Effect of seed rate and sowing time on growth and seed yield of fenugreek under semi-arid conditions

A field experiment entitled “Influence of seed rate and sowing time for fenugreek seed production under semi-arid conditions” was conducted during 2024-25 at the Vegetable Research Farm, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, to evaluate the effect of seed rate and sowing time on growth, yield and seed quality of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.). The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized block design with three replications and twelve treatment combinations consisting of three seed rates (10, 15 and 20 kg ha⁻¹) and four sowing dates (30 October, 15 November, 30 November and 15 December) using the variety Hisar Sonali (HM-57). Significant variations were observed among the treatments for both growth and yield parameters. Early sowing (30 October) with the highest seed rate (20 kg ha⁻¹) (D1S3) produced the tallest plants, delayed 50% flowering and pod initiation and resulted in the highest biological yield. The maximum number of branches per plant and earliest pod maturity were observed in D1S1 i.e. sowing on 30 October with seed rate of 10 kgha-1. Mid-November sowing with 10 kg ha⁻¹ seed rate (D2S1) recorded the highest number of pods per plant, longest pod length, maximum seeds per pod and superior seed quality attributes including seedling vigour index, seed viability, standard germination percentage and test weight. Seed yield per plant was also highest in D2S1 i.e., 15 November and 10kg/ha seed rate whereas the highest seed yield per hectare and harvest index were recorded at 15 kg ha⁻¹ seed rate sown on 15^th November (D2S2). Overall, sowing fenugreek in mid-November with a seed rate of 15 kg ha⁻¹ is recommended for optimizing seed yield and quality under semi-arid conditions. These findings provide practical guidelines for improving fenugreek seed production efficiency in semi-arid regions.