Investigating the effect of phosphatic bio-fertilizers and plant density on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the essence of anise (pimpinella anisum)

For investigating the effect of phosphatic bio-fertilizers and plant density on the the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of essence of anise (Pimpinella anisum), an experiment was carried out in Varamin Agricultural Research Station in the spring of 2009. The study was carried out in 4 replications following a random-full-block factorial design. The experimental treatments included the phosphate solubilizing bacteria which was applied in three ways, i.e. control (non-inoculation), inoculation, and application at two different times (inoculation with seed and with plant base). The plant density was analyzed at four levels (67, 34, 23 and 17 plants per square meter). The analyzed traits included the biological yield, seed and essence, harvest index, and dry seed and plant weights. The results indicated that the phosphate solubilizing bio-fertilizers and plant density significantly affected the seed and essence yeilds at P<0.01. Similar resutls was obtained regarding the interaction effect of phosphate solubilizing bio-fertilizer and plant density on the biological yield, harvest index, and plant and seed dry weights. The results of the mean comparison revealed that the density of 67 plants per square meter and the phosphate solubilizing bio-fertilizers used during inoculation (with seed and with plant base) had the highest positive impact on the aforementioned traits.