ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo identify potential distribution areas for wild Panax ginseng cultivated under forest in Liaoning province， China， and analyze the ecological factors of spatial stratified heterogeneity affecting its ecological suitability and quality suitability. MethodWild Panax ginseng samples cultivated under forest were collected from 33 cultivation bases in Liaoning province. The Maxent maximum entropy model and ArcGIS were used to delineate the ecological suitability zones. Correlation analysis was performed on seven indicators and 110 ecological factors. Variables with significant correlation （P<0.05） were used to build partial least squares regression analysis models. A comprehensive quality zoning was conducted using the analytic hierarchy process （AHP）. The geographic detector was employed to analyze the interactions among dominant ecological factors of spatial stratified heterogeneity affecting habitat suitability， quality suitability， and the ecological driving factors. ResultVegetation type was the most influential ecological factor for delineating the ecological suitability zones for wild Panax ginseng in Liaoning province. The main ecological suitability areas for wild Panax ginseng cultivated under forest were located in the northeast， east， and southeast regions along the line from Xifeng County to Gaizhou City. The comprehensive quality suitability of wild Panax ginseng cultivated under forest was highest in Kuandian County and Huanren County and gradually decreased to the northwest and southwest. Within the delineated regions， the suitability conditions and comprehensive quality of wild Panax ginseng cultivated under forest were primarily influenced by the interactions between radiation and precipitation factors. The content of the measured samples was significantly higher than the standards in the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia， indicating the high overall quality of wild Panax ginseng in Liaoning Province. ConclusionAccording to the zoning and prediction results， areas in Fengcheng City， Xiuyan County， Zhuanghe City， Liaoyang County， Tieling County， Xifeng County， Gaizhou City， Haicheng City， and Dashiqiao City showed large potential distribution areas with high quality， making them highly promising for wild Panax ginseng cultivation. However， further experimental verification is required. The zoning results can provide insights for research on habitat suitability and comprehensive quality accumulation of wild Panax ginseng cultivated under forest， as well as guidance for the search for potential cultivation areas and industrial development of wild Panax ginseng in Liaoning Province.