• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.469-478
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• 2023

Background: Nitrogen (N) is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and development. To support agricultural production and enhance crop yield, two major N sources, nitrate and ammonium, are applied as fertilizers to the soil. Although many studies have been conducted on N uptake and signal transduction, the molecular genetic mechanisms of N-mediated physiological roles, such as the secondary growth of storage roots, remain largely unknown. Methods: One-year-old P. ginseng seedlings treated with KNO₃ were analyzed for the secondary growth of storage roots. The histological paraffin sections were subjected to bright and polarized light microscopic analysis. Genome-wide RNA-seq and network analysis were carried out to dissect the molecular mechanism of nitrate-mediated promotion of ginseng storage root thickening. Results: Here, we report the positive effects of nitrate on storage root secondary growth in Panax ginseng. Exogenous nitrate supply to ginseng seedlings significantly increased the root secondary growth. Histological analysis indicated that the enhancement of root secondary growth could be attributed to the increase in cambium stem cell activity and the subsequent differentiation of cambium-derived storage parenchymal cells. RNA-seq and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed that the formation of a transcriptional network comprising auxin, brassinosteroid (BR)-, ethylene-, and jasmonic acid (JA)-related genes mainly contributed to the secondary growth of ginseng storage roots. In addition, increased proliferation of cambium stem cells by a N-rich source inhibited the accumulation of starch granules in storage parenchymal cells. Conclusion: Thus, through the integration of bioinformatic and histological tissue analyses, we demonstrate that nitrate assimilation and signaling pathways are integrated into key biological processes that promote the secondary growth of P. ginseng storage roots.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.64-71
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• 2018

Background: The cultivation of ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) in greenhouses could reduce the use of pesticides and result in higher yield; however, construction costs are problematic. The adaptation of direct-sowing culture in greenhouses could reduce the cost of ginseng production. Methods and Results: To improve seedling establishment in direct-sowing culture, effects of sowing density (SD), number of seeds sown per hole (SN), and thinning (TH) treatment on the root yield were investigated after 3 years of seeding. The emergence rate was significantly influenced by SD, but not by SN or TH. Damping-off and rusty roots increased with an increase in SN with diminishing effects of SN on seedling establishment. Root weight and diameter were affected by SD, SN, and TH, however, there were no statistical significances. The total number of roots harvested per unit area increased with increasing SD and SN, and the weight of roots was affected by SD, but not by SN or TH. Conclusions: Multi-seed sowing per hole and/or thinning might not be an efficient method for the direct-sowing culture of ginseng. The SD for direct seeding culture in greenhouses should be approximately $33-42seeds/m^2$ for an optimum yield of 3-year-old ginseng.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.294-298
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• 1998

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of growth characteristics and mineral contents of ginseng seedling grown in different locations on ginseng growth and root yield. Ginseng seedling produced in 16 farmers' field at the semi-Yangjik seedbed were planted and cultivated in a field with same cultural practices. Missing plant was increased with increased year of ginseng age, especially severe at 5-year-old ginseng. Rate of missing plant was different among the origins of the seedling, even with the same weights. Negative correlation was noted between the missing rate of 3-year-old ginseng plants and NH4-N content of the seedling, but positive correlation between the missing rate and K2O and Ca contents of the seedling. Root yield of 6-year-old ginseng was also affected by the origins of ginseng seedlings. Root yield was high in ginseng plant from 0.6∼0.9 g see dings compared to those from over 0.9 g seedlings.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.281-284
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• 2007

The objective of this research is to provide basic information necessary to differentiate between ginseng (Panax ginseng) grown in woods environments and cultivated ginseng. The ginseng saponin (ginsenoside) contents of Korean woods-grown, 4 year-old cultivated, and 6 year-old cultivated ginsengs were determined via HPLC analysis. The total saponins in the woods-grown ginseng (0.648%) were approximately twice that of the 4 year-old cultivated (0.270%) and the 6 year-old cultivated ginsengs (0.280%). The protopanaxadiols (PD)/protopanaxatriols (PT) ratio of the woods-grown ginseng (3.258%) was higher than that of the 4 year-old cultivated (2.456%) and the 6 year-old cultivated ginsengs (2.183%). The $Rb_1/Rg_1$ ratio of the woods-grown ginseng (10.225%) was also higher than those of the 4 year-old cultivated (3.514%) and the 6 year-old cultivated ginsengs (4.865%).

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.233-243
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• 2018

This study was conducted to elucidate the effects of green manure crop on growth characteristics and saponin contents of Platycodin grandiflorum Ridix roots for organic farming. Rye, hairy vetch and rye+hairy vetch were cultivated as green manure crops with several different methods before transplanting P. grandiflorum Radix. In root width and number of fine-roots, when the highest scores (23.9 mm, 25.7) was recorded in rye pre-cultibated plot in $2^{nd}$ year cultivation. Fresh weight of the Platycodin grandiflorum Ridix root was no significant difference among the different green manure crop treatments, but fresh weights of the Platycodin grandiflorum Ridix root of all green manure crop treatments were higher than that of control. The total content of saponin was highest detected in Platycodin grandiflorum Ridix roots of the hairy vetch plot (1,106 mg/100 g) and rye plot (1,693 mg/100 g) in $1^{st}$ and $2^{nd}$ year cultivation, respectively. Therefore, we confirmed that precultivation of the green manure crops showed significant differences in the growth characteristics and saponin contents of the Platycodin grandiflorum Ridix root, and growth and saponin contents in the Platycodin grandiflorum Ridix root of rye precultivated plot was much higher in $2^{nd}$ year cultivation than $1^{st}$ year cultivation.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.217-222
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• 2010

