Fennel is an open-pollinating medicinal crop that needs to be pollinated by insects such as bees to have maximum fruit and oil yield. This may limit fruit production in the absence of insect pollinators. In order to examine the possibility of the plant evolution to self-pollination, using partially self-compatible ecotypes, eight populations of self and bee-pollinated fennel each consisted of 9 plant genotypes forming a final collection of 72 contrasting lines were field evaluated in two years. Averaged over all plant genotypes and populations, progenies derived from selfing had 20.86 and 3.58 % less fruit yield than those derived from bee pollination in two consecutive years mainly due to the depression in the number of effective umbels per plant as the main yield component. Multivariate data analysis differentiated self- and open-pollinated populations; however, this discrimination and inbreeding depression were significantly high only at the year of establishment in this perennial herb. Also, inbreeding depression was not observed for fruit yield, yield components and essential oil content in some of the genotypes within the populations with no or minimum genotype*year interaction. This suggested that it is possible to utilize self-pollination in developing environmentally stable productive pure line varieties with possibly modified essential oil content applicable for future genetic improvement of fennel.

茴香是一种开放授粉的药用作物，需要通过蜜蜂等昆虫进行授粉，以最大程度地提高果实和油的产量。在没有昆虫授粉的情况下，这可能会限制水果的产量。为了检验植物进化为自花授粉的可能性，使用部分自相容的生态型，八种自花和蜜蜂授粉茴香种群分别由9种植物基因型组成，形成了72个对比系的最终集合，并在两个田间进行了实地评估。年。在所有植物基因型和种群上平均，自交所获得的后代连续两年比蜜蜂授粉所获得的果实产量少20.86％和3.58％，这主要是由于每株植物作为主要产量成分的有效伞形伞数量减少了。多变量数据分析区分了自花授粉和开放授粉的种群；然而，这种歧视和近亲抑郁只有在这种多年生草本植物建立的那一年才显着升高。另外，在没有基因型或最小基因型*年间相互作用的群体中，在某些基因型中未观察到近亲衰退的果实产量，产量成分和精油含量。这表明有可能利用自花授粉来开发环境稳定的生产纯系品种，其中可能修饰的精油含量适用于茴香的未来遗传改良。没有或只有最小基因型*年间相互作用的人群中某些基因型的产量成分和精油含量。这表明有可能利用自花授粉来开发环境稳定的生产纯系品种，其中可能修饰的精油含量适用于茴香的未来遗传改良。没有或只有最小基因型*年间相互作用的人群中某些基因型的产量成分和精油含量。这表明有可能利用自花授粉来开发环境稳定的生产纯系品种，其中可能修饰的精油含量适用于茴香的未来遗传改良。