Effect of Chemical Nitrogen Fertilizers under Organic and Bio-Fertilization on Fruit and Oil Yields of Fennel (Foeniculum Vulgare Mill.)

Two Field experiments were carried out in a newly reclaimed soil at a private farm of Village No 8 in El-Minia Governorate, Egypt during the two successive seasons of 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 to evaluate the effect of two chemical nitrogen fertilizers (urea and ammonium sulphate) with and without organic and bio-fertilization on fruit and oil yields of fennel plant. The experiment was performed in split- split plot design. Organic treatments (0.0 and 5.0 t compost fed^-1) were arranged in main plots, chemical nitrogen treatments (0.0, 10.0, 50.0 and 80.0 kg N fed^-1) as urea or ammonium sulphate were allocated in sub plots and bio-fertilizer (without and with) were applied in sub-sub plots. The results showed that herb, fruit and essential oil yields of fennel were significantly improved by increasing N- level of both chemical fertilizers and also by addition of compost and biofertilizer. The results of the interaction among treatments indicated that combination of 5.0 t compost fed^-1 with 80 kg N fed^-1 as ammonium sulphate and bio-fertilizer gave the highest values of herb, fruit and oil yields of fennel.