## 3 Results and Discussion
### Correlation Between Wild-Simulated Ginseng Growth Characteristics and Soil Microbial Communities  
The correlation analysis between the growth characteristics of WSG and soil microbial communities revealed that rhizome length was significantly positively correlated with _Bacteroidetes_ at the phylum level (\(r=0.673\), \(p=0.033\)), as well as _Thermoleophilia_ (\(r=-0.855\), \(p=0.002\)) and _Gemmatimonadetes_ (\(r=-0.891\), \(p=0.001\)). _Pedosphaerae_ demonstrated a significant negative correlation with both the number of leaflets per stem (\(r=-0.739\), \(p=0.015\)) and petiole length (\(r=-0.730\), \(p=0.017\)), while the number of rootlets exhibited a significant positive correlation with _Clostridia_ (\(r=0.634\), \(p=0.049\)) (Table 2). _Bacteroidetes_ \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Soil Properties**} & \multicolumn{5}{c}{**Growth Characteristics**} \\ \cline{2-6}  & **Stem Length** & **Flower Stalk Length** & **Rhizome Length** & **No. of Rootlets** & **Total Weight** \\ \hline pH & 0.429 (0.397) & 0.200 (0.747) & 0.418 (0.229) & 0.079 (0.828) & 0.857 (0.014) * \\ EC & 0.370 (0.470) & \(-0.949\) (0.014) * & \(-0.219\) (0.544) & \(-0.157\) (0.665) & \(-0.337\) (0.460) \\ OM & 0.493 (0.321) & \(-0.718\) (0.172) & 0.237 (0.510) & \(-0.585\) (0.155) & \(-0.180\) (0.699) \\ TN & 0.371 (0.468) & \(-0.500\) (0.391) & 0.006 (0.987) & \(-0.492\) (0.148) & 0.029 (0.961) \\ Avail. P & \(-0.086\) (0.872) & \(-0.600\) (0.285) & \(-0.636\) (0.048) * & 0.243 (0.498) & \(-0.464\) (0.294) \\ Ex. K & \(-0.086\) (0.872) & \(-0.400\) (0.505) & 0.335 (0.343) & \(-0.670\) (0.034) * & 0.114 (0.758) \\ Ex. Ca & \(-0.829\) (0.042) * & \(-0.100\) (0.873) & \(-0.381\) (0.352) & 0.024 (0.955) & \(-0.500\) (0.253) \\ Ex. Mg & \(-0.116\) (0.827) & \(-0.359\) (0.553) & \(-0.170\) (0.638) & \(-0.210\) (0.560) & 0.030 (0.954) \\ Ex. Na & \(-0.145\) (0.784) & \(-0.308\) (0.614) & \(-0.351\) (0.320) & 0.049 (0.892) & \(-0.704\) (0.077) \\ CEC & 0.200 (0.704) & \(-0.500\) (0.391) & 0.164 (0.651) & \(-0.377\) (0.283) & 0.214 (0.645) \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Relationship between growth characteristics of wild-simulated ginseng and soil properties of experimental sites using [PERSON]’s rank correlation analysis. are prevalent in forest soils and enhance plant growth by neutralizing soil salts [96] and facilitating nutrient absorption [97; 98]. _Pedosphaarea_ are prevalent in peat layers formed from the fossilization of plant material and exist in substantial quantities independent of the soil core, showing a significant definite correlation with both soil moisture and the C/N ratio, which are vital for plant growth [99; 100]. _Thermoophilia_ and _Gemmatimonadetes_ are microbial communities typically found in soils with shrub layers and deep, saline soils, respectively [101; 102]. Although WSG growth in shrub layers tends to surpass that in non-shrub layers [103], this study reveals a significant inverse correlation with rhizome length, indicating that factors such as the microbial community, meteorological conditions (solar radiation, air temperature, soil moisture), and forest characteristics (dominant tree species, height, trunk diameter) influence WSG growth. _Clostridia_ predominantly reside in forest soils, inhibit soil pathogen activity [104; 105; 106], and facilitate plant growth through nitrogen and CO\({}_{2}\) fixation [107; 108; 109]. This bacterial community indirectly affects plant root growth by competing with pathogens for both space and nutrients in rhizosphere soils [110]. In this study, the relative frequency of _Clostridia_ demonstrated a significant positive correlation with the number of WSG rootlets, potentially augmenting WSG growth. Various beneficial microorganisms, including plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), showed plant growth stimulation by secreting plant hormones such as auxins, cytokins, and gibberellins. These plant hormones can stimulate root development, thereby promoting the growth of the whole plant [111].