## 3 Results and Discussion
### Growth Characteristics of 7- and 13-Year-Old Wild-Simulated Ginseng  
When analyzing the growth characteristics of 7- and 13-year-old WSG collected from the Yeongju area, significant differences were observed (\(p<0.0032\), Figure 2). The measured growth characteristics included the following: stem length 17.6-22.1 cm, stem diameter 2.1-3.0 mm, flower stalk length 10.2-18.1 cm, number of leaflets per stem 14.8-18.4, petiole length 4.5-5.8 cm, leaflet length 8.8-9.9 cm, leaflet width 3.4-3.8 cm, rhizome length 13.1-29.2 mm, root diameter 9.2-10.7 mm, root length 16.2-16.9 cm, number of rootlets 18.4-26, total weight 5.0-7.9 g, root weight 3.32-3.34 g, and dry weight 0.9-1.04 g (Figure 2). Parameters such as stem length (\(p<0.0358\)), stem thickness (\(p<0.0422\)), flower head length (\(p<0.0032\)), root thickness (\(p<0.0489\)), and total weight (\(p<0.0318\)) were significantly better in 13-year-old WSG than in 7-year-old WSG. Conversely, flower stalk length (\(p<0.0074\)) and the number of rootlets (\(p<0.0375\)) showed superior results in 7-year-old WSG compared to 13-year-old WSG. [PERSON] et al. [42] also reported that an increase in the age of WSG corresponded to greater rhizome lengths, but root length and main root diameter decreased. Similarly, [PERSON] et al. [43] noted that rhizome length increased with the age of WSG, but no significant differences in root length, main root diameter, and weight were observed. Additionally, the growth and ginseng content in 13-year-old WSG was higher than in 7-year-old WSG [44]. WSG is grown in the mountains without the use of pesticides and fertilizer. The 13-year-old WSG grows better than the 7-year-old WSG because it is affected by soil nutrients and environmental factors for a long period.  
The growth characteristics of WSG can vary depending on the soil component content, and previous studies have indicated that increased levels of exchangeable calcium in the soil correlate with improved WSG growth [45; 46]. However, in this study, despite the significantly higher exchangeable calcium content in the soil of the 13-year-old WSG planting site, most growth characteristics, except for the rhizome length, were greater in the 7-year-old site than in the 13-year-old site, suggesting that another factor may have influenced growth. Soil microorganisms enhance plant growth by mineralizing organic matter into ionic forms, which plants can utilize as nutrients [47; 48; 49; 50; 51], and beneficial bacteria strengthen plant immunity against the external environment, thus boosting plant  
Figure 2: Growth characteristics of 7- and 13-year-old wild-simulated ginseng. Aerial parts: stem length, stem diameter, flower stalk length, number of leaflets, petiole length, leaflet length, leaflet width. Root parts: rhizome length, root diameter, root length, number of rootlets. Weight parts: total weight, root weight, dry weight. *\(p<0.05\), **\(p<0.01\).  
productivity [52; 53]. This facilitation enables plants to grow more rapidly and to develop greater resistance and tolerance to external stressors such as soil salinity [54; 55], drought [56; 57], heavy metals present in the soil [58], and pathogens [59].