controlling weed damage. Some agricultural operations can be used to provide overwintering or summering sites for natural enemies so that natural enemy populations can be preserved and restored. In addition, microbial herbicides can also be produced in factories and sprayed over large areas.
Chemical weeding method: This method is quick-acting, labor-saving, and time-saving, but there are many types of herbicides. Appropriate herbicides must be selected based on factors such as weed types, fruit tree varieties, soil types, and climate conditions. Types of pesticides. Currently, the most commonly used varieties include glyphosate, Gramoxone, simazine, atrazine, etc. Care must be taken to operate and control the concentration to avoid phytotoxicity.