Selection of Proper Bed Soil and Bed Soil Capacity for Sprout Ginseng Culture in Vinyl House
Background : In recent, a nationwide decrease in ginseng cultivation area and production is observed, and as the sales of ginseng decreases due to the economic downturn, the ginseng industry in Korea is going through more and more difficulties. However, sales of young ginseng, which are ready for the market after a short-term cultivation - 25 to 45 days - of 1 year old ginseng seedlings or 2 - 3 year old young ginseng in greenhouses and plant factories without using any chemical fertilizers, in large grocery chains and online shops is increasing. However, proper studies on cultivation of young ginseng in greenhouses are yet to be conducted, and thus, experiencing several issues including the cost burden of bed soil and disease occurred from reuse of the soil. Therefore, this study is to provide solutions for farmers cultivating young ginseng by determining the optimal type and amount of bed soil for box culture. Methods and Results : To determine the optimal type of bed soil for cultivation of young ginseng, six types of bed soil were produced by blending bed soil specialized for ginseng, granite residual soil and leaf mold in different ratios. To determine the optimal amount of bed soil for box culture of young ginseng, 1 year old ginseng seedlings are planted in three boxes - each in size of 52 ㎝ × 36.5 ㎝ × 9 ㎝ (W × L × H) filled with soils of 6 ℓ, 7 ℓ and 8 ℓ for an experimentation. Growth and development of 45-day old young ginseng showed satisfactory progress in the following order: 100% commercially available bed soil > 80% commercially available bed soil + 20% granite residual soil > 60% commercially available bed soil + 20% granite residual soil + 20% leaf mold, while the gross weight of below-aerial parts showed the same result. Conclusion : The optimum type of bed soil for greenhouse cultivation of young ginseng is the commercially available bed soil specialized for ginseng cultivation. However, the young ginseng showed relatively satisfactory growth and development in mixed bed soil - 60% commercially available bed soil + 20% granite residual soil + 20% leaf mold - and the growth and development of young ginseng were most satisfactory when the box (52 ㎝ × 36.5 ㎝ × 9 ㎝, W × L × H) was filled with 8 ℓ bed soil.