Prospects of Mentha spicata under mid-hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh

A field trial was conducted at the research farm and laboratory of the Department of Forest Products, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, HP to study the performance of Mentha spicata under varying dates of planting, row spacings and fertilizers. The results revealed that transplanting time had significant effect on growth and yield of the species. The crop transplanted on 15 February gave maximum values for plant height (36.82 cm), herb yield (173.15 q/ha), oil content (0.24%) and oil yield (50.89 kg/ha) as compared to January and March transplanted crop. Among different spacings 30 x 45 cm spacing registered maximum plant height (38.26 cm), herbage yield (188.30 q/ha), oil content (0.25%) and oil yield (48.72 kg/ha). Use of NPK registered maximum plant height (43.39 cm), herb yield (271.96 q/ha), oil content (0.42%) and oil yield (81.38 kg/ha) followed by application of vermicompost, FYM and Azotobacter. Use of optimum dose of NPK gave maximum cost/benefit ratio for this species.