Background : This study was conducted to investigate the effect of inorganic compounds (germanium etc) on the characteristics of growth and ginsenoside contents in Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) cultivated in plastic houses.
Methods and Results : The experiments were performed in the Jinan (elevation: 300 meters above sea level). Seedlings (n = 72 per 3.3㎡) of Korean ginseng cultivar were planted on March 23, 2015. Shading material of plastic house was blue-white vinyl. From May to September of each year, 500 and 1,000 times diluted solution of germanium and silicate and these mixed solutions were drenched once a month. The chemical properties of the soil are as follows : pH, EC, organic content, and P2O5 of the soil were within the proper range, and the Mg content of the Ex-cations was lower than the standard value in 3 treatments, including 500 times solution of silicate. The rate of photosynthesis in Korean ginseng leaves were 2.2 - 2.5 μmole CO2/㎡/s in germanium and silicate treatment than in the non-treatment (1.5 μmole CO2/㎡/s). In the mixed treatment of silicate and germanium, the growth characteristics of the aerial parts (leaf and stem) of the Korean ginseng plants tended to be higher and longer than the other treatments. In a mixed germanium and silicate treatment, the root length was 33.3 ㎝, diameter was 23.5 ㎜, and the weight was the best at 53.8 g. The ginsenoside content was 16.8 ㎎/g in germanium treatment, 16.3 ㎎/g in germanium + silicate treatment. These were 37% and 33% higher than the control, respectively. The incidence of disease such as Alternaria panax was less in the inorganic treatment than in the non-treatment, and the incidence of disease was significantly decreased in the treatment with germanium + silicate.
Conclusion : By soil drench of inorganic ingredients in Korean ginseng plastic house cultivation, the growth of the aerial and root parts in ginseng were more improved than non-treatment and ginsenoside content was increased and decreased the incidence of disease.