Fennel yield and yield components as influenced by sowing methods and planting geometry

An experiment was conducted at the Agronomic Research Institute Faisalabad, Pakistan, during winter 2010-11 to find out the best suited planting geometry/method to obtain maximum yield of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) crop. The sowing methods were; bed and ridge sowing by maintaining plant × plant distance 22.5 cm along with three line sowings with 12.5, 18.5 and 22.5 cm plant to plant distance. Seeds were sown in Randomized Complete Block Design with four repeats. According to the data, different geometry and sowing methods affected significantly the growth, yield and yield components. The ridge sowing method gave significantly higher yield than the other two methods mainly because of greater number of reproductive branches and umbels per plant, seeds per umbel and 1000-seeds weight. It was closely followed by bed sowing, whereas line sowing with 18.5 and 12.5 cm plant spacing treatments produced the lowest seed yield.