Investigating the Soil Mycobiome of American Ginseng
Abstract
American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) is a perennial herbaceous plant cultivated for its medicinal properties. Growers report that when ginseng is replanted in a field previously used to cultivate ginseng, it soon succumbs to disease, known as ginseng replant disease. I examined changes in composition in the ginseng mycobiome throughout cultivation in a newly planted garden and beyond (i.e., 3–14 years post-harvest) with a third-generation metabarcoding approach (Pacific Biosciences, single-molecule real-time sequencing). Amplicons of about 600 nucleotides from the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and translation elongation factor 1-α gene were chosen to help discriminate between closely related fungal species. The ITS data showed community variations in fungal plant pathogens Fusarium oxysporum and F. solani over cultivation, and traces of Ilyonectria mors-panacis in ginseng garden soil. The mycobiome data generated provides insight into the dynamics of ginseng garden soil during ginseng cultivation and beyond.