Bark is a general medium for potted Cymbidium in Korea, but it is difficult to shake off or eliminate the medium from the roots before exporting the potted plants. This working process can injure the roots and then deteriorate plant marketability. This study was carried out to select the optimum medium easier to eliminate from the roots instead of bark and the optimum amount of applied fertilizer to improve the plant growth. Cymbidium young plants 'Honey Hot' and 'Desert Look' were planted in pots with bark, cocochip, and peatmoss. The plants were treated with 2, 4, and 6 g of slow release fertilizer. The plant growth characteristics were investigated in the first and second years during production period of three years. The medium characteristics and mineral nutrient content of the leaves were also examined in the second year. In the first year, the plant growth of 'Desert Look' was improved in all peatmoss treatments more than bark. 'Honey Hot' showed the highest plant growth values in the bark treatment. In the second year, the plant growth of the two cultivars was improved in peatmoss. Cocochip treatments showed the lower plant growth values than bark and peatmoss in the first and second year. There was no significant difference among fertilizer amounts in all the media. The higher CEC values of peatmoss medium resulted to higher capacity to hold more nutrients than bark, and the nutrient retention of the peatmoss improved the plant growth. The higher K and Ca contents in the leaves would contribute to improve the plant growth. Consequently, it would be possible to use peatmoss instead of bark for Cymbidium young plants, but there must be always attention to appropriately water the medium and manage the moisture.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1051-1056
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• 2016

The growth characteristics of Paeonia ostii 'Fengdan' seedlings roots in response to trichokonins-spray treatment were investigated in this study. One-year-old seedlings of P. ostii 'Fengdan' were potted in plastic cups containing garden mold and grown under field conditions. The results showed that application of trichokonins significantly promoted root growth in P. ostii 'Fengdan' seedlings. The total root projection area, total root surface area, total root volume, total root length, root number and root diameter of seedlings treated with 0.25 mg/L trichokonins were higher by 141.70, 116.59, 119.44, 55.97, 348.88 and 127.78%, respectively, than that of the control. Thus, the results supported the hypothesis that good growth condition for roots could directly improve their nutrient absorption and utilization efficiency, promoting plant growth and development.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.11
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• pp.726-731
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• 2010

We report the tissue-specific distribution of chitinolytic activity in Korean ginseng root and characterize two 31-kDa chitinolytic enzymes. These two enzymes (SBF1 and SBF2) were purified 70- and 81-fold with yields of 0.75 and 1.25%, respectively, and exhibited optimal pH and temperature ranges of 5.0-5.5 and 40-$50^{\circ}C$. With [$^3H$]-chitin as a substrate, $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ values of SBF1 were 4.6 mM and 220 mmol/mg-protein/h, respectively, while those of SBF2 were 7.14 mM and 287 mmol/mg-protein/h. The purified enzymes showed markedly less activity with p-nitrophenyl-N-acetylglucosaminide and fluorescent 4-methylumbelliferyl glycosides of D-N-acetylglucosamine oligomers than with [$^3H$]-chitin. End-product inhibition of both enzymes demonstrated that both are endochitinases with different N-acetylglucosaminidase activity. Furthermore, the $NH_2$-terminal sequence of SBF1 showed a high degree of homology with other plant chitinases whereas the $NH_2$-terminal amino acid of SBF2 was blocked.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1998.06a
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• pp.90-95
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• 1998

Symbiotic associations between land plants and fungi have been known for more than one hundred years. Vesiculararbuscular mycorrhizas (VAM) are the most common symbiosis in flowering plants and can be recognized in almost all plant families. These fungal associations play a very important role in the growth and survival of plant species. However, with respect to the importance and intensity of the VAM, there is great variation among host species. Our knowledge of the VAM fungus-plant association in Araliaceae is very limited. After the first reports of the occurence of VAM in lateral roots of Panax species, mycorrhizal structures are now described as special structures representing the so-called Paris type. In this type, the development of new spores and vesicles is extremely low. This and the type of colonization of the fungus in Panax roots indicates on, one hand, the high intensity of the VAM and, on the other hand, a remarkable dependency for VAM in members of the Panax species. Therefore, it can be easily understood that cultivated Panax plants exhibit a significant uptake of nutrients and this leads to an extremely depleted soil at harvest. Further, the soil is nearly free of the spores of VAM fungi as they germinate each year on the newly developing Panax roots.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.107-113
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• 2012

In order to investigate the diversity of endophytes, fungal endophytes in Panax ginseng Meyer cultivated in Korea were isolated and identified using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of ribosomal DNA. Three cultivars of 3-year-old ginseng roots (Chunpoong, Yunpoong, and Gumpoong) were used to isolate fungal endophytes. Surface sterilized ginseng roots were placed on potato dextrose agar plates supplemented with ampicilin and streptomycin to inhibit bacterial growth. Overall, 38 fungal endophytes were isolated from 12 ginseng roots. According to the sequence analysis of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2, 38 fungal isolates were classified into 4 different fungal species, which were Phoma radicina, Fusarium oxysporum, Setophoma terrestris and Ascomycota sp. 2-RNK. The most dominant fungal endophyte was P. radicina in 3 cultivars. The percentage of dominant endophytes of P. radicina was 65.8%. The percentage of colonization frequency of P. radicina was 80%, 52.9%, and 75% in Chunpoong, Yunpoong, and Gumpoong, respectively. The second most dominant fungal endophyte was F. oxysporum. The diversity of the fungal endophytes was low and no ginseng cultivar specificity among endophytes was detected in this study. The identified endophytes can be potential fungi for the production of bioactive compounds and control against ginseng pathogens.