Effects of Application Levels of Nitrogen, Phosphate, Potassium on Growth of 2-Year-Old Ginseng and Soil Chemical Properties
Background : Ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) is a perennial crop grown for more than 4 years in the same place. Therefore, it is highly affected by soil environment, especially nutrients on soil. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of application levels of nitrogen, phosphate, potassium on growth and soil chemical properties of ginseng. Methods and Results : 0, 1, 4, 8, 16, 32 ㎏/10 a of Urea, fused superphosphate, potassium chloride were each treated at 3.3 ㎡ of the field and ginseng cultivar 'Geumpoong' was transplanted. Growth characteristics were investigated by growth period and soil chemical properties were investigated every 3 months. As the levels of treated nitrogen increased, root weight increased from 0 ㎏/10 a to 4 ㎏/10 a and then decreased. Electrical conductivity (EC) and the NO3 content tended to increase as time goes by. As the levels of treated phosphate increased, the SPAD content increased. Soil analysis of October showed that the NO3 content of phosphate 32 ㎏/10 a treatment increased to 80.25 ㎎/㎏. In the case of potassium 32 ㎏/10 a treatment, the emergence rate was 74% and root weight was 2.06 g, which were the worst in all treatments. When the levels of treated potassium increased, the EC tended to increase gradually and the pH was decreased. Conclusion : These results indicate that the application levels of Nitrogen, phosphate, potassium influence growth of ginseng and soil chemical properties. Further research will be needed to establish appropriate standards of soil chemical properties for ginseng cultivation.