Allelopathic Effects of Ginsenosides from Panax ginseng on the Root Development of Four Cultivar Plants in Their Early Growth Stages

Abstract

Some allelochemicals, including ginsenosides secreted from the roots of ginseng and American ginseng, have been considered to play a regulatory role in population regeneration. This study was conducted to investigate the allelopathic effects of ginsenosides on the root development of several cultivar plants at the early growth stage. The different inhibitions in wheat, cabbage, and cucumber roots resulting from ginsenosides treatment at different concentrations were observed. The root vigor of the three receptor plants constantly decreased compared with the control when the treatment concentration increased; the root length and root fresh weight exhibited similar trends. However, ginsenoside treatment showed negligible effect on the hypocotyl adventitious roots of cucumber and mung bean. The root number, root length, root fresh weight, and root vigor showed no significant changes; however, the antioxidant enzyme activities were slightly enhanced compared with that of the control. These results indicate that the ginsenosides inhibited the root growth of all indicator plants, and these inhibitory effects were stronger on wheat and cucumber than on cabbage. However, no evidence indicates that ginsenosides inhibited the growth of hypocotyl cuttings of cucumber and mung bean.