Molecular identification of the Korean ginseng cultivar "Chunpoong" using the mitochondrial nad7 intron 4 region.
OBJECTIVE
Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) is one of the most important medicinal plants in the Orient. Among the nine cultivars of Korean ginseng, "Chunpoong" commands a much greater market value and has been planted widely.


METHODS
A rapid and reliable method for discriminating the Chunpoong cultivar was developed by exploiting a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the mitochondrial nad7 intron 4 region of nine Korean ginseng cultivars using universal primers.


RESULTS
A SNP was detected between Chunpoong and other cultivars, and modified allele-specific primers were designed from this SNP site to specifically identify Chunpoong cultivar via multiplex PCR.


CONCLUSIONS
We therefore present an effective method for the genetic identification of the Chunpoong cultivar of ginseng.
Wang
Hongtao
H
Korean Ginseng Center for Most Valuable Products and Ginseng Genetic Resource Bank, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Gyunggi-do, Republic of Korea.
Sun
Hua
H
Kwon
Woo-Saeng
WS
Jin
Haizhu
H
Yang
Deok-Chun
DC