Phenotypic Stability in Japanese Mint (Mentha Arvensis L)

Eight commercial varieties and two promising strains of Japanese mint (natural source of menthol) were studied for stability of eight morpho-metric traits including the major economic trait essential oil yield. Significant differences existed for the genotypes as well as their interactions with the environments for the two (plant height and oil yield) of the eight traits. The variations in adaptation reactions of the genotypes across the environments for oil yield were largely due to their genotypic differences but not due to diversity in the environments. With the linear component of G x E interaction dominating over the non-linear component, the performance of the genotypes could be reliably predicted. For essential oil yield the varieties Kosi and Saksham came-out as the best genotypes under fluctuating environments.