As winter approaches, a cup of ginger tea or a warm bowl of ginger duck soup can help ward off the cold and nourish the body. Ginger is an essential ingredient in winter. Over the past five years, the ginger cultivation area in Taiwan has been approximately 850 hectares. However, growing ginger is not easy, as diseases like soft rot, Fusarium wilt, and bacterial wilt often affect production. In response to these challenges, the Taiwan Seed Improvement and Propagation Station (TSIPS) of the Ministry of Agriculture(MOA) has been collecting ginger varieties from across Taiwan since 2017. They have introduced the concept of healthy seedling production, conducting comprehensive research and trials. Finally, the collected ginger varieties are trialed in local fields to confirm their suitability for the region, thus establishing a robust system for healthy ginger seedlings.

TSIPS has collected ginger varieties from major production areas, including Nantou, Taitung, Hualien, Taichung, and Miaoli, as well as secondary regions such as Chiayi, Pingtung, and Hsinchu. To date, 36 strains from 12 regions have been collected, including local specialties like Guangdong ginger, Chu ginger, large ginger, and Nanyang ginger (Figure 1). These high-quality ginger strains undergo an initial evaluation, after which they are selected based on industry needs and then propagated through tissue culture to produce disease-free seedlings. At the same time, mass propagation techniques are developed to scale up production.

The establishment of healthy ginger seedlings requires multiple layers of control. First, tissue culture is used to eliminate fungal pathogens, followed by testing for the presence of Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV). Next, selective culture media are used to screen for bacterial wilt. Once the seedlings are confirmed to be free of pathogens, they are multiplied through tissue culture. The G0 seedlings are acclimated and grown in a greenhouse, where they produce G1 ginger rhizomes. After the G1 ginger rhizomes are harvested and recorded, they are used as seed rhizomes for further cultivation in a controlled environment, eventually yielding G2 healthy ginger (Figure 2).

TSIPS continues to select and preserve superior ginger strains, establishing a cultivation system for these varieties. Once the G2 healthy ginger plants are produced, they are returned to the industry for field trials (Figure 3). Currently, seven strains are undergoing field trials by farmers, with the aim of providing a reliable source of healthy ginger. Additionally, the use of environmentally friendly materials, beneficial microorganisms, and facility-based cultivation techniques helps to establish a comprehensive system for healthy ginger production.

▲Fig. 1 A total of 36 ginger strains collected from 12 regions across Taiwan.		▲Fig. 2 The process of selection and production system for healthy ginger seedlings established.
▲Fig. 3 Field trials of G2 healthy ginger plants conducted within the industry.