Handbook of Herbs and Spices - Volume 3

508 Handbook of herbs and spices

farming, vermicompost has emerged as a best source of organic nutrients. To ensure

optimum growth and yield of oil of high quality, vermicompost (@10 t/ha) is

recommended for peppermint (M. piperita) (Khanuja et al., 2004). Because essentially

there is no difference between M. piperita and M. spicata for their cultivation and

organic farming, the same recommendation (10 t/ha vermicompost) is suggested for

also M. spicata.

31.3.9 Important Indian varieties

The use of its high-yielding varieties is an essential prelude to achieving success in

commercial cultivation of spearmint. Indian spearmint now has a couple of high-

yielding varieties which are described in brief in Table 31.1. Among the varieties

discussed above, the interspecific hybrid Neer kalka (Fig. 31.2) has emerged as the

most popular variety for large-scale commercial cultivation in view of its high yield

potential and profuse stolon reproductivity that is usually not observed in other

varieties.

Table 31.1 Characteristics and origin of spearmint cultivars

S. Cultivars Characteristics Origin
no.

2.

3.

4.

MSS-5

Arka

Neera

Neer

kalka

Medium tall; growth erect; stem medium hard, largely green,

lower portion magenta coloured, 4.6 mm thick; leaf:stem

ratio 0.58; leaves elliptic ovate, green 6.4 cm^2 size;

inflorescence raceme of verticillasters, upper cymes

condensed and lower cymes lax, sessile; flowers white,

medium in fertility; essential oil content in fresh shoot

herb 0.62%; oil carvone rich (65%); medium in yield.

Medium tall; growth erect, vigorous; stem hard, largely

green, lower portion magenta coloured, 4.2 mm thick;

leaf:stem ratio 0.60; leaves elliptic-ovate, green, 6.8 cm^2

size; inflorescence similar to that of cv. MSS-5, early

flowering; essential oil content in fresh shoot herb 0.65%;

oil carvone rich (68%); medium in yield.

Medium tall; growth semi-erect; stem medium hard, largely

green, lower portion light magenta coloured, 4.1 mm thick;

leaf:stem ratio 0.54; leaves elliptic, green, 4.5 cm^2 size;

inflorescence raceme of verticillasters, cymes condensed,

sessile; flowers purplish white, low fertile; essential oil

content in fresh shoot herb 0.45%; oil carvone rich (58%);

oil yield low; unique odour and flavour.

Tall; growth erect; stem soft, largely green, purple pigmented

at base, 5.5 mm thick; leaf:stem ratio 0.61; leaves ovate-

elliptic, green, 6.9 cm^2 size; inflorescence racemose of

axillary verticillasters; flowers whitish purple, fertile;

essential oil content in fresh shoot herb 1.0%; oil rich in

carvone (72%) and limonene (9.7%); high oil yield (growth

properties mostly like that of its female parent M. arvensis

cv. Kalka and oil quality mostly like that of its male parent

M. spicata cv. Neera.

Clonal selection

in the accession

MSS-1

Clonal selection

of cv. MSS-5

Unknown

geneology

F 1 hybrid from

the cross: 
M.

arvensis cv.

Kalka X M.

spicata cv. Neera

Source: (Bahl et al., 2000 and Patra et al. 2001).