Influence of the dates of sowing, row spacing and fertilizers on fennel productivity in the south of Ukraine

Abstract

Fennel is a well-known essential-oil, medicinal, spicy, vegetable, aromatic and ornamental plant. It has abundant applications in medicine, various industries, cooking, animal husbandry, veterinary medicine. The medicinal applications of fennel include use as an antispasmodic, carminative, diuretic, expectorant, laxative, stomachic, appetite stimulant, anti-inflammatory, against colic and as a lactation promoter. In Ukraine the traditional zones of cultivation of the crop are Western regions. In recent years there was a necessity of expansion of areas under fennel and its introduction into rotation in new regions, in particular in the South of Ukraine. The article highlights the effect of cultivation technology elements (the dates of sowing, the spaces between rows, nutrition background) on the yielding capacity and content of essential oil in fennel seeds. The seeds’ yielding capacity of fennel, during 2014-2016, changed according to variants of experiment from 0.74 to 1.39 tons/ha. The least favorable conditions for productivity process were observed without fertilizers control, sown in a later date with usual rows. The most favorable conditions were ensured by the interaction of early spring sowing, row spacing of 45 cm, nitrogen fertilizers of 60 and 90 kg reactant/ha – 1.37 and 1.39 tons/ha, respectively. Under the background of N90 there was irsignificant increase of the seeds’ yielding capacity in comparison with the variant of application N60 on 0.02 tons/ha or 1.5%. The content of essential oil in the seeds of fennel, averagely for the years of research, changed according to variants of experiment from 5.13 to 6.29% to absolutely dry matter. The least favorable conditions for accumulation of essential oil were observed in variant without fertilizers, sown in a later date with usual rows, the most favorable – in variant of application N60, when sown in the early period with the width of the row spacing of 45 cm. Under the background of the N90 there was a decrease of this characteristic in comparison with the variants of application of N30 and N60. The results of research show that abundant sustainable fennel yields with high content of essential oil on the dark chestnut soils in the South of Ukraine are ensured by the interaction of early spring sowing, row spacing of 45 cm, nitrogen fertilizers of 60 kg reactant/ha.