Growth Performance and Seed Yield of Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) Varieties under Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo Roxb.) Based Agroforestry System in South-Eastern Rajasthan, India

Abstract

Agroforestry is defined as the direct mixing of trees and crops on the same piece of land in a spatial and temporal sequence. This investigation was carried out in a completely randomized block design (CRBD) with three replications during the September, 2022 to April, 2023. It was conducted at Herbal Garden of the Department of Silviculture and Agroforestry, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Jhalawar (Agriculture University, Kota). Four years old Plantations of Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo Roxb.) at 5 m × 5 m spacing were used for intercropping of selected five varieties of Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) viz. ‘AF-1, AF-2, RF-125, RF-205 and RF-290’ and also these varieties were grown separately as pure crop. These were planted at 50 cm × 20 cm spacing. The gross plot area and net plot area of fennel was 5 m × 5 m and 4 m × 3 m respectively. The analysis of variance showed significant differences between intercropping fennel under Shisham based Agroforestry system and pure cropping system. The analysis of variance showed non-significant differences in plant height (m), number of primary branches, collar diameter (cm), crown spread East-West (m) and crown spread North-South (m) among varieties mixed with trees. Maximum plant height for Fennel at 30 DAS (16.15), 60 DAS (106.42), 90 DAS (157.50) and at harvest (182.14 cm), number of branches per plant (8.12), number of umbels per plant (20.30), number of seeds per umbel (683.40), diameter of umbel (115.93 mm), seed yield per plant (25.64 g), seed yield per plot (3.08 kg) and minimum days taken to 50% flowering (86.78) was recorded in the T1 (Shisham+ Foeniculum vulgare Mill. var. AF-1). However, maximum economical yield (25.64 quintals/ha) and biological yield (68.92 quintals/ha) was found in T6 (Foeniculum vulgare Mill. var. AF-1 sole).