Quality and Physiology of Selected Mentha Genotypes Under Coloured Shading Nets
2025
Charlotte Hubert-Schöler | Saskia Tsiaparas | Katharina Luhmer | Marcel D. Moll | Maike Passon | Matthias Wüst | Andreas Schieber | Ralf Pude
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&ndash: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 &lsquo:Multimentha&rsquo:, Mentha ×: piperita &lsquo:Frä:nkische Blaue&rsquo:, and Mentha rotundifolia &lsquo:Apfelminze&rsquo:. 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 &lsquo:Frä:nkische Blaue&rsquo: and &lsquo:Multimentha&rsquo:, while blue shading slightly increased carvone levels in &lsquo:Apfelminze&rsquo:. While EO content varied across harvest seasons (spring, summer, and autumn), &lsquo:Frä:nkische Blaue&rsquo: 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.
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