Productivity of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) genotypes in response to varying sowing time and row spacing under Punjab conditions

Fennel, known as 'Saunf' and belonging to the Apiaceae family, is primarily cultivated in Gujarat and Rajasthan, contributing over 90 % of India's fennel production. Fennel is mainly grown as a winter spice crop. A field experiment was conducted at the School of Organic Farming, Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana during the rabi seasons of 2020-21 and 2021-22 to evaluate the productivity of fennel genotypes under varying sowing times and row spacing. The experiment was laid out in split plot design comprising three fennel varieties (Ajmer Fennel-1, Ajmer Fennel-2 and Local), 2 sowing dates (November 1st and November 15th) and 2 row spacing (45 cm and 60 cm) with 3 replications. The variety ‘Ajmer Fennel- 2’ (AF 2) recorded significantly higher branches and umbels per plant, while having a shorter plant height compared to ‘Ajmer Fennel-1’ (AF 1) and a local variety. The variety AF 2 also produced higher seed yields by 19.1 and 37.9 % than AF 1 and the local variety in 2020-21 and 13.6 and 44.4 % in 2021 -22, respectively. The sowing of fennel on November 1st resulted in higher plant height, number of branches and seed yield as compared to November 15th sown fennel. Further, the sowing with row to row spacing of 45 cm recorded higher plant height, branches as compared to wider sown rows of fennel (60 cm), which contributed to higher seed yield during both the years. Thus, 'Ajmer Fennel-2' sown on November 1st with 45 cm row spacing performed best under Punjab conditions.