Wisconsin ginseng industry relies on UW–Madison expert

As ginseng growers in Wisconsin prepare to export fresh ginseng roots to Taiwan, they need to be able to show that the roots will not carry a harmful nematode that could infect Taiwan’s banana crop.

Nematodes are a broad phylum of soil-dwelling animals that includes some important plant pests. Taiwan is concerned about Radopholus similis, a voracious nematode that occurs in Florida and other warm climates, says Ann MacGuidwin, a professor of plant pathology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, who is involved in the effort to prepare the state’s ginseng growers to enter this new export market....