Spices and Condiments (1+1)

Harvesting and Yield

Importance of Soil fertility

Harvesting
Harvesting should be properly timed, since the quality of oil depends upon the state of maturity of the herb and the fruits. The plants sown in mid-October will be ready for harvest by the end of April; i.e., the plants take about five and a half to six months for maturity.
The main axis of the stem ends in a large-sized compound umbel, which is axillary in position, or in branches. The crop continues to produce umbels on the tertiary branches and these are at various stages of maturity, at harvest time for a seed crop. The crop is prone to shedding on maturity and, therefore, should be carefully collected at the right time of maturity.
Generally, for obtaining dill oil, harvesting is done when the crop is about 31/2 months old and is in the milky, ripening seed stage and the most advanced fruits are turning brown. After harvest, the plants are allowed to wilt in the field for 1-2 days and then distilled.
When the crop is grown for its fruits, it is harvested when most of the fruits are fully developed (ripe), but still green in colour. The fruit at this stage contains maximum oil and carvone content and this procedure also avoids the shedding of seeds. To avoid shedding in very dry weather, harvesting is preferably done early in the morning, when the plants are still damp with overnight dew.
The harvested material is dried in the field till the fruits can be easily threshed. The threshed fruits should be spread in a thin layer and frequently turned over until thoroughly dry. The seeds, after drying and cleaning, are packed in gunny bags and kept in a cool and dry place. Dill has a shelf-life of 6- 9 months.

Yield
The herbage yield is about 2.5 to 3.0 t/ha, which on distillation gives about 18-20 kg of oil containing 30% of carvone, while the seed yield is about 5 to 7 q/ha.