Effect of Drought Stress on Growth and Productivity of Some Mentha Species

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Horticulture,Faculty of Agriculture, Minia University,Egypt

2 Department Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Res. Depof Horticultura, Hort. Res. Inst., Agri. Res. Centre, Cairo, Egypt

3 Horticultural department, Fac. of Agric., Minia Univ., Egypt

4 Department of Horticultura,

Abstract

Three Mentha species were subjected to irrigation up to100, 66 and 33% of field capacity (FC). Plants were cut three times during the growing season. Plant fresh and dry weights, volatile oil percentage and yield were significantly varied among the three species and due to the reduction in FC. In the 1st cut, M. piperita L. plants had the highest fresh weights during both seasons, for example in the 1st one they had 18.07 and 19.08 g/plant, respectively when growing soil maintained at 100% FC. While the lowest plant fresh weights of that cut on both seasons were 5.41 and 6.50 g/plant, respectively were for M. spicata. By reducing FC from 100% to 33% in the 1st cut, plant dry weights of M. spicata L. were reduced by 48 and 34%, in the two seasons, respectively. Whereas the reduction was the lowest for M. suaveolens Ehrh. nevertheless, the lowest dry weights (0.73 g/plant) were for M. piperita grown at 33% FC. The volatile oil % was increased (p≤0.5) under 66% FC but it decreased under 33% FC compared with 100% FC treatment. Overall, in the 1st season the highest volatile oil percentage (0.90%) being for any of these species under 66% FC as well as M. suaveolens grown at 100%FC. Moderate drought stress using 66% FC could be recommended for M. spicata and M. piperita as no or slight reduction on VO yield was assessed. However, M. suaveolens is more sensitive for even mild stress (66%FC) and should be irrigated to maintain soil with full FC.

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