Zhengan Bletilla

Zhengan Bletilla

Zhengan Bletilla is a protected product under a geographic indication.

　　Zhengan Bletilla

　　 The current administrative region of Zhengan County, Guizhou Province.

　　 "Zhengan County People's Government Request to Define the Geographic Indication Protection Area for 'Zhengan Bletilla'", Document No. Zhengfu Cheng [2012] 143.

　　 Guizhou Provincial Local Standard for Zhengan County:

　　DB520324/03-2012 "Cultivation Technical Regulations for Zhengan Bletilla"

　　Quality and Technical Requirements for Zhengan Bletilla

　　I. Provenance

　　Bletilla striata (Thunb.) Reichb.f.

　　II. Growing Conditions

　　Within the production area, at elevations from 600m to 1800m in mountainous plateaus and hilly regions, the soil types are loose, moist sandy loam or yellow loam, with organic matter content ≥1% and an average soil pH of 5.0 to 7.5.

　　III. Cultivation Techniques

　　1. Propagation Method: Tuber propagation. When harvesting Bletilla from September to October, select tubers from the same year that have bulbs and young sprouts as seedlings, and plant them immediately after digging.

　　2. Hoeing and Weeding: Conducted three times. The first weeding is done when the seedlings emerge uniformly, the second during the peak growth period of the Bletilla, and the third in early June.

　　3. Fertilization: Apply more than 2000 kg per 667㎡ (acre) per year of well-rotted organic fertilizer.

　　4. Plant Management: Remove flower buds during the bud stage.

　　5. Environmental and Safety Requirements: The use of pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals must comply with national regulations, and environmental pollution must be avoided.

　　IV. Harvesting and Processing

　　1. Harvesting Time: Dig up the tubers in September to October two years after planting.

　　2. Harvesting Method: Dig out the Bletilla tubers, soak them in water for one hour, wash off the soil, and remove the fibrous roots.

　　3. Processing Method: Steam the harvested Bletilla until there is no white core inside, then dry it in the sun or bake it until the surface is hard and non-sticky. Remove any remaining fine roots, leaving the surface smooth and light yellow. Sieve out impurities and discard any substandard products.

　　V. Quality Characteristics

　　1. Sensory Features: Slight scent, bland and slightly bitter taste, sticky when chewed. The cross-section is semi-transparent and horn-like. The dried tubers are slightly palmate and flat, with a yellowish-white surface, fine wrinkles, raised stem scars on the surface, and brown concentric rings centered around the stem scars. The texture is hard and not easily broken.

　　2. Physical and Chemical Indicators: Moisture content ≤12.0%, total ash content ≤4.0%, acid-insoluble ash content ≤0.8%, polysaccharide (calculated as C6H12O6) content ≥28.0%.

　　3. Safety and Other Quality Technical Requirements: Product safety and other quality technical requirements must comply with national regulations.