Change in the Growth Characteristics of 6-Year-Old Ginseng Root “K-1” Depending on the Types of Organic Fertilizers
Background : The study is designed to select the organic fertilizer as an additional fertilizer suitable for improving the yield of ginseng cultivar K-1 at low productive land when it is cultivated as 6-year old red ginseng. Methods and Results : This study was conducted in 2016 at a farm in Paju cultivating 6-year old ginseng root. As for the management of the cultivation land, in 2010 and 2011, Sudangrass was cultivated in order to make the organic matter content and chemical composition suitable for ginseng cultivation, and more than 15 tillage works were carried out a year. The transplantation was carried out at the planting density of 63 weeks / 1.62 ㎡ in April 2012. On May 2, the amount of 15 ℓ / 1.62 ㎡ of N 1.5 ㎏/1,000 ㎡ was supplied to the non-treatment, liquid fertilizer of fermented rice bran, liquid fertilizer of fermented soybean, seaweed and liquid yeast. N 1.5 ㎏/1,000 ㎡ was put into the soil for the fermented soybean and leaf mold. The photosynthetic rate was measured on the middle part of the small leaf by using a photosynthetic analyzer (LI-6400, Li-COR) at 10 : 00 - 14 : 00 on a clear day under PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) of 100, 200, 400, 600, 800, 1,000, 1,400, 1,800 μmol s-1m-2. The growth features of ginseng (including the length of stem, length of leaf, width of leaf, length of root and yield, etc.) as well as leaf discoloration, and root rot, etc were examined. The statistical analysis was performed 3 times in the randomized block design. For the rate of photosynthesis, the liquid fertilizer of fermented rice bran > liquid fertilizer of fermented soybean ≒ untreated ≒ fermented soybean > seaweed > liquid yeast > leaf mold was higher in that order. The survival rate ranged from 42.9% to 51.9%. As for the above-ground growth characteristics, the liquid fertilizer of fermented rice bran, liquid fertilizer of fermented soybean, seaweed and liquid yeast showed higher performance than the non-treated while the fermented soybean and leaf mold showed similar performance to the non-treatment. As for the underground growth, the liquid fertilizer of fermented rice-bran, liquid fertilizer of fermented soybean, fermented soybean, or leaf mold showed the same performance as non-treatment while the fermented soybean or leaf mold showed shorter length than non-treatment. As for the yield, the liquid fertilizer of fermented rice-bran, or liquid fertilizer of fermented soybean showed better performance than non-treatment. Conclusion : In conclusion, it was found that liquid fertilizer of fermented rice bran and liquid fertilizer of fermented soybean are the suitable organic fertilizers which can be used in ginseng cultivation for improving the quantitative yield of 6-year-old ginseng in low-producing area.