New Leafy Greens—Plant Age Effects on Perilla Leaves

Given that, not much is known about potential yields and nutritional quality of perilla [Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton, Lamiaceae] for production in eastern USA as food, we evaluated fresh leaves of five accessions during 2021. The seeds were germinated in a greenhouse and about 15-day old seedlings were transplanted to the field on black-plastic covered raised beds. Leaves were harvested for analyses at 69 and 85 days after transplanting. Four accessions with green-colored leaves performed better than one with purple leaves. Leaf fresh weights varied from 105 to 279 g per plant whereas number of leaves per plant varied from 368 to 465. Concentrations (g/100 g) of protein, fat, fiber, Ca, P, K, Mg, and S in fresh perilla leaves produced in Virginia contained 17.9, 4.2, 7.3, 1.3, 0.39, 2.0, 0.40, and 0.17, respectively whereas mean values (mg kg-1) for Fe, Cu, Zn, and Mn were 291, 19.9, 40.5, and 56.2. Leaves of perilla produced in Virginia contained considerable more protein (about 4 times more), fiber and fat than literature values demonstrating location differences. Effects of plant age were significant on all plant and leaf physical traits—values from 85 day old plants were significantly higher than those from 69 day old plants. Based on our preliminary results, we have identified PI481701 as the optimal accession. We concluded that perilla is a potential niche crop for Virginia farmers.