Effects of Transplanted Ginseng Root Ages on Rooting and Growth
Background : Panax ginseng C.A.Meyer is a perennial herb and its growth potential keep relatively high at least for the early 3 years old. If the transplanted ginseng roots of 2 or 3 years old grow well, a period of cultivation and the disease management cost could be reduced for the production of 6 years old ginseng roots. Methods and Results : The rooting and growth of a transplanted ginseng root could be affected by the age of a transplant. Therefore, the experiments were conducted to examine the influences of the age factor on the rooting and growth of transplanted ginseng roots. The ginseng roots with different plant ages in growth years (1, 2, and 3 years old), used in this study, were obtained by raising in a seedling production field near the Punggi Ginseng Experiment Station. The transplants were continuously grown under the same conditions after transplanting. The number of lateral or branched roots at the root-growing period after transplanting was basically higher in originally older plant ages compared to younger plants: the numbers of secondary and tertiary branched roots of the 1 year-old transplants were 8, 12, respectably; 2 years old: 12, 20; 3 years old: 12, 28. Those did not show any difference in both overground and underground growing, in compared to conventional cultivations with roots of a year old. The plants grew well without anthracnose, spotting disease, and high temperature injury. Conclusion : The conventional cultivation period of above 5 or 6 years for the raw material of red ginseng might be shorten and also the cost of disease control could be decreased, by transplanting of 2 or 3 years old roots raised at a seedling nursing field.