Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2025

A PCR-based Genotyping Method to Distinguish Between Wild-type and Ornamental Varieties of Imperata cylindrica
Published on: February 20, 2012
Phenotypic and Genotypic Variation of Cultivated Panax quinquefolius
Abdurraouf Abaya1, Geovanna Cristina Zaro1, Alvaro De la Mora Pena1
1School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
Abstract:
American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is widely used due to its medicinal properties. Ontario is a major producer of cultivated American ginseng, where seeds were originally collected from the wild without any subsequent scientific selection, and thus the crop is potentially very diverse. A collection of 162 American ginseng plants was harvested from a small area in a commercial garden and phenotyped for morphological traits, such as root grade, stem length, and fresh and dry weights of roots, leaves, stems, and seeds. All of the traits showed a range of values, and correlations were observed between root and stem weights, root dry weight and leaf dry weight, as well as root and leaf fresh weights. The plants were also genotyped using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at the PW16 locus. SNP analysis revealed 22 groups based on sequence relatedness with some groups showing no SNPs and others being more diverse. The SNP groups correlated with significant differences in some traits, such as stem length and leaf weight. This study provides insights into the genetic and phenotypic diversity of cultivated American ginseng grown under similar environmental conditions, and the relationship between different phenotypes, as well as genotype and phenotype, will aid in future selection programs to develop American ginseng cultivars with desirable agronomic traits.
Related Concept Videos
Trihybrid Crosses
Some of Mendel’s crosses examined three pairs of contrasting characteristics. Such a cross is called a trihybrid cross. A trihybrid cross is a combination of three individual monohybrid crosses. For example, plant height (tall vs. short), seed shape (round vs. wrinkled), and seed color (yellow vs. green).
The F1 generation plants of a trihybrid cross are heterozygous for all three traits and produce eight gametes. Upon self-fertilization, these gametes have an equal...
Monohybrid Crosses
Test Cross
Genetic Variation
Genes exist in different versions called alleles,...
Dihybrid Crosses
Incomplete Dominance

