Effect of seed rate and spacing on yield of Aswagandha (Withania somnifera Dunal) Reddy G. Satyanarayana, Susila T.2, Kumar M. Raj3 2Herbal Garden Scheme, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad-500 030 Email: gsn2000@rediffmail.com 3Fruit Research Station, Sangareddy, Andhra Pradesh. Abstract A field experiment was conducted during kharif season of 2008 and 2009 at Herbal Garden, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad to find out the effect of spacing and variable seed rates on dry root yield of Aswagandha. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replications. The treatments consisted of broadcasting of seed with five different seed rates (10, 12.5, 15, 17.5 and 20 kg/ha) and seven different spacing (30 x 30 cm, 30 x 20 cm, 30 x 10 cm, 20 x 20 cm, 20 x 10 cm and 20 x 5 cm). During both the years of study, number of plants per unit area were highest in broadcasting of Aswagandha seed @ 20 kg/ha. Length of root (17.39 cm) was significantly higher in broadcasting of seed @ 17.5 kg/ha. However thickness of root and dry weight of root per plant were not influenced by method of sowing. Maximum dry root yield per hectare (4.51 q/ha) was obtained in broadcasting of Aswagandha seed at the rate of 17.5 kg/ha. All the line sowing treatments recorded significantly lower yields compared to broadcasting treatments. Top Keywords Aswagandha, Antioxidant, Broadcasting, Diuretic, Herbal garden. Top |