Performance of Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) as Influenced by Saline Water Irrigation and Organic Input Management in Semi-arid Conditions

Abstract

Abstract Irrigation water is one of the scarcest but critical resources for agricultural production and most of the arid and semi-arid regions are usually underlain by aquifers of poor quality. A field experiment was conducted for four years during rabi season to assess the impact of saline water irrigation and organic input management options for sustaining productivity of high value spice crop fennel (var. Hisar Swarup HF-33). Saline water of low (ECiw, 2 dS m-1) and high (ECiw 8.6 dS m-1) salinity were used for irrigation. These types of waters are commonly encountered in arid and semi-arid regions. Eight inorganic and organic input options were used to verify the hypothesis whether the adverse effect of saline water irrigations can be mitigated through organic inputs. Surprisingly the average seed yield of fennel with low and high saline water use was almost at par (1.56 ± 0.02 t ha-1) showing its suitability for saline irrigation. Average seed yield of fennel under inorganic and organic input treatments ranged from 1.4 to 1.7 t ha-1. The trend in yield over the years reveals that application of organic inputs in various combinations can play an important role in sustaining the yield through improvement in fertility of salt-affected soils especially when irrigated with poor quality waters. Amongst all the combinations, farmyard manure + vermi-compost (50:50 ratios for equivalent N) produced economically remunerative and sustainable yield over the years with a net income of about Rs 124 thousand per ha.