Flower Abscission and Induction in North American Ginseng with Ethephon

Abstract

<jats:p>Field experiments over 2 years were used to determine the effect of ethephon on: plant growth, weight of berries, proportion of red, green and immature berries, and root weight (economic yield) of 3-year-old north american ginseng plants (<jats:italic>Panax quinquefolius</jats:italic> L.). Ethephon sprays applied during bloom that thoroughly wetted the foliage and inflorescences immediately induced crop canopy descent (epinasty) exposing inflorescences and subsequently reducing plant height. Within a week the desired inflorescence and peduncle browning and flower drop took place. In each of four experiments ethephon, over the range 500 to 4000 mg·L<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup>, reduced berry weight and percent red berries, and increased the percent immature berries linearly. However, the responses to ethephon were variable. The highest concentration of 4000 mg·L<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> ethephon caused similar results in both years to the traditional practice of hand removal of inflorescences, but foliar reddening and some defoliation were observed. Buffering ethephon sprays at pH 2.6, 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 gave similar results. The surfactant Tween 20 did not increase the effectiveness of the sprays. Generally, multiple applications of ethephon at lower concentrations were no more effective than comparable single higher concentration sprays. Carry-over effect of ethephon in the second year included crop stunting, an increase in root weight, and berry weights and berry color proportions similar to those plants on which hand removal was carried out in the first year. Chemical names used: 2-chloroethyl phosphonic acid (ethephon).</jats:p>

Morphological and Ginsenoside Differences among North American Ginseng Leaves

“…The inflorescences were removed during bloom either manually or by a spray of Ethephon at 1,500 mg L -1 as outlined by Fiebig et al . [23]. The method for ginsenoside extraction, purification and quantification was similar to those described previously [15,24].…”

Steamed American Ginseng Berry: Ginsenoside Analyses and Anticancer Activities

“…As a perennial herb, American ginseng flowers and fruits in its third or fourth year (13). American ginseng root is normally harvested between its fifth to seventh year.…”

Are berries useless by-products of ginseng? Recent research on the potential health benefits of ginseng berry

“…When culturing ginseng, cultivators are required to choose between harvesting the seed for further plantings or removing the inflorescences to increase root development (Fiebig et al, 2005[ 5 ]), which suggests that the ginseng berry (fruit) may be considered a useless by-product of ginseng. However, phytochemical analyses determined that ginseng berries contained higher amounts of total ginsenosides than the root (Kim et al, 2009[ 16 ]).…”