Field Surveys of Soil Conditions in Steppe of Northeastern Mongolia

Abstract: Licorice (Glycyrrhiza) is among the world's most ancient herb. It is a temperate-zone herb but grows wild also in arid lands including northern China, Mongolia and central Asia. Recently, it is said that overharvest of licorice have been leading to the land deterioration and/or desertification. As a final goal of this study, we are attempting to develop a cultivation technique of high-quality licorice which can bring a solution for a stable supply of licorice as well as for countermeasure against the desertification. As a first step for establishing the licorice cultivation technique, field surveys were carried out in natural growth areas of southern and northeastern Mongolia. The surveys were conducted focusing on subsurface conditions where licorice grows to find the soil condition which is suitable for growing high-quality licorice. This paper presents results of the measurements; grain size distribution, water content, chemical composition and electric conductivity, etc. Licorice roots collected in the fields contain high concentration of the active ingredient called glycyrrhizin, indicating that the soil conditions made clear from the investigations will provide a clue to a solution for establishing the cultivation technique of high-quality licorice.