Abstract
A field experiment using a randomised block design was conducted during 1994 and 1995 at Pantnagar Field Station, India, in which menthol mint (Mentha arvensis L.) cv. Gomati suckers were planted on 22 January, 07 and 22 February, and seedlings were transplanted on 09 and 24 March and 10 April. For each planting date, two harvests were carried out at designated intervals for measurement of number of branches, leaf:stem ratio, plant height, oil and Menthol content, and fresh matter yield. The results showed that the crops planted earlier were taller and more highly branched and gave higher yields of fresh matter and essential oil compared to those transplanted later. The late-transplanted crops had higher leaf:stem ratios and produced up to about 75% of the oil yield of the early-planted crops. It is concluded that M. arvensis cv. Gomati is suitable for late transplanting and can be fitted into the prevailing rotation of crops in the order of rice/legume/maize-potato/wheat-mint.
