Abstract
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Virginia mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum), a mint-flavored herb with diverse aroma profiles and high essential oil content, offers the potential for culinary, confectionary, and medicinal applications. The genus is native to North America, and the southeastern United States is considered the center of diversity. North Alabama has conducive weather conditions for the commercial production of mountain mint, provided suitable varieties and cultivation techniques are developed. The objective of this research was to assess adaptability, above-ground biomass production, essential oil content, and its composition of four Virginia mountain mint varieties over two years in north Alabama. Thirty-day-old greenhouse-grown seedlings of four varieties (M1, M2, M3, and M4) were planted in field plots in Year 1.
In Year 1, total fresh above-ground biomass ranged from 125 g per plant (M4) to 809 g (M3), with M1 and M2 producing 699 g and 561 g. In Year 2, fresh above-ground biomass increased by 82% for M1, 66.5% for M2, 21.9% for M3, and 226.9% for M4. Mountain mint regrowth in Year 2 consistently increased over Year 1. At the first harvest in Year 1, the EO content of M1 was 1.15%, higher than M2 (0.91%), M3 (0.76%), and M4 (1.03%). At first harvest in Year 2, the EO content of M1 and M3 increased to 4.91% and 1.85%, respectively. The EO content of M2 and M4 decreased to 0.53% and 0.79% respectively.
In Year 1,isomenthone concentrations in M1 increased significantly throughout the season, from 19.93% at H1 to 69.31% at H3. In M3, isomenthone rose from 18.1% at H1 to 65.83% at H3. However, it increased only slightly in M2 and M4. Thymol concentration decreased slightly but not significantly across all four varieties. Thymol levels in M2 and M4 were much higher than in M1 and M3. In year 2, M1 and M3 had higher levels of isomenthone (31 & 21%, respectively), whereas M2 & M4 had the highest levels of thymol (33 and 71%, respectively). Varieties M1 and M3, with higher EO content and greater plant and leaf biomass, were the best-performing varieties. The study showed mountain mint offers potential for production in North Alabama. Farmers can maximize yield and minimize production costs by growing the crop over multiple seasons.
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