Effect of Date of Planting and Row Spacing on the Growth and Development of Peppermint (Mentha Piperita) L. in Tarai*

This experiment was conducted during 1976 at the Crop Research Centre of Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantaagar to study the effect of date of planting and row spacing on the growth behaviour of Peppermint Mentha piperita L. Studies showed that dry matter accumulation (g/m²) was maximum at the time of harvest (first and second cuttings). Delay in planting beyond 30th January resulted in reduced dry matter accumulation in first cutting. In the second cutting, such reductions were observed after 14th February planting. Dry matter accumulation decreased significantly with increasing row spacings. Fresh leaf to stem ratio increased with age and was maximum at the time of harvest. Closer spacings brought slight improvement in ratio upto first cutting. Delay in planting beyond 14th February resulted in the reduction of plant height and number of branches per plant. Closer row spacing (30 cm) resulted in increased plant height and decreased number of branches. Late plantings (after 14th February) resulted in lower moisture percentage in whole plant than earlier ones (15th and 30th January).