High cell density of Panax notoginseng in a 17 l airlift bioreactor was achieved in batch cultivation using a modified MS medium. The dry cell weight, ginseng saponin and polysaccharide reached 24, 1.7 and 2.8 g l(-1), respectively, after 15 d. A strategy of sucrose feeding based on changes in the specific O-2 uptake rate was applied to the cell cultures, which increased these respective yields to 30, 2.3 and 3.2 g l(-1).