Effect of NPK Compound Fertilizer Normal and Nano on Some Growth Traits and Oil Content of Three Species of Apiaceae Plants

Abstract

An experiment was conducted under the conditions of Al-Diwaniya governorate in a special nursery was specially constructed for the experiment during the autumn season (2016–2017) in order to determine the effect of adding the different levels of NPK fertilizer balanced (20-20-20) normal and nano to the soil of three species of Apiaceae (Cumin, anise and sweet fennel) and their interference in growth and oil content of seeds. The factorial experiment that consist of two factor and with three replicates was designed by Randomized Completely Blocks Design (RCBD); the first factor consisted of three species of Apiaceae plant that abovementioned, while second factor included seven levels of the NPK compound fertilizer balanced (control, normal NPK, nano NPK, normal NPK, nano NPK, Mixture NPK (Normal + Nano), Mixture NPK (Normal + Nano)). The means of the treatments was compared with a significant difference in the use of the least significant difference (LSD) at the probability level (p ≤ 0.05). The results showed the superiority of sweet fennel plant in the following traits (plant height, total leaf area, dry weight of vegetative part) versus the superiority of the cumin plant in seed content of fixed oil, as well as anise plant was superiority in the number of branches per plant. The significant effect of soil-additive fertilizers from normal and nano compound fertilizer in the increase of the majority of the studied traits and recording the highest mean in the NPK mixture at the double recommended or recommended level. The interference between factors gave the same significant effect to the superiority of the individual factors, as well as the improvement traits of more than double in some of them and the difference of response between plants depending on the type of fertilizer.