Using Peppermint Oil in Potato Cultivation
Mint mint oil is an alternative to Chlorpropham (CIPC) for controlling the sprouting of potatoes. Marketed under the name BIOX-M®, mint oil is usable in organic farming. It is used for the treatment of tubers in storage rooms and does not affect either the sensory qualities or the culinary properties of the potato (baking, steaming, and frying).
How does it work?
Spearmint essential oil (Menta spicata) relies on an active ingredient, L-Carvone. Its use since 2010 as an anti-sprouting agent on potatoes in storage offers the advantage of a natural origin post-harvest treatment product. The product is applied by thermal fogging at regular intervals in the storage building and distributes throughout the mass of tubers. It very quickly destroys all the sprouts present and has the advantage of leaving very few residues on the tubers after their removal from storage. Effectiveness requires good sealing of the buildings during the 48 hours following treatment. A new application method has been available for three years based on product diffusion by evaporation. "A device (Xedavap) has been specially designed to release mint oil by evaporation into the atmosphere of the storage building. The application is daily at a low dose without human intervention, and there is then a constant atmosphere charged with mint oil, with a vapor form that circulates more easily than that by thermal fogging" (Michel Martin -Arvalis).
Mint oil has a very strong action in the rapid destruction of sprouts present at the time of application. This allows for a curative effect in case of delayed application. Officially, the use of mint oil is not subject to MRL.
Benefits
- Absence of residues
- Effectiveness
- One of the two solutions usable in organic farming (with ethylene)
Limitations
Advisor's opinion
The use of Chlorpropham (CIPC) has led to pollution of many storage buildings that cannot be cleaned even by rigorous cleaning. Even in conventional farming, some producers therefore turn to this alternative to avoid risking compromising the future use of their storage building. In organic farming, the use of mint oil represents an effective alternative to limit the sprouting process during potato storage while guaranteeing the absence of residues. Although technically, the use of mint oil is now well mastered, its high cost remains its main limitation.
Cost
24 to 25 €/T
Sources
- This article was written based on the document The fields of possibility in biological control on large crops jointly written by François DUMOULIN, Hélène BAUDET, Gilles SALITOT, and Inma TINOCO from the Chamber of Agriculture of Oise.
Appendices
Est complémentaire des leviers
- Practicing biocontrol using natural substances
- Practicing biocontrol
- Practicing biocontrol in large-scale crops
- Practicing biocontrol in market gardening
S'applique aux cultures suivantes
