Abstract

Activities of some enzymes related to carbon metabolism were studied in different ecotypes of pippermint (Mentha piperita L. Var. Kukarail), growing at 950 and 1,250 m above mean sea level. Activities of peroxidase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and geranyl pyro phosphate (GPP) are significantly higher in higher altitude cultivated cultivars. The GPP which converts to geranyl geranyl pyro phosphate (GGPP) comprises of two subunits, the smaller one and the large subunits. Electrophoretic bands of PCR showed the gene specific primers. In higher altitude, the smaller and large subunits of the key enzyme are present where as in the plain cultivated plants, the larger subunits are absent and the only smaller subunits are more conspicuously synthesized. The plain cultivated plants at 0.05 ppm Zn showed the higher carbon dioxide exchange rate (0.65 µg(CO2)m-²s^-1) and sacride formation 0.470 µg(CH₂O)m^-2s^-1). The higher altitude pippermints plants at 0.1 Zn mg/L grown plants, showed higher total amounts of monoterpne oil(s) (0.67%) and the increased was 26% over control, with higher menthol, menthyl actate and of medicinal uses menthofuron contents in comparison to plain cultivations.xide-dismutase (SOD) and peroxidise iso-enzymes with altitude were studied, where as activities of SOD did not show a significant difference with change in altitude. RFPD of the two altitude grown cultivars showed the different lines of conspicuous lane bandings. The key enzymes are from geranyl pyro phosphate (GPP).

Key words: Peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, peroxidise iso-enzymes, gernul geranul pyruphosphate, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase; ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate, carboxylase/oxygenase.