Quality and Physiology of Selected Mentha Genotypes Under Coloured Shading Nets

• Published in: Agronomy (Basel) Vol. 15; no. 7; p. 1735
• Main Authors: Hubert-Schöler, Charlotte, Tsiaparas, Saskia, Luhmer, Katharina, Moll, Marcel D., Passon, Maike, Wüst, Matthias, Schieber, Andreas, Pude, Ralf
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.07.2025
• Subjects: abiotic stress; Biomass; Carvone; Chemical composition; Chlorophyll; Composition; Cosmetics; Data collection; Essential oils; Genotype; Genotype & phenotype; Genotypes; hyperspectral reflectance; Light; Medicinal plants; Medicine, Botanic; Medicine, Herbal; Mentha; Menthone; mint; Nets; non-invasive phenotyping; Physiological aspects; Physiological responses; Physiology; Plant growth; Radiation; Shading; Vegetation index; vegetation indices; volatile organic compounds; Germany
• ISSN: 2073-4395; 2073-4395
• DOI: 10.3390/agronomy15071735

Improving the quality of compounds in medicinal and aromatic plants is crucial due to their uses in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food sectors. One way of influencing plant composition is through exposure to different light conditions. Therefore, a two-year field study (2023–2024) was conducted to investigate the impact of coloured shading nets on the physiology, essential oil (EO) content, and composition of three Mentha genotypes: Mentha × piperita ‘Multimentha’, Mentha × piperita ‘Fränkische Blaue’, and Mentha rotundifolia ‘Apfelminze’. In addition to an unshaded control, the Mentha plants were grown under red and blue shading nets. Plant height and vegetation indices were collected weekly. Biomass accumulation, EO content, and composition were determined for each harvest. Both red and blue shading were found to influence the physiological responses and EO compositions of the plants, with red shading promoting slightly higher p-menthone levels in ‘Fränkische Blaue’ and ‘Multimentha’, while blue shading slightly increased carvone levels in ‘Apfelminze’. While EO content varied across harvest seasons (spring, summer, and autumn), ‘Fränkische Blaue’ responded to red shading, demonstrating an increased EO content. The findings suggest that targeted use of coloured shading nets can modulate EO quality. However, genotype-specific responses highlight the necessity of further research to define shading applications for different species and genotypes.