Longxi County, Dingxi City, Gansu, hailed as the Hometown of Astragalus and China Medicine Capital, is officially designated by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Ministry of Agriculture as a National Regional Chinese Medicinal Herb Fine Breed Base. Its standardized Chinese Medicinal Herb Seedling Base serves the entire industrial chain of Daodi Longxi Astragalus, focusing on germplasm conservation, seed purification, standardized seedling raising and technical popularization. As the exclusive seedling supply hub for all Authorized GI Herb Bases and GAP Astragalus Planting Zones in Longxi, it solves long-standing industry pain points of mixed seed sources, low germination rate and uneven seedling quality via the innovative Three-Tenths Field Project.
1. National Qualifications & Core Positioning of the Seedling Base
This seedling nursery is the official supporting germplasm platform for Longxi’s complete certification matrix:
- National Regional Chinese Medicinal Herb Fine Breed Base (national-level authoritative certification for medicinal seedling breeding);
- Matching production standards for Longxi GI Astragalus and GAP Daodi planting bases;
- Core implementation carrier of the county’s landmark Three-Tenths Field Seedling Project.
In the past, local farmers relied on random broadcast sowing and unregulated market seeds, leading to germination rates below 60 and only 20%-30% top-grade seedlings. Mixed germplasm caused unstable medicinal content in mature Huangqi, severely damaging the Daodi quality of Longxi Astragalus. Since 2017, the county launched the Three-Tenths Field Project centered on this standardized seedling base, forming a replicable circular breeding mode: 0.3 mu seedling plot produces seedlings for 2 mu field cultivation, fundamentally standardizing the source of all Daodi Huangqi.
2. Unique Alpine Breeding Environment Matching Daodi Traits
The seedling base is distributed across 17 mountainous townships of Longxi, at an altitude of 1,600–2,780 m, featuring temperate continental monsoon climate and thick loose yellow loam & black loam free from industrial pollution:
- Large day-night temperature difference slows seedling growth, boosting root development and stress resistance;
- Loose, well-drained soil prevents root rot and powdery mildew, cutting pesticide use in seedling phase;
- The identical plateau terroir as GI planting areas ensures transplanted seedlings adapt rapidly, with survival rate above 95%.
Seedlings bred here retain the exclusive genetic trait of Longxi Huangqi — straight roots, high powder content and rich astragaloside IV, laying a solid germplasm foundation for the iconic “golden rim, silver core, chrysanthemum cross-section” characteristic of authentic Daodi Astragalus.
3. Standardized Breeding System & Three-Tenths Field Mechanism
The base implements the unified “Six Standardized Management” system for seedling production:
- Unified Purified Germplasm Exclusive supply of certified Longqi No.1 improved seeds processed via seven-step sorting (screening, gravity separation, magnetic sorting, color sorting, pelleting). Seed purity reaches 99%, germination rate rises to 95%+, cutting seed consumption by 40% compared with traditional sowing. The county built Northwest’s first dedicated medicinal seed processing workshop with annual capacity for 1,000 tons of refined seeds, supporting 100,000 mu of seedling cultivation.
- Unified Film-Covered Sand Hole Sowing Technology Replace inefficient broadcast sowing with mulch sand-covered hole seeding, locking soil moisture to resist drought; even seedling emergence, effectively avoiding blank plots in dry seasons.
- Unified Green Field Management Deploy technical agronomists to provide door-to-door guidance for every demonstration household; adopt biological pest control and organic base fertilizer, strictly forbidding prohibited agrochemicals in seedling stage.
- Unified Seedling Grading Standard Classify seedlings by root length (≥30cm for Grade 1, 25–30cm Grade 2) and root thickness; only qualified robust seedlings enter GI & GAP planting bases.
- Unified Rotation Nursery Arrangement Rotate seedling plots with grain crops to relieve continuous cropping obstacles, maintain soil microbial balance year after year.
- Unified Whole-Cycle Traceability Each batch of seedlings carries QR codes recording seed source, breeding plot, management records and testing reports, linking upstream germplasm base and downstream GI herb planting fields.
The landmark Three-Tenths Field Project operated by the base provides free refined high-quality seeds to registered farmers (4–8kg per household annually). By 2025, the project covered over 22,500 households across 17 villages, with a total standardized seedling breeding area exceeding 6,750 mu. Per mu seedling output hits 684kg, with Grade 1 seedlings accounting for over 47.5%, greatly raising farmers’ income and stabilizing the supply of high-quality Daodi seedling sources.
4. Industrial Linkage & Output Scale
At present, the total standardized seedling breeding area under the base system surpasses 60,000 mu. Seedlings produced here supply all GI authorized zones, GAP demonstration bases and Daodi planting fields within Longxi, and are also delivered to Astragalus planting regions across Northwest China. Supported by the seedling base’s stable germplasm guarantee, Longxi’s annual mature Huangqi output reaches 27,000 tons, ranking first globally in both yield and export volume of authentic Daodi Astragalus.
Combined with Longxi’s Well-Known Trademark of China, China-EU GI recognition and national export demonstration zone credentials, the standardized seedling base forms the upstream core link of the whole industrial chain, realizing integrated development of germplasm breeding, ecological planting and cross-border export of Daodi medicinal materials.
5. Core Value of the Chinese Medicinal Herb Seedling Base
- Source Quality Lock: Purified standardized seedlings eliminate germplasm mixing, securing consistent high active ingredient content of Longxi Daodi Astragalus;
- Ecological Breeding Model: The Three-Tenths Field circular mode reduces chemical input, matching green GAP and GI production standards;
- Industrial Foundation: Stabilizes the supply chain of high-grade medicinal seedlings, supporting large-scale standardized cultivation across the county;
- Demonstration Benchmark: Creates a replicable germplasm breeding template for loess plateau Daodi medicinal herb industrial zones.
Conclusion
As the national-level National Regional Fine Breed Base for Astragalus, Longxi Chinese Medicinal Herb Seedling Base relies on unique plateau terroir, advanced seed processing technology and the mature Three-Tenths Field breeding project. It provides traceable, disease-resistant, high-quality Daodi Astragalus seedlings for all GI and GAP standardized planting areas, serving as the irreplaceable germplasm source for the world’s top authentic Longxi Huangqi industry.
