Devrim S., Tursun A. Ö., Elmastaş M., Özek T., Özek G., Telci İ.
Journal of Tekirdag Agricultural Faculty, vol.23, no.4, pp.1221-1233, 2026 (ESCI, TRDizin)
Abstract
Climate change, characterized by rising atmospheric CO₂ concentrations and global temperatures, presents significant challenges and opportunities for agriculture, particularly for medicinal and aromatic plants. This study investigates the interactive effects of elevated CO₂ (400, 600, 800, and 1000 ppm) and temperature regimes (26/16°C and 29/19°C) on growth, essential oil composition, and phenolic profile of Mentha arvensis under controlled greenhouse conditions. A split-plot design with four replicates was used to assess plant growth parameters, essential oil yield and composition via GC-MS, and phenolic content through HPLC-PDA. The results revealed that elevated CO₂ significantly enhanced biomass accumulation in M. arvensis, with the highest yield recorded at 1000 ppm CO₂ under moderate temperature conditions. However, increases in temperature alone negatively affected leaf biomass, indicating a stress-induced shift in resource allocation. Essential oil content showed no statistically significant variation across treatments, and menthol, the major component, ranged between 77.2% and 82.5%. Among the phenolic compounds, rosmarinic acid was found to be particularly sensitive to the interaction between CO₂ and temperature. Under moderate temperatures, its concentration increased as CO₂ levels rose, whereas high-temperature conditions led to a decline, suggesting compromised secondary metabolism under heat stress. These findings indicate that secondary metabolites in M. arvensis exhibit species-specific and non-linear responses to climate variables, highlighting the potential of optimizing controlled environmental conditions to enhance the production of targeted bioactive compounds. This work contributes to understanding climate resilience in high-value crops such as M. arvensis, a natural source of crystalline menthol, and provides insights into sustainable phytochemical production strategies under changing environmental conditions.