Effects of planting date and spraying with organic fertilizers on vegetative growth indices of dill plant (Anethum graveolens L.)

A factorial field experiment in a split-plot design was carried out in Kannan district, Diyala Governorate, mid-east of Iraq, during the agricultural season 2020-2021 to study the effect of planting date and spraying with organic fertilizers on growth and qualitative characteristics of dill plant (Anethum graveolens L.). The experiment included three replicates, each comprising 15 factorial treatments. Experiment factors included three planting dates (20/9, 10/10 and 1/11) and three types of organic fertilizers (humic fertilizers, seaweed extracts and amino acids). Organic fertilizers were sprayed three times during the vegetative growth stage. Results indicate that the plants growing on the first date (20/9) significantly outperformed in plant height, the number of leaves, chlorophyll content and dry matter percentage, which amounted to 42.48 cm, 5.8 leaf plant-1, 28.06 mg per 100 g fresh weight and 8.52%, respectively. The second date (10/10) were significantly superior in vegetative yield which amounted to 26.791ton ha-1. All fertilizers were significantly outperformed control treatment in plant height, the number of leaves and branches, chlorophyll percentage, vegetative yield and dry matter percentage.