Effect Of Seed Priming Agents On Growth, Yield And Oil Contents Of Fennel (Foeniculum Vulgare Mill.)

A field experiment to investigate the effect of different seed priming agents on growth, yield and oil contents of fennel was conducted at the Agronomy Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, during winter 2010-11. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. The net plot size was 1.8 m × 5 m. The crop was sown in 4th week of November in 30 cm apart rows with hand drill. The fennel was fertilized at the rate of 75 and 45 kg N, P2O5 ha-1 respectively. Priming techniques used in the experiment were hydropriming with distilled water, osmopriming with CaCl2 (2.2%), KCl (2.2%), moringa leaf extract (3.3%), salicylic acid (50ppm) and ascorbic acid (50ppm). Unprimed seeds were used as control treatment. Growth and yield parameters of crop were recorded by using standard procedures. The priming techniques significantly affected the parameters relating to seedling emergence. The CaCl2 and KCl treatments showed exactly similar results for time taken to start seedling emergence (TTSE) as both took minimum TTSE (7 days). Mean emergence time and time taken to 50% seedling emergence were minimum in CaCl2 (2.2%) treatment. Highest final emergence percentage and germination index were also recorded when seeds were primed with CaCl2 (2.2%). The priming techniques also significantly affected the parameters regarding growth and yield (plant height, number of leaves per plant, fresh and dry weight per plant, number of umbels per plant, seeds per umbel, 1000-seed weight, seed yield, biological yield and harvest index. The seed primed with CaCl2 (2.2%) produced the maximum seed yield 492.6 kg ha-1 that was at par with KCl treatment. The increase in yield was mainly due to higher 1000–grain weight, number of seeds per umbel and number of umbels per plant. However, all priming treatments did not have significant effect on oil contents of fennel.