The plant pest diagnostic lab is excited to announce a collaboration with the International Ginseng Institute (IGI) of Middle Tennessee State University. The International Ginseng Institute (IGI) at Middle Tennessee State University is currently conducting a research project on American Ginseng Disease Control sponsored by USDA-NIFA. If you have diseased ginseng plant samples please consider sharing them for this research. IGI will provide directions for shipment to the pathogen lab and in most cases will be able to reimburse your cost of disease diagnosis as a result of your participating in this program. Please send your request to ginseng@mtsu.edu or call 615-904-8351 for instructions. Submission sheets may be found here.
The objectives of this collaboration are to identify fungal pathogens causing disease on ginseng in Tennessee, describe the seasonality of fungal pathogens in our state, and evaluate efficacy of organic chemical controls for fungal pathogens detected. There are currently quite a number of different products available and labeled for use on fungal pathogens of ginseng. Below is a list of active ingredients and trade names available and registered for use both in Tennessee and on ginseng and select fungal pathogens. We are grateful for MTSU student intern Robert Eichas for his assistance in forming the foundation of our pathology work and in preparation of the tables below. Please note that this is an incomplete list, product labels may change from year to year, and availability of products change yearly. We do not recommend one product over the other. It is always important to know the identity of a plant disease to select a product specifically labeled for that disease. It should be noted that fungicides are not curative, but they will help prevent disease spread to other susceptible plants in a growing area.
Check out products labeled for use on fungal pathogens of ginseng by clicking each chemical class below. Classes with a star icon contain products that are OMRI certified organic. Trade names with a ** before them are OMRI certified organic. To search for chemical control options in your particular state, please visit the helpful search engine CDMS here.
If you are in Tennessee and interested in regulations on harvesting and growing ginseng in our state, please visit the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Ginseng webpage here. If you are new to ginseng and interested in growing it, please visit here for some helpful hints and important considerations from Cornell Ginseng expert Bob Beyfuss.
This table and blog were prepared by Robert Eichas, MTSU International Ginseng Institute, and Dr. Eleanor Lopez, UTIA Soil, Plant and Pest Center plant pest diagnostician.