## 3 Discussion
Previous studies have reported that soil properties differ depending on the proportion of coniferous and mixed forests, with higher proportions of broadleaf species having higher deciduous production than coniferous forests, resulting in higher contents of organic matter and total nitrogen with higher cation exchange capacity [72; 73]. Phosphate is an important factor involved in the biosynthetic pathway of ginsenosides, a class of terpenoids. It is used in the synthesis of isopentenyl pyrophosphate, a precursor of triterpenoids [74; 75; 76; 77]. Therefore, the positive correlation between free phosphate content and ginsenoside content may indicate that WSG is able to absorb phosphate from the soil to aid in ginsenoside biosynthesis. Since the number of leaflets per stem is a growth characteristic that is significantly correlated with ginsenoside content in a previous study of 4-year-old WSG [78], it is possible to predict the ginsenoside content of WSG by measuring the number of leaflets per stem before analyzing the ginsenoside content. In addition, as shown in this study, the growth and ginsenoside content of WSG are not necessarily proportional. The production of ginsenosides of WSG is not significant in an environment suitable for growth [77; 79]. Thus, the production of ginsenosides known to be secondary metabolites might have increased for self-defensive pathways of WSG in a harsh cultivation environment, although the growth of WSG might not be significant. A plant growth model is a virtual simulation of optimal growing conditions by synthesizing climate and soil data and the corresponding aerial and root growth data of a crop. It can predict growth changes in crops that are affected by various environmental factors. The most appropriate crop growth model should be applied considering the purpose and scope of each crop [80]. Plant growth modeling can also predict the potential effects of climate change on crop yields by analyzing responses of crops to given climatic conditions [81; 82; 83]. In addition, plant root growth and water uptake models can be applied to predict the growth of plant roots in different environments by developing the most appropriate algorithms for nutrient uptake in the soil [84; 85; 86; 87]. Structural and functional aspects of roots must be evaluated in a terrestrial biosphere model [88; 89]. The interaction between aerial and root growth of plants must be investigated through mathematical modeling [90]. In particular, since the use of chemicals is legally restricted and ginseng must be cultivated under natural conditions, investigating various environmental factors that might affect the growth and active ingredient biosynthesis of WSG, including climatic conditions (air temperature, solar radiation), soil pH and soil chemical properties (organic matter, exchangeable cations), and soil microbial communities inhabiting the rhizospheric soil of WSG cultivation sites, is essential. In addition, since the law was recently amended to allow the aerial part of WSG to be consumed, it is also necessary to develop a growth modeling algorithm for the interaction between aerial and root parts. The plant growth model is a method to find the optimal plant cultivation environment by synthesizing various environmental conditions such as plant growth, active components, climate environment, soil physicochemical properties of the planting site, and soil microbial communities. In particular, since the installation of artificial facilities and the treatment of chemicals are limited for wild-simulated ginseng, the environmental conditions of the cultivation site are very important for growth and active components synthesis. Through this study, we analyzed the growth and ginseng content of wild-simulated ginseng according to different forest physiognnies and identified the correlation between them to suggest the optimal environmental conditions for wild-simulated ginseng cultivation.