Soil Composition and Growth Characteristics of Ginseng for Bed Cultivation in the Facility
Background : Ginseng is becoming depleted of virgin cultivation area due to the problem of replant failure. Ginseng farmers have become more burdensome in operating expense because they are more likely to go out to other cities in search of virgin cultivation area. In addition, the quality and yield of ginseng cultivated in one place for many years depend on the rapidly changing climate every year. The purpose of this study was to develop a method for continuous production of ginseng in a facility by solving the problems of replant failure and investigating basic soil composition and growth characteristics of ginseng for 2 - 6 years. Methods and Results : This study was carried out in a 90 ㎝ wide, 50cm deep and 22 m long bed made of sandwich panels in a 90% shaded facility for ginseng cultivation. In the lower part of the bed, a 100 ㎜ pipe for drainage and steam sterilization was installed, and the pearlite was filled at a height of 100 ㎜ as a drainage material. The soil for ginseng cultivation was put into the bed. Soil composition was tested in five combinations including virgin soil, yokto, peat moss, pearlite, and vermiculite with different composition ratios including control. The native seedlings were transplanted and grown from 2 years to 6 years. In the growth characteristics and yield of ginseng, the best treatments were virgin soil 55%, yokto 10%, Peatmoss 25%, Perlite 5% and 5% vermiculite. Also, the bulk density was reduced by 30% compared to the control. Soil pH and EC tended to increase slightly during all treatments. In the ginsenoside analysis, there were no unusual results for the soil composition and they were almost similar. Conclusion : As a method to continuously grow ginseng in the facility, we tried to grow ginseng by filling the soil in the bed. Soil composition should be within the range of chemistry and physics suitable for cultivation of ginseng, and it is necessary to analyze the economy and reduce the operating expense. In the future, researches on soil disinfection and nutrient management methods for continuous use should be continued.