Black Cohosh and Goldenseal Field Establishment in a Marginal Woodland

Black cohosh and goldenseal are highly market-demanded and shade-loving medicinal plants. Heavy collection of these plants from the wild has caused significant decline or disappearing in plant population. Cultivation of such medicinal plants in woodlands instead of collecting them from the wild is an attractive and alternative way to meet the market demand and to conserve natural resources. Such cultivation or forest farming practice could significantly enhance and diversify income opportunities for small scale farmers and woodland owners. Black cohosh and goldenseal rhizomes were planted and established in a wooded research field on the farm of North Carolina A&T State University. The overall goal was to help small scale farms to find alternate ways to increase their productivity and profitability by developing an efficient propagation protocol for medicinal plants and using forest farming on marginal woodland. Woodland was slightly tilled after cleaning up of weeds and bushes in areas where raised beds were made later with added composts. Drip irrigation was established on the raised beds, with beds without drip lines served as controls (drip irrigation was applied initially to all beds until plants established). Hardwood mulch was added on top of and between the raised beds after planting to hold moisture. Each species was planted in the raised beds using a split plot, randomized complete-block design (RCBD) with six treatments of irrigation and spacing. The irrigation treatment (with- and without drip irrigation) was applied in main plots, while spacing (three levels) was applied in split plots. The bed size was 4 x 76 ft and the split plot size was 4 x 24 ft.