Abstract

Introduction. The production of medicinal plants is a market that has been growing rapidly in recent years and requires sustainable agronomic techniques to meet this demand. The herb spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) is one of these plants in demand worldwide. However, there are not many techniques for its commercial cultivation, whether in terms of harvest, post-harvest, or propagation. As for propagation, this is usually done vegetatively, occasionally with the use rooting agents. Among the wide variety of rooting agents available in the market, the use of algae extracts such as Ascophyllum nodosum is a sustainable alternative. Objective. To evaluate the influence of Ascophyllum nodosum extract on the rooting of spearmint cuttings. Materials and methods. The trial was carried out under greenhouse conditions at National Agricultural University La Molina, Peru with different doses of the extract and different evaluation times. Doses of 0, 1, 5 and 10 ml L^-1 of the extract and 3 evaluation moments were used, which were 21, 28 and 35 days after cutting. In this way, an appropriate dose and transplanting time would be obtained. The variables evaluated were root number, root length, rooting percentage, fresh weight of stem, root and leaf, and dry weight of stem, root and leaf. Results. Spearmint cuttings showed significant differences (( = 0.05) for root length, rooting percentage, and root fresh weight with the application of the extract, with better results in the 10 mL L^-1 dose for root length and root fresh weight. Conclusion. Ascophyllum nodosum extract proved to be efficient in rooting Mentha spicata cuttings.

Keywords: Mentha spicate; medicinal plants; biostimulant; Ascophyllum nodosum; plant roots