Differences in ginseng quality and soil characteristics in different growth modes of Panax ginseng

Ginseng has three main growth modes, and there are significant differences in quality among ginseng grown under these different modes; however, the mechanism by which soil nutrients and enzyme activity influence ginsenosides synthesis, leading to differences in quality among ginseng grown under different modes, remains unclear.

We systematically measured soil physicochemical properties, soil enzyme activity, and total ginsenoside along with key monosaponin content in ginseng.

The results indicate that wild ginseng soil exhibited significantly higher total carbon, soil organic carbon, catalase, and sucrase activities compared to understory ginseng and cultivated ginseng, with generally higher available potassium levels; Soil from understory ginseng exhibited the highest acid phosphatase activity (60,546.74-71,212.00 U/g), with all indicators falling between wild ginseng and cultivated ginseng; cultivated ginseng soil had lower organic carbon content, and significantly lower urease activity than the other two growth patterns. Regarding ginsenoside content, wild ginseng exhibited the highest total ginsenoside content in both aboveground (7.74%) and belowground (5.28%) parts, with significantly superior levels of key monosides such as Rg1, F2, and Rh4 compared to both understory ginseng and cultivated ginseng. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations between catalase and sucrase activities and total carbon and organic carbon content. Conversely, acid phosphatase activity showed a significant negative correlation with available potassium and phosphorus levels.

Taken together, the high organic matter content and synergistic high enzyme activity in wild ginseng soil provide ample substrates and energy for ginsenoside synthesis, constituting key factors for its superior quality. These findings provide theoretical support for optimizing ginseng cultivation practices and enhancing product quality.