The Effect of Organic, Biological and Chemical Fertilizers Application on the Quantity and Quality of Essential Oil of Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel)

In order to evaluate the effect of different biological and organic fertilizer on quality and quantity of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill) essential oil، an experiment was conducted at Faculty of Agriculture Research field of Shahrood University of Technology in 2010. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized block design with 11 treatment and three replications. The experimental treatments were 1- urea fertilizer (N) 2- M1 mycorhiza strain (Glomus mosseae) 3- M2 mycorrhiza strain (Glomus intraradiceae) 4- Cow manure (F) 5- M1 mycorrhiza strain + M2 mycorrhiza strain 6- urea fertilizer (N) + M1 mycorrhiza strain 7- urea fertilizer (N) + M2 mycorrhiza strain 8- Cow manure (F) + M1 mycorrhiza strain 9- Cow manure (F) + M2 mycorrhiza strain 10- Cow manure (F) + urea fertilizer (N) 11- control (without any fertilizer) (C). There were no significant differences between different treatments in terms of seed essential oil percentage but there were significant differences between different treatments in terms of seed essential oil yield components (at 5% level). Results showed that the highest and the lowest percentage of essential oil contents were obtained in control (C) (1. 85%) and M1 mycorrhiza strain + M2 mycorrhiza strain (1. 25%). The highest essential oil yield (24. 64 l/ha) was obtained with use cow manure (8 ton/ha) treatment. Based on GCMS analysiss the importance components of essential oil were anethole، fenchone، limonene and estragole. The highest anethole (81. 301%) and the lowest fenchone (8. 532%)، estragole (3. 05%) and limonene (3. 231%) in essential oil content were obtained in M2 mycorrhiza strain.