Bioscience Evidence 2026, Vol.16, No.4, 277-290 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 280 rhizome yield, good disease resistance, firm dried rhizomes, and relatively stable levels of the major bioactive compounds. Quality evaluation of A. macrocephala usually focuses on atractylon, atractylenolides I, II, and III, together with polysaccharides. These indicators are useful for comparing the chemical quality of different germplasm resources. However, it is unnecessary for family farms or commercial growers to analyze every individual plant. A more practical approach is to first remove materials with poor emergence, severe disease, or low commercial quality based on field performance. Representative samples from the best-performing plots can then be submitted to professional laboratories for analysis of the major bioactive compounds. Jeong et al. (2018) compared eight interspecific Atractylodes hybrids with a common A. macrocephala cultivar in Eumseong, Republic of Korea. Among the tested materials, "Sanwon" produced the highest rhizome dry weight per plant (53.8 g), followed by "Dachul" (50.0 g). Most hybrid lines had higher contents of atractylenolides I, II, and III, as well as higher yield per unit area, than the common cultivar. Based on both productivity and chemical quality, the authors concluded that "Dachul" has strong potential for commercial cultivation. 3 Environmental Factors Affecting Quality Formation inAtractylodes macrocephala 3.1 Soil conditions The rhizome is the main commercial part of A. macrocephala, and both the roots and rhizomes remain in direct contact with the soil throughout the growing season. Therefore, soil structure, pH, aeration, moisture status, and microbial composition all influence plant growth. Heavy clay soils are prone to waterlogging and oxygen deficiency after rainfall, which restrict root respiration and nutrient uptake. In contrast, overly loose soils with poor water-holding capacity can increase drought stress during hot and dry periods. Deep, well-structured loam soils with good drainage and moderate water- and nutrient-holding capacity are generally more suitable for uniform rhizome development. The effects of soil on medicinal quality cannot be explained simply by nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels. Soil pH, electrical conductivity, and nutrient availability also shape the rhizosphere environment, influencing the balance between pathogenic microorganisms, beneficial microbes, and other members of the soil microbial community. Fan et al. (2024) compared healthy and root rot-infected A. macrocephala plants by analyzing root tissues, rhizosphere soil, and surrounding bulk soil. Root rot was associated with clear changes in soil physicochemical properties and microbial community structure. The bacterial and fungal communities differed significantly between healthy and diseased plants. Several potential pathogens were enriched in the roots and surrounding soil of diseased plants, while the stability of the microbial interaction network was also reduced. 3.2 Temperature and climate Temperature and climatic conditions determine the length of the growing season, shoot growth, and rhizome enlargement in A. macrocephala. Suitable temperatures promote leaf development and photosynthesis, whereas prolonged high temperatures increase transpiration, accelerate soil water loss, and may suppress plant growth. Long periods of low temperature shorten the effective growing season and slow both shoot growth and rhizome biomass accumulation. Rainfall distribution is also important. Moderate rainfall supports normal plant development, but continuous heavy rain creates wet and oxygen-deficient soil conditions that increase the risk of root diseases. In contrast, prolonged drought limits leaf growth and reduces rhizome weight. Direct evidence of environmental adaptation in A. macrocephala has been relatively limited. Lee et al. (2025) investigated 22 cultivation sites in the Republic of Korea and analyzed the relationships between meteorological conditions, topography, soil characteristics, rhizome growth, and atractylenolide accumulation. The environmental factors affecting rhizome biomass were not identical to those influencing atractylenolide content. In other words, conditions that favor rapid rhizome growth do not necessarily produce the highest concentrations of bioactive compounds, and conditions that enhance the accumulation of one atractylenolide may not improve all yield-related traits. These findings indicate that high yield and high medicinal quality are related but should not be regarded as the same production goal.
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