Proper Planting Density for Direct Seeding Cultivation of Ginseng
Background : Gangwon-do (Province) is chief producing district of six-year-old raw material of red ginseng and transplanting culture is more than 90%. The 6-year-old red ginseng is easy to differentiate in quality and can secure a stable market, but it has high disadvantages such as high seedling cost, effort cost, and long term cultivation. Therefore, it is necessary to develop environment-friendly products that enhance price competitiveness based on 3 to 4-year-old ginseng by using direct seedling cultivation techniques. When ginseng seed sown directly, it is highly productive and has high disease resistance, which is advantageous for environment-friendly cultivation. Thus, it is advantage to save work force in seed production stage. The purpose of this study is to find the planting density for 4-year-old ginseng. Methods and Results : In order to determine proper planting density, ginseng growth characteristics such as root length, root diameter, raw weight, and yields were investigated at 4-year-old ginseng after planting 34, 67, and 100 roots per ㎡. As a result, the root length was the longest at 33.9 ± 5.45 ㎝ in 67 roots/㎡, and there was no difference in root diameter. The raw weight of 4-year-old ginseng was the highest at 65.1g in 34 roots/㎡. However, yields were 4.3 ± 0.78 and 4.8 ± 0.50 ㎏ in the 67 roots/㎡ and 100 roots/㎡, respectively, which were higher than the 34 roots/㎡. Conclusion : The proper planting density for direct seedling cultivation of yunpung cultivar was 67 - 100 roots/㎡, and these results could be applied to increase productivity in direct seeding cultivation of ginseng.