Cultivation - Life Cycle of Mint Leaves
Description:
Hi, welcome to Tutorialspoint. In this tutorial, we will talk about the cultivation process of mint crop.
Mint has different names in different languages. In Hindi, it is called Pudina Patta. The botanical name of Mint leaves is Mentha Arvensis. It belongs to the family Labiaceae.
Mints are aromatic, almost exclusively perennial, rarely annual herbs. They have wide-spreading underground and over ground stolon’s and erect, square, branched stems. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, from oblong to lanceolate, often downy, and with a serrated margin. Leaf colors range from dark green and gray-green to purple, blue, and sometimes pale yellow. The flowers are white to purple and produced in false whorls called verticillasters.
Let us now see the required climatic conditions for the cultivation of mint crop. Mint can be cultivated both in tropical and sub-tropical areas. The mean temperature ranges between 20-40oC. A rainfall between 100-110 cm is ideal for its cultivation.
The cultivation of mint crop involves the following stages −
- Land preparation
- Seed sowing and stolon propagation
- Irrigation
- Weeding
- Pest and disease management
- Harvesting and yield
Let us now see how the land is prepared for the cultivation of mint crop.
Land preparation
Well-drained loam or sandy loam soils rich in organic matter having pH between 6 and 8.2 are ideal for the cultivation of mint crop. Mint can also be cultivated on both red and black soil. In case of acidic soil having pH less than 5.5, liming is recommended. Plentiful rainfall during growth and good sunshine during harvest is most suitable for optimum growth of the crop.
Seed sowing and stolon propagation
Mint can have vegetative propagation through stolon and runners. Mostly, the area under the crop is propagated by planting live juicy stolon around 8 to 10 cm long during early spring season. The seed rate is 400-450 kg stolons per ha. and the spacing varies from 40 to 60 cm. The spacing depends upon soil fertility and the kind of the intercultural implements used. The period between the first week on February to the second week of March is best suitable for the cultivation of Japanese mint.
Irrigation and weeding
During the summer season, irrigation is provided at intervals of 10-12 days whereas another 4-6 for autumn crop harvested in late October. For optimum growth, sufficient fertilizers and water must be applied to the mint crop. For good yield, the crop requires a minimum of 100 mm water. Water logging during rainy season should be avoided by providing adequate drainage. In case of heavy soils and the soils prone to water logging, it is preferable to cultivate mint on ridges. The frequency of irrigation can also be reduced by 25% through the application of leaf mulches @ 5 t/ha.
Pest and disease management
The major pests that attach the mint crop are Hairy Caterpillar, Red Pumpkin Beetle and Mint Leaf Roller.
- To control hairy caterpillar, spray insecticide Thiodan.
- Malathion can be sprayed to control Red Pumpkin Beetle.
- To control mint leaf roller, two to three sprayings of Thiodan @1.5ml/litre of water at weekly intervals is suggested.
The major diseases that attack the Mint leaves are Stolon Rot, Fusarium Wilt and Leaf blight.
- Treatment of the stolons with 0.25% solution of Captan - 2 to 3 minutes before planting is a preventive measure for controlling stolon rot.
- To control Fusarium Wilt, application of Benlate, Bavistin and Topsin is suggested.
- To control Leaf Blight, apply copper fungicide.
Harvesting and Yield
The crop planted through stolon in January and February is harvested twice – in June and October months. The first crop is harvested after 100-120 days of growth and the second harvest in about 80-90 days following the first harvest. The produce obtained at the harvesting stage contains 0.5 to 0.68% of oil; it is ready for distillation after wilting for 6-10 hrs. The wilted crop is cut 10 cm above the ground. A sickle can be used to cut the crop on bright sunny days. Harvesting on cloudy or rainy days decrease the menthol content in the oil.
The average yield is 20 tonnes of fresh herbage per ha in two harvests , which, in turn, yields around 250 kg of oil in a year.