VARIATION IN THE GINSENOSIDE CONTENT OF AMERICAN GINSENG, PANAX-QUINQUEFOLIUS L, ROOTS

The weights and ginsenoside levels of twenty 4-year-old American ginse ng (Panax quinquefolius) roots harvested from a homogeneous-looking 1- m(2) plot were determined. It was found that the dry weight of the roo ts ranged from 3.5 to 22.8 g, a factor of 6.5; whereas the ginsenoside levels of these roots ranged from 24.7 to 56.4 mu mol/g, a factor of 2.3. Further, it was found that the larger plants also contained highe r ginsenoside levels on a weight basis. This finding is based, in part , on the ginsenosides in P. quinquefolius being located in both the pe riderm and cortex and the xylem and pith portions of the root. As the environmental variation experienced by the plants analyzed in this stu dy was minimized, a portion of the variation found in these traits is likely to be a result of genetic diversity within the crop. These find ings indicate that a cultivar of P. quinquefolius could be developed t hat would yield plants that have both an average weight and ginsenosid e level per gram of tissue substantially greater than that of the exis ting crop.