Research Information System
Plant Biosystems, vol.160, no.2, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Purpose: Brassinosteroids (BRs) have been shown to exert several beneficial effects in plants, including enhancing yield. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 24-epibrassinolide (EBL) on Mentha arvensis and Mentha × piperita. Methods: Seedlings grown in a greenhouse were foliar-sprayed with five concentrations of EBL (0, 10–8, 10–7, 10–6 and 10–5 M), followed by morphological and physiological analyses. Results: Species in the 10–6 M EBL group showed the highest plant height, fresh and dry herb yield, chlorophyll content, and essential oil content. Treatment with 10–6 M EBL maximized total phenolic content and essential oil yield in M. arvensis and enhanced the antioxidant activity of M. × piperita. Treatment with 10–7 M EBL increased the antioxidant activity of M. arvensis and upregulated total phenolic and essential oil contents in M. × piperita. GC–MS analysis identified 11 essential oil components in M. arvensis (mainly pulegone, isomenthone, menthone, and 1-octen-3-ol) and 15 components in M. × piperita, mainly menthol, menthofuran, and menthone. Increasing EBL concentrations reduced menthone and isomenthone levels in M. arvensis. Heatmap, canonical correlation, and Z-score analyses confirmed that 10–6 and 10–7 M EBL significantly improved herb yield and antioxidant capacity. Conclusion: Optimized EBL application enhances growth and secondary metabolite production in mint.