Screening of a Mentha spp. collection for physiology and essential oil content under field conditions

ISHS Secretariat
Screening of a Mentha spp. collection for physiology and essential oil content under field conditions

Plants of the genus Mentha spp. have numerous applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries because of their essential oils (EO). A Mentha collection consisting of 20 different genotypes was examined to identify locally adapted and high yielding genotypes. For this experiment, 12 measurement dates were carried out bi-weekly from April to October 2023, with three harvest dates (1st harvest: July; 2nd harvest: August; 3rd harvest: October). Included were plant height, physiological reaction via hyperspectral measurements and calculation of vegetation indices (VIs; PSRI, MCARI 1 and REIP1) in addition to determining biomass and EO content at each harvest. The EO was also examined for three genotypes: Mentha rotundifolia ‘Apfelminze’, Mentha × piperita officinalis ‘White Mitcham’ and Mentha longifolia var. asiatica ‘Asiatische Minze’ over the course of the day. The genotype with the highest plant height at each harvest date was Mentha rotundifolia ‘Apfelminze’. In comparison, Mentha smithiana ‘Rote Minze’ showed the lowest height. For the second and third harvest dates, Mentha × piperita officinalis ‘White Peppermint Spearmint’ had the lowest plant height. Additionally, the genotypes were distinguishable via their Vis, and their dry biomass varied significantly. For the second harvest Mentha smithiana ‘Rote Minze’ had the lowest dry mass and Mentha rotundifolia ‘Apfelminze’ the highest. There were also significant differences in EO content between genotypes and harvest dates. EO rich genotypes were Mentha arvensis × spicata ‘Japanische Heilminze’ and Mentha arvensis var. piperascens ‘Japanische Tigerölminze’. In Germany, in addition to established cultivars like Mentha rotundifolia ‘Apfelminze’, Mentha × piperita ‘Fränkische Blaue’ and Mentha × piperita ‘Multimentha’, there are other genotypes that are well adapted to the Central European climate. These genotypes produce high biomass and EO yields. In addition to the quantity of EO, further research into the composition of the EOs of different genotypes is needed.

Charlotte Hubert-Schöler won the ISHS Prof. Jens Wünsche Young Minds Award for the best oral presentation at the International Symposium on Genetic Resources in Horticulture: Screening, Propagation, Use, and Conservation at EHC2024 in Romania in May 2024.

Charlotte Hubert-Schöler, INRES-Renewable Resources, Campus Klein-Altendorf, University of Bonn, Klein-Altendorf 2, D-53359 Rheinbach, e-mail: charlotte.hubert@uni-bonn.de

The article is available in Chronica Horticulturae

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Mentha spp.
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Young Minds Award Winners