Life Sciences Commons^™

Dynamics Of The Soil Microbiome In Ginseng Gardens, Megan E. Lambert

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Ginseng Replant Disease (GRD) is a syndrome in which ginseng cannot be cultivated in soil previously used to grow ginseng. Since GRD can persist for decades, it severely impacts the Ontario ginseng industry. To better understand the origin of GRD, the impact of ginseng cultivation on the soil microbiome was investigated in bulk soil of three newly planted ginseng gardens in Ontario, from seeding through two years of cultivation. While specific trends in species richness, diversity and composition were unclear, PERMANOVA analyses confirmed that they changed over time. Known GRD-related pathogens, including Ilyonectria mors-panacis and Fusarium oxysporum, were detected in …