**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** AMERICAN GINSENG (AG, PANAX QUINQUEFOLIUS L.) IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST UNIT VALUE CASH CROPS AND ONE OF THE MOST WELL-KNOWN MEDICINAL PLANTS ORIGINATING FROM NORTH AMERICA. AFTER BEING HARVESTED FOR OVER 300 YEARS FROM THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS IN NORTH AMERICA, WILD AG HAS BECOME SCARCE AND NOW ALMOST ALL THE AGS SOLD WORLDWIDE IS CULTIVATED (LIU ET AL., 2021). DESPITE ITS PRODUCTION ONLY CONTRIBUTING TO LESS THAN 8% OF THE TOTAL WORLD AG PRODUCTION, THE DEMAND FOR HIGH-QUALITY AG HAS INCREASED STEADILY IN THE PAST DECADE BOTH DOMESTICALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY, ESPECIALLY THOSE PRODUCED FROM WILD-SIMULATED AND/OR ORGANICALLY MANAGED SYSTEMS. BECAUSE GINSENG IS WELL RECOGNIZED FOR ITS HEALTH-PROMOTING PROPERTIES SUCH AS BOOSTING IMMUNITY AND PREVENTING RESPIRATORY DISEASES (YUAN ET AL., 2010; PREDY ET AL., 2005), THE DEMAND HAS INCREASED DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. PARTICULARLY, DUE TO THE SCARCITY OF DEDICATED CERTIFIED ORGANIC LAND IN THE MAJOR GINSENG PRODUCTION COUNTRIES (USA, CANADA, CHINA, AND SOUTH KOREA), AMERICAN FARMERS HAVE A UNIQUE ORGANIC MARKET NICHE AVAILABLE THAT CAN GREATLY ENHANCE SUSTAINABILITY OF RURAL AREAS THAT ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR LARGE-SCALE AGRONOMIC CROP PRODUCTION BUT PERFECTLY SUITED FOR GINSENG GROWTH (E.G. WOODED, SLOPPING, AND ROCKY AREAS). HOWEVER, THE GREATEST IMMEDIATE PROBLEM CHALLENGING ORGANIC AMERICAN GINSENG PRODUCTION IS FUNGAL DISEASES CONTROL, WHICH TYPICALLY REQUIRES FREQUENT, SOMETIME EVEN DAILY USE OF COSTLY FUNGICIDES (DAVIS, 2002). PERSISTENT FUNGAL PATHOGEN ISSUES CAN NOT ONLY JEOPARDIZE BIOMASS PRODUCTION BUT DECREASE MICROBIAL DIVERSITY IN SOILS, CREATING A REPLANTING ISSUE AGAINST CONTINUOUS MONOCULTURE PRODUCTION (LI ET AL., 2020; YANG ET AL., 2015). PRESENTLY, ORGANIC AND TRANSITIONAL FARMERS CANNOT FIND SCIENTIFICALLY PUBLISHED DATA OR EXTENSION PUBLICATIONS ON HOW TO ORGANICALLY MANAGE FUNGAL PATHOGEN ISSUES IN GINSENG PRODUCTION. THUS, OUR GOALS FOR THIS PROPOSED PROJECT ARE TO (1) EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BIOLOGICAL CONTROL MICROBIAL AGENTS AND BOTANICAL EXTRACTS ON FUNGAL DISEASE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT FOR ORGANIC AG PRODUCTION; (2) STABILIZE CHANGES TO THE SOIL MICROBIOME THAT OCCUR UNDER CONTINUOUS AG PRODUCTION BY INCREASING NATIVE BACTERIAL SPECIES KNOWN TO BE ANTAGONIST TO FUNGAL PATHOGENS AND TOXIN ACCUMULATION; AND (3) PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE ORGANIC PRODUCTION AND CERTIFICATION TO LOCAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL GINSENG PRODUCERS BY EMPHASIZING BOTH THE CONSUMER'S MARKET PREFERENCE AND HIGHER PROFIT MARGIN; (4) DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATIONAL AND OUTREACH PROGRAM TO EFFICIENTLY TRANSLATE OUR PROJECT FINDINGS TO STAKEHOLDERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC. THE RESEARCH COMPONENTS OF THIS MULTIPRONGED PROJECT WILL INCREASE AGROECOSYSTEM RESILIENCE WHILE ATTENUATING FUNGAL PATHOGEN PRESSURE AND LESSENING THE REPLANTING DIGRESSION ISSUE. ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL RELY ON ESTABLISHED EDUCATION AND EXTENSION NETWORK TO DISSEMINATE OUR FINDINGS TO DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDER GROUPS ON A REGIONAL AND NATIONAL SCALE. THE PROPOSED PROGRAM WOULD BE THE FIRST MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL, MULTIDISCIPLINARY, AND COLLABORATIVE PROJECT ON ORGANIC AG PRODUCTION ACROSS THE APPALACHIA REGION; WHICH COULD COHESIVELY BOLSTER ORGANIC AG PRODUCTION, INCREASE MARKET COMPETITIVENESS AND DIVERSITY FOR ORGANIC GINSENG PRODUCERS, ENHANCE THE ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY IN RURAL AREAS THAT MAINLY SUPPORTS GINSENG PRODUCTION, AND MAINTAIN VALUES AND ETHNIC TRADITIONS IN AMERICAN RURAL COMMUNITIES AS A WHOLE.