Herbal materials used as soil amendments alleviate root rot of Panax ginseng

Abstract

Root rot is a serious soil-borne fungal disease that seriously affects the yield and quality of Panxa ginseng. To develop a sustainable strategy for alleviating ginseng root rot, an herb-based soil amendment is suggested in this study. Mixed powers of medicinal herbs (MP) and corn stalks (CS) were used as soil amendments, respectively, along with a control group (CK) without treatment. The application of MP and CS led to significant relief from ginseng root rot. The disease index (%) represents both the incidence rate and symptom severity of the disease. The disease index of the MP and CS group was 18.52% and 25.93%, respectively, lower than that of CK (40.74%). Correspondingly, three soil enzyme activities improved; the antifungal components in the soil increased; and the relative abundances of root rot pathogens decreased in response to MP Soil enzyme activities were negatively correlated with disease grades. MP group also led to possible interactive changes in the communities of soil fungi and chemical components. In conclusion, our results suggest that the use of herb-based soil amendments has significant potential as an ecological and effective approach to controlling root rot disease of ginseng by the changing rhizosphere fungal community and soil compositions.