Effect of Rooting Promoters on Growth and Rooting Parameters of Mint (Mentha arvensis)

Abstract

Mint (Mentha arvensis L.) is one of the most important medicinal and aromatic plants cultivated for its essential oil and pharmaceutical value. The success of vegetative propagation depends largely on rapid root initiation and vigorous seedling establishment. A study was conducted under shade net condition at the garden land of Department of Horticulture, School of Agricultural Sciences, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan University, Trichy during June 2026 to July 2026 to evaluate the effect of different rooting promoters on the propagation of mint cuttings. Seven treatments comprising IAA (1000 and 1500 ppm), IBA (1000 and 1500 ppm), NAA (1000 and 1500 ppm) and an untreated control were evaluated in a Completely Randomized Design with three replications. Observations were recorded on days to sprouting, rooting percentage, number of roots per cutting, root length, number of leaves, fresh weight and dry weight. Among all treatments, IBA at 1500 ppm (T₄) recorded the earliest sprouting (5.67 days), highest rooting percentage (95.33%), maximum number of roots (16.33), longest root length (12.26 cm), highest number of leaves (24.67), maximum fresh weight (5.74 g) and dry weight (1.06 g). The untreated control recorded the poorest performance for all characters. The results indicated that IBA at 1500 ppm significantly enhanced rooting and vegetative growth of mint cuttings under shade net conditions and can be recommended for large-scale propagation.