A Fresh Approach to Peppermint
Introducing Genetic Variation to Improve and Protect Crop
The genomics of peppermint are not as fresh as their flavor but scientists from the University of California, Davis, have found a way to breathe new genetic variation into the species.
Similar to strawberries, potatoes and many fruit trees, peppermint plants (Mentha × piperita) are reproduced asexually by a process called clonal propagation. In the case of peppermint, this means that their genomes have remained unaltered for more than 200 years. This lack of genetic variation leaves them susceptible to disease and means that properties such as yield and flavor have remained stagnant.
UC Davis plant biologists used radiation to induce mutations in the leading peppermint clone grown in the United States, resulting in over 250 new and genetically distinct variants. Altogether, they introduced 1,406 large genetic mutations, which can now be used to identify key genes for breeding or selecting new and superior peppermint varieties.
The findings, published May 8 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help the mint industry develop new varieties of peppermint and provides a roadmap for improving clonal crops more generally.