Growing Three Wild Herbaceous Plants, Allium victorialis var. platyphyllum, Ligularia stenocephala, and Panax ginseng in the Understory of Larix kaempferi Plantation

Two edible plants, Allium victorialis var. platyphyllum and Ligularia stenocephala, and one medicinal plant, Panax ginseng, were cultivated in the understory of an artificial Larix kaempferi plantation for ten years. Growth characteristics (number of leaves and flower stalks per plant, and leaf length and width), survival rate, and yield (fresh weight of plants) per unit area (1 ㎡) were investigated one year after planting, and six and ten years following cultivation. P. ginseng and L. stenocephala survived at a high percentage for two years after planting. Results showed that P. ginseng had longer and thicker roots when aged; however, a large number of plants died and the yield was low. In contrast, almost half of A. victorialis var. platyphyllum died within two years of planting. The surviving plants grew well for ten years and the yield was increased. The leaf length and width of L. stenocephala increased; however, the survival rate and the number of leaves per plant decreased as the period of cultivation was extended. In contrast, A. victorialis var. platyphyllum survived at a lower rate (50%) than the two other crops (98% for L. stenocephala and 83% for P. ginseng) during the early cultivation period, with little change in the survival rate over an extended time; however, the yields increased. This species showed an increase in the number of flower stalks and leaves, and as a result, the larger leaves increased the yield. We evaluated the understory cultivation of three crops in a L. kaempferi plantation under natural conditions, with no irrigation or fertilization, and Allium victorialis var. platyphyllum showed the greatest growth potential among the three tested crops.