User:FabienneBuerki/sandbox

Climate and soil requirements
Wild plants of Schisandra chinensis mostly grow in mixed forests, valleys and open forest spaces. The plant can grow in wet environments and tolerates cold temperatures of up to -30°C. However, its optimal growing temperature is at 20-25°C. Schisandra grows in acidic (pH of 6.5 – 6.8), deep and loose sandy loam soils. Furthermore, Schisandra cannot withstand dense and compact soils and prefers soils rich in humus.

Schisandra cultivation
The production declined continuously due to the increased deforestation in Asia. Major cultivation of Schisandra is located in Korea and China. Schisandra can be integrated in agroforestry farming systems as it climbs up trees to get better light conditions. On a large-scale production Schisandra plants are grown similar to grape vines and are tied up on stakes in vertical columns.

For cultivation male and female plants are required for the successful fertilization of the flowers. However, some cultivars are monoecious such as "Hong-zhen-zhu" and could facilitate the cultivation of Schisandra. "Hong-zhen-zhu" is next to "Bai Wu-wei-zi", "Chang-bai-hong", and "Da-chuan-hong" one of the main cultivars in China used for germplasm resources.

Schisandra seeds are planted in early May (the seasons mentioned in here refer to China), sprout after 15-20 days and the plants grow until late September. The seeds are sown at a density of 30 g/m2 and are then covered with fine soil and straw, pine needles or a grass mat. Alternatively, the seeds can be cultivated in pots and then transplanted to the field. The soil should be kept humid in order for the seeds to soak up with water. Three years after sowing, the plants will blossom for the first time. Normally, the plants start flowering from middle or late May to early June. As the flowers are prone to frost damage, they are best grown in areas where the chances for frost in May and June are low. Starting from June to July the fruits develop and ripen from August to September. In spring, summer or fall pruning of Schisandra vines is necessary to improve ventilation and light conditions, ensure an endogenous nutrition status and increase the number of female flowers and thus overall fruit yield. Furthermore, sprouting tillers that compete for nutrition with the main Schisandra vine should be cut away.

Pests and diseases of Schisandra
Schisandra chinensis is affected by many different diseases and pests, which some of them are mentioned in this section. Temperature dependent damages on Schisandra are sun scald or frost damages. Sun scald as a cause of heat injuries and ultraviolet radiation can lead to pathogenic infections. Sun scald can be controlled by applying more organic fertilizers, promoting vertical rooting, keeping an appropriate branch-fruit ratio and leaf-fruit ratio. These prevention measures enhance the plant’s tolerance to drought and prevent the direct exposure of the fruits to the sun. Furthermore, irrigation can help to lower surface temperatures on the fruits. Frost damages can cause necrotic leaves and weakens the vitality of the plant. Frost damages can be prevented by covering the roots, maintaining temperatures through smoke or irrigation, applying antifreeze fluid and P-K fertilizers (i.e. phosphorus and potassium fertilizers).

Control of weeds
To control weeds, the herbicides paraquat, pendimethalin and glufosinate can be applied.

Control of fungal diseases
To control fungal diseases on Schisandra different fungicides are applied such as pyraclostrobin, fluquinconazole, triforine, fenarimol, fenbuconazole, thiophanate-methyl, mancozeb, metalaxyl,benomyl and hexaconazole.

Prior to fungicidal application, prevention measures should be applied to lower the risk for fungal outbreaks. Only if economic thresholds are exceeded one should apply fungicides. Prevention measures in Schisandra cultivation could be:


 * no transplantation of infected seedlings,
 * use of fresh soil,
 * appropriate increase of P and K fertilizers (increased plant resistance to disease),
 * avoid complete coverage of frame areas and a too high plant density,
 * maintain a sufficient ventilation and light transmittance,
 * remove dead leaves from the ground in the fall and
 * avoid excessive watering.

Control of insect pests
Insects such as wireworms and nematodes can be controlled with e.g. ethoprophos and aphids can be controlled with e.g. endosulfan.

Prevention measures to control insects in Schisandra cultures could be:


 * remove the insects by hand if they appear in small numbers,
 * remove dead leaves and injured branches (sources of insects),
 * use insect traps and
 * biological control agents (e.g. parasitic wasps).

Control of soil-borne diseases
To lower infections of soil-borne diseases carbendazol hydratable powder or amobam can be applied after sowing.

Fertilization
For the cultivation of young Schisandra plants a nutrient rich soil is required, wherefore mostly manure is applied as organic fertilizer. Organic high-N and high-H fertilizer should be applied at the embryonic stage and later on it should be fertilized with high-P and high-K. During key growth stages it is best to undertake a foliar fertilization to ensure normal fruit production. As the quantity of female flowers is a key point to increase Schisandra berry yields, barax, ammonium molybdate, and lanthanum nitrate fertilizers can be applied in July as foliar fertilizer.