Mentha suaveolens subsp. timija is a strict Moroccan endemic species that is intensively exploited from
the wild because of its wide ranging medicinal and culinary properties. This has resulted in the species
becoming rare or threatened with risk of extinction in the wild. In order to ensure the conservation and
sustainable utilization of this valuable medicinal and aromatic plant, its cultivation has been suggested as
a promising solution. However, many uncontrolled factors can affect this cultivation including salinity.
Thus, the present work aims to evaluate the effects of saline conditions simulated by different NaCl
concentrations (0, 50, 100 and 150 mM) on growth (fresh and dry weights), mineral content, essential
oil (EO) quantity and quality of M suaveolens subsp. timija. The experiment was conducted inside a shade
house at the experimental garden at the Faculty of Sciences, Semlalia-Marrakech during the growing
season (February–May) of the year 2010. The results showed that increasing NaCl levels to 150 mM
reduced significantly the fresh and dry biomass production by 47.558% and 69.324%, respectively, in
comparison to the control. Application of NaCl induced also an increase in Na+ content, while K+ content
and K+/Na+ ratio decreased with increasing salt stress. The EO yield decreased by 38.9% and 50.6% at
100 and 150 mM NaCl, respectively, compared with the control (0.77±0.14%). Pulegone, menthone and isomenthone were found to be the principal components of M suaveolens subsp. timija EO. The relative abundance of menthone in particular was affected by salt stress. Based on the present results, it can beconcluded that mint timija is a salt sensitive crop and cannot be cultivated in salt-affected areas.