Biomass production and essential oil in a new bred cultivar of peppermint (Mentha × piperita L.)

Mentha × piperita L. (peppermint) is one of the most economically important aromatic plants. The plant and its essential oil are used in medicine, cosmetics and food industry. Peppermint was obtained by crossing M. aquatica and M. spicata, and the industry is searching for new cultivars, with high biomass productivity and high content of essential oil (EO), with menthol and menthone as main components. A method of selection of clones and lines was used for breeding of the new cultivar ʻKristinkaʼ in East Slovakia. The present work describes the evaluation of the biomass production and qualitative and quantitative parameters of the essential oil during the breeding process of this cultivar. Average biomass production was 4.6 kg m2, average content of EO was 1.38%, with menthol and menthone amounts of 69.3 and 12.5%, respectively.