Breeding of Superior Ginseng Cultivars

There is a total of 32 ginseng cultivating varieties (cultivars) in Korea which have unique agronomic and morphological traits. Each variety was registered as an official cultivar and protected for breeder’s rights permitted by the Korean government. All 32 elite cultivars have been developed by pure-line selection from local landraces and show diverse agricultural performances and characteristics such as growth, floral and fruit shape, root growth, shapes and processing traits, characteristics for biotic or abiotic stress, and ginsenoside compositions. This chapter will discuss the breeding method and characteristics, breeding history in Korea, and characteristics of officially registered ginseng varieties.