Document Type : Research article
Authors
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt
Abstract
The present work was conducted at the Experimental Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt during the two successive seasons of 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 to study the impact of sowing methods (normal and reciprocal) and foliar spray with some stimulant substances (compost tea, E.M. (effective microorganisms) and vitamin E), as well as, their interactions on the growth traits, fruit yield/plant and per feddan (feddan = 4200m2), essential oil % and essential oil yield/plant and per fed of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) plants. The plants were foliar sprayed with stimulant substances namely, control (no sprayed plants), compost tea at 25, 50 and 100 g/l, compost tea at 25 g/l + 5 ml E.M. compost tea at 50 g/l + 5 ml E.M, compost tea at 100 g/l + 5 ml E.M., compost tea at 25 g/l + 50 ppm vitamin E, compost tea at 50 g/l + 50 ppm vitamin E and compost tea at 100 g/l + 50 ppm vitamin E. The obtained results showed that the application of sowing methods positively affected the plant growth traits (plant height, branch number/plant and herb dry weight/plant), fruit yield/plant and per feddan, essential oil %, essential oil yield/plant and per feddan. Clearly, reciprocal sowing method gave better results of these parameters than those detected by normal sowing method. As for stimulant substance treatments, all examined parameters significantly influenced by foliar spray with these substances. Obviously, foliar spray with all stimulant substances at all concentrations, either single or together, resulted a significant augment in all studies aspects, except for compost tea at 25 and 50 g/l, mostly, as compared to no sprayed ones. Foliar spray with the combined treatment (compost tea at 100 g/l + 50 ppm vitamin E) and the combined one (compost tea at 100 g/l + 5 ml E.M.) proved to be more effective in increasing these traits than other treatments and control. The interaction between the two tested factors on all parameters was statistically significant, for the two seasons. Apparently, reciprocal sowing method with foliar spray with compost tea at 100 g/l + 50 ppm vitamin E or with compost tea at 100 g/l + 5 ml E.M. gave the most effective treatments in augmenting these traits.
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