The intention of this study was to determine the levels and accumulation of nutrients in three Mentha species and to test the performance of the nutrient solution for the growth of mint, obtained from previous data of dry matter production and quantity of nutrients extracted by M. arvensis, in NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) hydroponic system. The research was carried out at the Departament of Fitotecny, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), RS, Brazil, from October to December. A completely randomized design was used with three treatments (plant organs) and five replications. Stakes of matrix plants rooted in phenolic foam for 20 days in a nursery, being then transferred to final production gullies. The plants were harvested at 62 (M. arvensis), 69 (M. x gracilis) and 76 (M. x piperita var. citrata) days after planting, separeted in parts (roots, stems, leaves) and dried at 70°C for the determination of dry matter and tissue analysis. Nitrogen, calcium and potassium were the macronutrients with larger concentration in all plant parts; the micronutrients were iron, manganese and zinc. There was a higher accumulation of macronutrients in the leaves, followed by stems and roots. It was verified that the nutrient solution elaborated guaranteed a high phytomass production without the plants showing visual symptons of deficiency or toxicity of macro and micronutrients.
Mentha arvensis; Mentha x gracilis; Mentha x piperita var. citrata; hydroponics; plant nutrition
