Perspectives and behaviors surrounding planting practices in North America inform genetic conservation realities for American ginseng ( <scp> <i>Panax quinquefolius</i> </scp> )

Societal Impact Statement American ginseng is a shade‐obligate, North American medicinal plant that is widely traded and used internationally. To meet global demand, ginseng is cultivated in forest farms in the Appalachian region of the USA and field‐based artificial shade farms in two regions: Ontario, Canada, and Wisconsin, USA. We conducted social research leveraging in‐depth interviews with growers to inform wild population genetics and future crop development efforts by examining how ginseng genetic materials are sourced, selected, and distributed in forest‐based and artificial shade farming systems. We identified patterns in grower practice that inform global conservation efforts in ginseng and other medicinal plants. Summary Understanding the population genetics of threatened medicinal plant species is essential to building effective conservation management strategies that promote sustainable plant use for human health and wellbeing. Yet molecular approaches on their own do not incorporate human perspectives and behaviors, including trading planting stock and intensive cultivation, that may influence genetic population structure. Research continues to assess genetic and phenotypic variation in cultivated and wild ginseng plants; however, the practices associated with ginseng planting have mostly been overlooked. In this study, we incorporated the knowledge of ginseng growers by conducting key informant interviews with artificial shade and forest growers in the U.S.A. and Canada (N = 34) and analyzed these data using Grounded Theory methods. Results from these interviews highlight the importance of artificial shade farms in Wisconsin and Ontario as likely sources of genetic and phenotypic variation in forest‐cultivated and wild‐occurring ginseng populations. Plant selection and seed saving practices were mostly unconscious decisions, and evidence of deliberate selection of genetic materials for specific traits was largely absent. Growers reported that lack of access to local seed sources is an important driver of planting stock movement from artificial shade farms to forest farms that can be used to establish “wild” forest populations. Artificial shade farms were found to produce large seed surpluses, while forest farms reported difficulties obtaining planting stock, leading to heavy reliance on importing non‐local cultivated planting materials. These results highlight the importance of involving growers in future efforts involving planting stock conservation and seed banking for sustainable medicinal plant use.