Response of mint (Mentha spicata L.) crops to chemical and organic fertilization

Abstract

With the purpose to define the appropriate doses in the production of mint cultivation, this research was conducted in three locations (Gibraltar, Arboleda and Aguacatal) of the municipality of Jardín, Antioquia. The soils of these localities are andisols, with medium contents of organic matter, low in interchangeable bases, low in phosphorus and boron, with characteristics of low fertility. For this research, Mentha spicata L. (mint) was seeded at a distance of 0.3x0.3 m, in an experimental design of randomized complete blocks with four repetitions, with five increasing doses of compound fertilizer (10-30-10) (0, 60, 120, 180, and 240 kg ha-1), in combination of five increasing doses of organic fertilizer (0, 1.8, 3.6, 5.4, and 7 t ha-1), and one control with a biological fertilizer. In five foliage harvests, the highest dry matter (DM) yields were achieved with the application of 180 and 120 kg ha-1 of 10-30-10, with yields of 156 and 158 g of DM per square meter, respectively.