Characteristics of Resistant Lines to High-Temperature Injury in Ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer)

This experiment was conducted to examine ginseng lines resistant and susceptible to high-temperature injury and to investigate characteristics of the selected lines: leaf burning phenomenon, chlorophyll content, quantum yield, and maximum light interception rate. The leaf burning phenomenon incidence rates of the resistant lines Yunpoong, high-temperature injury resistance (HTIR)1, HTIR2, and HTIR3 were low: 5.8%, 3.6%, 4.0%, and 1.9%, respectively. Resistance of the susceptible lines Chunpoong, high-temperature injury susceptible (HTIS)1, and HTIS2 was high: 58.5%, 23.2%, and 21.7%, respectively. The chlorophyll content (SPAD value) of the resistant lines Yunpoong, HTIR1, HTIR2, and HTIR3, which were exposed to high temperatures and intense light, remained as high at 24.8, 27.9, 24.9, and 30.6, respectively, but that of the susceptible lines Chunpoong, HTIS1, and HTIS2 was low at 21.0, 21.1, and 20.1, respectively. During the summer season, the quantum yield of the resistant lines (Yunpoong, HTIR1, HTIR2, and HTIR3) changed little, but that of the susceptible lines (Chunpoong, HTIS1, and HTIS2) changed dramatically. The maximum light interception rate (Fm/Fv value) for the resistant lines (Yunpoong, HTIR1, HTIR2, and HTIR3) was as high as 0.848, 0.794, 0.805, and 0.813, respectively, while that of the susceptible lines (Chunpoong, HTIS1, and HTIS2) was 0.678, 0.642, and 0.717, respectively. Based on these results, the high-temperature injury-resistant lines seemed to be less susceptible to high light, even at high temperatures. Future studies on red ginseng quality and its active ingredients in resistant ginseng lines and field experimentation will be conducted to verify the potential of the resistant lines.