Lighting direction in controlled setting impacts the growth and quality of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer sprouts

Abstract

Ginseng sprouts have garnered significant public interest recently, as they offer a more convenient and easily accessible way of consuming ginseng compared to mature ginseng roots. In controlled ginseng cultivation settings, there has been a predominant emphasis on factors such as light intensity, quality, and duration, while comparatively less attention has been given to the direction of light. In the present investigation, the influence of light from three different orientations such as side (S), side and top (ST) and top (T) was examined for the changes in morpho-physiological, biochemical and molecular characteristics of ginseng sprouts grown from one year old roots. In comparison to illumination from a single direction, either from S or T, the simultaneous application of light from both orientations (ST) has notably enhanced the growth, physiology, as well as the efficacy of both enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activities. However, S lighting has demonstrated a favorable impact on the accumulation of mineral nutrients, closely trailed by ST lighting. In terms of ginsenosides content, T lighting led to significant enhancements in the accumulation of Rd, Rd2 and Rg1, while ST lighting induced the accumulation of F2. Moreover, gene expression analysis suggested that T and ST lighting was influential in regulating the genes associated with ginsenoside biosynthesis. Therefore, the results indicate that manipulating the lighting direction can serve as a key factor for ginseng sprout cultivators to produce high quality ginseng sprouts characterized by enhanced growth, nutrients, antioxidants and ginsenosides content. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Korean Society for Horticultural Science 2024.