2.6 KiB
Executable file
2.6 KiB
Executable file
Mint species are economically important for their essential oils, and their growth and chemical profiles are sensitive to various stressors.
- Abiotic Stress Factors: Mint is affected by a wide range of abiotic stresses including salinity, drought, heat, and heavy metals.
- General Effects: These stressors alter the plant's morphology, physiology, and biochemical processes, leading to dysfunction in growth, photosynthesis, and respiration.
- Drought Stress: Decreases fresh and dry weight, leaf number, plant height, and root dry weight.
- Drought and Essential Oils: While biomass may decrease, drought stress can sometimes increase the concentration of essential oils and enhance their antioxidant activity.
- Drought and Photosynthesis: Water stress negatively impacts photosynthetic activity.
- Salt Stress: High salinity levels adversely affect plant growth, oil yield, and physiological parameters.
- Salinity and Biomass: Increasing NaCl concentrations significantly reduces fresh and dry biomass production.
- Salinity and Essential Oils: Moderate salinity may increase essential oil content, but higher levels cause a decrease. Salinity also alters the chemical composition of the oil, decreasing menthol while increasing menthone and menthofuran.
- Proline Accumulation: The amino acid proline increases in tissues under environmental stress, indicating an adaptive response.
- Chlorophyll Content: Drought stress can cause a reduction in chlorophyll content.
- Phenolic and Flavonoid Content: Drought stress has been shown to increase total phenolic and flavonoid content.
- Oxidative Stress: Drought can lead to an increase in hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, indicating oxidative stress.
- Species Sensitivity: Among different mint species, Mentha arvensis is particularly susceptible to loss of oil percentage under salinity stress.
- Heat Stress: Reduces the content of essential oils.
- Combined Stresses: The response of mint to combined stresses can differ significantly from its response to a single stress factor.
- Phytohormones: The application of various phytohormones can help alleviate the negative impacts of environmental stress.
- Bio-stimulants: The use of commercial bio-stimulants can improve morphological performance and ameliorate the effects of water stress.
- Root Formation: Salinity stress can inhibit adventitious root formation, which is important for vegetative propagation.
- Secondary Metabolites: The production of secondary metabolites is a defense mechanism for survival and adaptation to stress conditions.