Environmental Effects on Atractylodes macrocephala Rhizome Growth and Compounds

Dong Hwan Lee, Yonghwan Son, Jun Hyuk Jang, Dae Hui Jeong, Hyun-Jun Kim and Ji Ah Kim ()
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Dong Hwan Lee: Forest Medicinal Resources Research Center, National Institute of Forest Science, Yeongju-si 36040, Republic of Korea
Yonghwan Son: Forest Medicinal Resources Research Center, National Institute of Forest Science, Yeongju-si 36040, Republic of Korea
Jun Hyuk Jang: Forest Medicinal Resources Research Center, National Institute of Forest Science, Yeongju-si 36040, Republic of Korea
Dae Hui Jeong: Forest Medicinal Resources Research Center, National Institute of Forest Science, Yeongju-si 36040, Republic of Korea
Hyun-Jun Kim: Forest Medicinal Resources Research Center, National Institute of Forest Science, Yeongju-si 36040, Republic of Korea
Ji Ah Kim: Forest Medicinal Resources Research Center, National Institute of Forest Science, Yeongju-si 36040, Republic of Korea

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 18, 1-15

Abstract: The rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala , a perennial herb in the Asteraceae family, is valued for its bioactive atractylenolides, but achieving consistent quality in cultivation is challenging. This study aimed to decipher how environmental factors differentially regulate its biomass and atractylenolide content. We sampled from 22 Korean cultivation sites and performed correlation analyses, rigorously controlled by a False Discovery Rate (FDR) correction. Our analysis revealed that the environmental networks governing quantitative growth and qualitative composition are largely independent. While growth was weakly correlated with environmental factors, likely due to suboptimal temperatures at our sites, atractylenolide content was robustly associated with soil properties and climate. Specifically, soil texture was a dominant factor, with sand content showing a strong negative correlation (−0.717 ***) with total atractylenolides, whereas silt (0.675 ***) and clay (0.622 ***) had strong positive correlations. Additionally, cation exchange capacity (0.517 *) and temperature were positively correlated, while relative humidity showed a negative correlation (−0.553 **). This decoupling suggests that optimizing yield and phytochemical quality requires distinct cultivation strategies, providing a foundational framework for developing site-specific practices and quality control for this high-value medicinal herb.

Keywords: Atractylodes macrocephala; cultivation environments; medicinal herb; relationships; rhizome crops; secondary metabolites (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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