Effects of Different Level of Nitrogen Fertilizer Application on Growth, Yield, Quality and Storage Life of Onion (Allium cepa L.) at Jimma, South Western Ethiopia

Muluneh Bekele Etana

doi:10.7176/jnsr/9-10-05

Abstract

Onion (Allium cepa L.) is one of the most important vegetable crops produced in Ethiopia. Yield and productivity of the crop has been far below the regional and national standards owing to several factors; absence of location specific fertilizer recommendation being the major among others. In Ethiopia, post harvest loss of vegetables contributed up to 30% yield reduction. Thus, a field experiment was conducted at Jimma University College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine Research field during dry season to study the effects of Nitrogen fertilizer application on growth, yield, quality and storage life of irrigated onion under Jimma condition, South Western Ethiopia. The treatments consisted of four levels of Nitrogen (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg N ha -1 ) that laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Data on growth, yield, bulb quality and storage life parameters were recorded and analyzed using GenStat 12.1 version computer soft ware packages. Results of the study revealed that; