Growing American ginseng in maple forests as an alternative land-use system in Québec, Canada

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) is a medicinal crop which provides tens of millions of dollars in income every year for Canadian farmers. Most of the ginseng roots are produced in open fields under expensive shade structures. Farmers need to plant ginseng at a very high density to achieve profitability. Since high planting densities are related to high disease levels, field-cultivated ginseng requires frequent applications of pesticide. Growing ginseng in forests eliminates the need of a shade structure and may reduce the need for pesticides. Thus, an experiment was performed in a maple (Acer rubrum) forest in Quebec to evaluate the effects of nutrient inputs such as lime or compost on ginseng development. Ginseng emergence and survival rates, leaf area and foliar and root weight were evaluated for each treatment. Soil samples were taken in each plot to determine the concentration of various soil nutrients. During the first two years of the experiment, it was noted that the application of lime had a significative positive effect on ginseng growth. This effect could be related to higher calcium concentration and/or lower aluminium toxicity. Liming would be an efficient way to improve the early development of ginseng in maple forests. This practice is also known to improve the health of maple stands.