Fennel Foeniculum vulgare: Morphology of Plant, Origin, Cultivation Practices, Processing and Economic Importance II Economic Botany Free Notes II Lets Bloom Study Material

Economic Botany of Fennel plant (Morphology, Cultivation and Processing)

Fennel

Botanical name: Foeniculum vulgare           Family: Apiaceae            Common name:  Saunf

Foeniculum vulgare commonly called fennel, used in traditional medicine for wide range of ailments related to digestive, endocrine, reproductive, and respiratory systems. 

Phytochemical studies have shown the presence of numerous valuable compounds-volatile compounds, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, fatty acids, and amino acids.

Origin: 

The fennel plant originated in the southern Mediterranean region and through naturalization and cultivation it grows wild throughout the Northern, Eastern, and Western hemispheres, specifically in Asia, North America, and Europe. It is cultivated in fields and also grows wild. The herb was well-known to the ancient Egyptians, Romans, Indians, and Chinese. The Romans grew it for its aromatic seeds and the edible fleshy shoots are still a very common vegetable in southern Italy.

Plant Morphology:

It is a hardy, perennial, upright branching umbelliferous herb with yellow flowers and feathery foliage. Stem is erect, shiny, green and hollow.

LEAVES:

Leaves are pinnate, finely compound, with the ultimate segments filament-like, with sheathing leaf base.

FLOWERS:

The flowers are produced terminally in compound umbels

The fruits are oblong-oval or elliptical, greenish or yellowish brown with a long pedicel and a short stylopodium (a nectar-secreting, disclike enlargement at the base of the style. 

The two mericarps (one seeded sections) are attached to a divided carpophore (a modified extension of the pedicel). The pericarp usually contains four dorsal and two vittae- oil tubes.

Cultivation and Processing:

Fennel grows best in cool and dry climate.

Sown in September to October by line sowing.

Seed exhibit poor crop stand due to slow germination, dormancy (Mainly shown by apiacae family)

They obtained maximum grain yield in the crop when it is irrigated at 10 days interval.

HARVESTING:

Time of harvesting depends upon the type of the products marketed. For green saunf used for chewing purpose, umbels are harvested about 30-40 days after flowering when these are still green. Since not all the fruits mature at a time, therefore harvesting of umbels has to be done 4-5 times when they become ready. Umbels plucked when fruits have changed their colour from green to yellow and are fully mature.

Harvested umbels should be dried in shade under well aerated conditions particularly for green fennel. Umbels should never be piled as it may deteriorate the quality.

The dried umbels separated and cleaned by winnowing to remove dirt and dust. The moisture content of seed has to be maintained at 9%, as higher moisture content leads to the development of fungal growth on surface of the seeds. The dried seeds are packed in gunny bags lined with eco- friendly plastic films.