Influence of Boron and Iron Toxicity on the Physiological Status, Growth, and Mineral Uptake of Ginseng in Hydroponic Culture

인삼 수경재배 시 붕소와 철 과잉 농도가 인삼의 생리장해 증상, 생육 및 무기원소 흡수에 미치는 영향

Background: Ginseng is a perennial crop grown for more than four years in the same place. Therefore, it is highly affected by the soil environment, especially nutrients in the soil. The present study was carried out to investigate to the influence of boron and iron concentrations on the physiological status, growth, and mineral uptake of ginseng to obtain the basic information for diagnosing a physiological disorder in ginseng plants. Methods and Results: The boron and iron concentrations were controlled at 3, 30, 150, 300 and 2, 20, 100, $200mg/{\ell}$, respectively. When treated with $150mg/{\ell}$ of boron, the ginseng plants showed yellowing or necrosis symptoms at the edge or end of their leaves. Compared with the $3mg/{\ell}$ treatment, the root weight decreased by 13 and 24% in the 150 and $300mg/{\ell}$ treatments, respectively. When treated with $20mg/{\ell}$ of iron, the ginseng plants showed yellowing between the veins of the leaves followed by the formation of brown spots. The root weight gradually decreased with increasing iron concentration. Approximately 55% decrease in root weight was observed upon treatment with $200mg/{\ell}$ of iron. Conclusions: The boron toxicity occurs in the leaves of ginseng at the boron concentration of approximately 1,900 mg/kg or more. The iron toxicity occurs at the iron concentration of approximately 120 mg/kg for leaves and 270 mg/kg for roots.