Investigation of the variation on the yield and quality characteristics of mint cultivar and clones grown in Isparta ecological conditions

In this study, the effect of cutting times on yield and quality characteristics (essential oil and color values) of mint species in Isparta ecology during the 2021 vegetation periods was studied. Cultivar (Basilicuminze) and clones of native and foreign origin (Dumetorum-1, Dumetorum-2, PI 557828, PI 557617) were used as plant experimental materials. Plants were harvested at budding (RO), pre-blooming (WM), and full blooming (RO) periods. The agronomic properties, essential oil ratio, and essential oil yields of the harvested plants were investigated with color values. The essential oil ratio was determined by the distillation method in the Clevenger apparatus, and the color values were determined with a colorimeter. As a result of the study, fresh herb yield and essential oil ratio varied significantly according to cutting time. The difference between cultivars/clones was significant statistically in other traits except for plant height. The highest values were obtained from clone PI 557828 with values of 38.20 t/ha in fresh herb yield, 10.38 t/ha in dry herb yield, and 5.18 t/ha in dry leaf yield. In the study, essential oil ratios were between 1.5 and 2.3%, and the highest value was obtained in the Dumetorum-1 clone. The essential oil yields were 54 and 107 L/ha and the highest yield was obtained from the PI 557828 clone. It was determined that there were slight lightenings in color from the first cutting to the third cutting according to the cutting mean values in the clones. Significant differences were observed between cultivars/clones in terms of a and b color values in fresh and dry leaves. As a result of the study, the yield was high in clone PI 557828, while the essential oil ratio and essential oil yield were high in PI 557828 and Dumetorum-1. In addition, oil yield was higher in the first cutting in two clones than in the other forms. In particular, these clones were indicated to be suitable for essential oil harvesting during budding and initiation of flowering.