Ginseng (Panax ginseng) is a self-fertilized crop, and all ginseng cultivars developed until now have been bred by pure-line selection. Ginseng has few genetic variations and lacks diversity in genetic resources. To obtain genetic resources with useful traits, mutations must be artificially induced. In this study, indehiscent seeds from ginseng landrace were treated with 20 to 400 Gy of gamma rays for 24 hours to determine the optimal dose for mutation breeding. Results showed no significant differences in seed dehiscence rates among the 0 Gy (control) to 80 Gy groups. However, above 100 Gy, the dehiscence rate sharply decreased as the radiation dose increased. Seed development below 40 Gy was superior to that of control but declined rapidly above 60 Gy. The seedling survival rate decreased significantly at 60 Gy (less than 50% compared to that of the control), and most seeds did not survive above 100 Gy. We observed a significant reduction in the growth of seedlings irradiated above 60 Gy. The above results suggest that a suitable gamma-ray dose for inducing mutagenesis in indehiscent ginseng seeds is 40 Gy.

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• Somatic Embryogenesis and Acclimatization from Anther Culture of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer
  Jung Woo Lee, Jang Uk Kim, Kyong Hwan Bang, Dong Hwi Kim, Ick Hyun Jo, Young Chang Kim
  Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science.2023; 31(2): 73.     CrossRef
• In Vitro Micropropagation of Commercial Ginseng Cultivars (Panax ginseng Meyer) via Somatic Embryogenesis Compared to Traditional Seed Production
  Jung-Woo Lee, Nayeong Kwon, Jang-Uk Kim, Kyong-Hwan Bang, Sung Min Jung, Sung Woo Lee, Dong-Hwi Kim, Young-Chang Kim, Ick-Hyun Jo, Young-Doo Park
  Horticulturae.2023; 9(4): 435.     CrossRef