Molecular Soil Biology 2025, Vol.16, No.4, 214-229 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/msb 214 Research Insight Open Access Study on the Application Effect of Soil Improvement Techniques in Off-Season Cultivation of Leonurus japonicus Jiayao Zhou , Hongpeng Wang Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, China Corresponding email: jiayao.zhou@cuixi.org Molecular Soil Biology, 2025, Vol.16, No.4 doi: 10.5376/msb.2024.15.0020 Received: 04 Jul., 2025 Accepted: 10 Aug., 2025 Published: 28 Aug., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Zhou and Wang This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Zhou J.Y., and Wang H.P., 2025, Study on the application effect of soil improvement techniques in off-season cultivation of Leonurus japonicus, Molecular Soil Biology, 16(4): 214-229 (doi: 10.5376/msb.2024.15.0020) Abstract Leonurus japonicus is a common Chinese herbal medicine with high medicinal value. However, when it is planted off-season in winter and spring, it often encounters some problems, such as too cold weather, hard soil, easy loss of nutrients, and fewer microorganisms. These problems will affect its growth and efficacy. In order to make L. japonicus grow well in these seasons, we have consulted the methods of improving soil at home and abroad in recent years. There are mainly several ways: such as using machinery to loosen the soil, adding organic fertilizers, using beneficial bacteria, applying biochar, and adjusting the pH of the soil. By comparing cases, field experiments, and literature in different regions, we have summarized which methods are most effective under various soil problems. We have also compiled a more practical technical combination table for the reference of growers. The study found that as long as the appropriate method is selected according to the actual situation of the soil, the soil structure and root environment can be significantly improved, thereby increasing the emergence rate, yield, and accumulation of medicinal ingredients of L. japonicus. We also suggest that the government and agricultural departments increase the promotion of technology and improve the service system to promote the wider application of these technologies. Keywords Leonurus japonicus; Off-season cultivation; Soil improvement; Microbial agents; Chinese medicinal material cultivation 1 Introduction Leonurus japonicus is an important traditional Chinese medicine and has a great influence on the cultivation of medicinal plants in China and East Asia. It has a particularly significant medicinal effect and is often used to treat gynecological diseases and cardiovascular problems. Because of its wide range of uses, the market demand is also increasing, which has also led to large-scale and multi-season cultivation methods (Wang et al., 2022; Hao et al., 2023). When Leonurus japonicus is not planted in the normal season (that is, off-season cultivation), many problems will be encountered during the planting process. For example, the soil becomes worse, the fertility decreases, and the soil's water retention capacity cannot keep up. These problems will directly affect the yield and also deteriorate the quality of the medicinal material (Priori et al., 2020; Ye et al., 2022; Hao et al., 2023; Wang et al., 2024). There are many reasons for these problems. Planting the same crop for a long time, using too much fertilizer, and unreasonable farming methods will all cause the soil structure to deteriorate. Organic matter will be lost, and the number of beneficial microorganisms in the soil will decrease. As a result, the growth of motherwort will be affected, and the effective ingredients in it may also be reduced (Priori et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2022; Hao et al., 2023; Wang et al., 2024). In order to solve these problems, people are now paying more and more attention to using soil improvement methods to improve the effect of off-season planting of motherwort ‘boys’. There are many common improvement methods, including biological, chemical and physical methods. Methods such as applying organic fertilizer, leaving straw in the ground, adding biochar, applying microbial agents, deep plowing, covering with mulch, etc., can help improve the soil, make the soil looser, more nutrient-rich, retain water, and restore beneficial microbial communities (Bai et al., 2020; Li et al., 2020; Priori et al., 2020; Wei et al., 2021; Ye et al., 2022; Wang et al., 2022; Hao et al., 2023; Song et al., 2023; Zuo et al., 2023; Wang et al., 2024). Although many people have used these technologies, there is no comprehensive summary of what each method is suitable for, how effective it is, and how much it can do, especially when planting motherwort ‘boys’.
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