Ginseng Conservation Program in Russian Primorye:Genetic Structure of Wild and Cultivated Populations

Abstract

“The Regional complex long-term program of restoration (reintroduction) of Primoryes ginseng population up to 2005” elaborated by Primorye governor administration, Regional Committee of Natural Resources and Russian Academy of Sciences operates in Russian Primorye. The Institute of Biology and Soil Science (IBSS) provides the scientific implementation of the program including the genetic analysis of extant ginseng populations, plant reproduction and off-spring identification. According to our investigations, the genetic resource of P. ginseng in Primorye is represented by three populations of wild-growing ginseng and a few pritate plantations. The results obtained by RAPD allowed concluding that the resource is dispersed among the wild and cultivated ginseng sub-populations in such a way that each of sub-populations studied has to be represented as a stock material to maintain species genetic variability. The allozyme analyses also showed that the small sub-populations of wild ginseng are characterized by unique genetic diversity and, therefore, they all need to be represented in reintroduction centers. Additionally the allozyme analysis discovered that the Blue Mountain and Khasan populations possess the most genetic diversity. So, at least one more reproductive ginseng unit has to be created besides two already existing reintroduction centers representing the Sikhote-Alin and the Blue Mountain populations.