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In a study to develop salt tolerant peppermint (Mentha x piperita L.) for growth in arid regions where intensive irrigation has led to salinized soils, the variability in growth and essential oil of accessions was evaluated as a preliminary selection method for peppermint types that could be expected to produce high levels of essential oil rich in menthol. The plants, grown for 60 days in pots under the same environmental conditions in a greenhouse at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, differed significantly in fresh weight, essential oil yield, and oil constituents. Application of salt stress (3 g L-1 NaCl in Hoagland's solution) to peppermint plants in the greenhouse resulted in reduced fresh weight (35%) and the essential oil in plants (48.28%) as compared with non-stressed plants. Under the same salt stress conditions, the menthol and menthone levels in the essential oil increased by 159% and 14.5%, respectively, as compared with unstressed controls.