Cultivation of Fennel

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FENNEL
Scientific Name : Foeniculum vulgare Miller

Family : Apiaceae
English name : Fennel
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Miller), commonly known as Saunf or Badi saunf. It is
cultivated mainly for its seeds from which the spice oil is obtained. The dried fruits are
extensively used for flavouring soups, meat dishes and sauces, bread rolls, pastries and
confectionery. They are also used for flavouring liquors and pickles.
Origin and distribution
In India, it is mainly grown as a garden crop or as a small-scale crop during the
winter, mainly in the states of Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujharat and also in some parts of
Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh. In Karnataka, it is
grown on a small scale in Belgaum and Dharwad districts.
Botany:
Fennel is a annual, biennials or perennial aromatic herb. The chief constituent of which
is anethole (50-70 %). Fennel seeds also contain 9-13 % fixed oil.
Climate
It is cultivated throughout India at altitudes upto 2000 m. It requires a fairly mild
climate and is cultivated as a cold weather crop in parts of North India. It does not succeed so
well in South India, except at high elevations.
Season
The time of sowing is during October-November in the plains and March-April on
hills. Under Bangalore conditions, the crop can be grown as a winter season crop during the
months of September, October and November.
Soil
Fennel grows in any good soil, but thrives best in rich, well-drained loam or black
sandy soil containing sufficient lime. Any soil which has a high salt content in it and is prone
to water-logging is unsuitable for its cultivation.
Varieties/cultivars
There are a large number of varieties and races differing in size, odour and taste of the
fruits, and they are hardly distinguishable from one another.
1
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Other released varieties are:

Gujarat Fennel 2, Hissar Swarup, Azad Sanuf 1, Pant Madhurika and Rajendra
Sourabha.
Cultivation
Propagation
It is propagated easily by seeds, but can also be grown by root or corm divisions. The
seeds are broadcasted or line-sown by shallow drills. Soaking seeds prior to sowing improves
germination. The seeds can be sown in a nursery bed and later the seedlings are transplanted
to the field when they attain 8-10 cm height. For transplanted crop, seeds are sown in the
nursery during the months of May-June and seedling of 11/2 — 2 months are transplanted in
the main field in August-September.
Land preparation and sowing:

The field is brought to a fine tilth by continuous ploughing and laid out into beds of
convenient size along with the irrigation channels. It is manured with 25 tonnes of FYM
along with the basal dose of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. About 8-10 kg seeds per hectare
are required for drilling and 3-4 kg/ha for transplanted crop.
Manures and fertilizers:
The FYM @ 15-20 tonnes per hectare to be applied at the time of land preparation.
The NPK dose of 27-60 kg N, 12-40 kg P205 and 21 kg K.20 /ha is recommended.
Irrigation
The field is irrigated immediately after seeding if there are no rains. Initially, the
irrigation upto one month is given at 3-4 day intervals and thereafter at weekly or 15-20 day
intervals has been found to improve the yield considerably.
Inter-culture
As the crop is delicate, frequent weedings at initial stages of growth is essential.
Subsequent weedings may vary with the situation. About 3- 4 weedings may be enough for
the entire life cycle of the crop. A pre-emergence application of Pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg/ha
with one hand weeding 50 days after sowing controls the weeds effectively.
Inter-cropping
Intercropping fennel plus radish is found to be remunerative. Fennel is also grown as
a mixed or inter-crop with chilli.
Physiological disorder
Fennel is most vulnerable to frost damage at the flowering and early seed-formation
stages. The frost damage can be minimised by spraying 0.1% Sulphuric acid solution,
2
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irrigating the crop prior to the incidence of frost, using wind-breaks and creating smoke cover
in the early morning.
Harvesting and yield
The crop is harvested after 5-6 months of sowing, before the fruits are fully ripe, to
avoid shattering. The per hectare seed yield in fennel ranges from 20-25 quintals which, in turn,
may yield about 35-40 kg of essential oil under irrigated conditions.

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Cultivation of Fennel

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Visit Our Website – www.iaritoppers.com for Agri.

Study Material & Mock Tests

Scientific Name : Foeniculum vulgare Miller

Other released varieties are:

Land preparation and sowing:

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