L-Arginine affects the pennyroyal mint (Mentha pulegium L.) yield and essential oils planted on sandy soil
摘要
Essential oil of pennyroyal mint (Mentha pulegium L.) has biological characteristics that make it appealing for usage in the pharmaceutical and food sectors. Scientific study is aimed at improving plant stress tolerance since essential oils and stress are fundamentally related to increase the production of essential oil on Egypt’s sandy soil. So, the goal of this study was to lessen the risk that sandy soil stress conditions provide to pennyroyal mint plants (as a natural source of essential oil) via using L-Arginine to help them adjust to sandy soil. Four L-Arginine concentrations (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 g L− 1) were sprayed on pennyroyal mint plants, in addition to using distilled water as a control spray. The yield of pennyroyal mint and the essential oil composition of L-Arginine treatments were examined in comparison to the control. Plants treated with 0.3 L-Arginine produced the heaviest fresh (241.8–271 g plant− 1) and dried (43.4–58.9 g plant− 1) herbs as well as essential oil content (1.5 and 1.6% or 0.8 and 1.0 g plant− 1). Menthone was the major component of essential oil, while oxygenated monoterpenes was main chemical class. Essential oil isolated from plants subjected to 0.2 L-Arginine gave the highest amount of menthone (37.9%), while those exposed to 0.1 L-Arginine resulted in the greatest value of oxygenated monoterpenes with the value of 89.4%. It is possible to deduce that for pennyroyal mint grown on sandy soils, L-Arginine must be added as it helps them adjust to the unfavorable circumstances in such soils and enhance their productivity and composition of essential oils.