Cultivation Capability and Comparison of Growth, Yield, Morphological and Physiological Characteristics of Five Species of Mint in Aquaponic System

The present study was conducted with the aim of symbiotic integration of Cyprinus carpio and five species of mint in the aquaponics system. The experiment was performed as a split plot design in time. Mentha species including Mentha aquatica, Mentha pulegium, Mentha spicata, Mentha suaveolens and Mentha piperita were considered as the main plot and harvest times (first and second) were used as sub-plots. The highest leaf number, internode length, number of stolon and leaf area were belonged to M. aquatica. On the other hand, M. aquatica, M. piperita and M. pulegium showed the highest shoot dry weight and stem diameter, while, the highest dry weight of stem and plant height were obtained in M. pulegium. The highest leaf/stem ratio was also observed for M. suaveolens, M. spicata and M. aquatic, respectively The highest relative water content (RWC) was related to M. piperita, which was not significantly different from those of M. aquatica, M. spicata and M. suaveolens. The highest greenness (SPAD) index was obtained in M. aquatica and M. piperita. Almost all of the studied traits including leaf fresh weight, stolon fresh weight, shoot fresh weight, leaf number, plant height, number of stem, leaf area, RWC and SPAD index were higher in the second harvest of mint species. Overall, M. aquatica and M. piperita showed a better performance than other species in terms of most of the studied traits and may be recommended for cultivation in the aquaponics system.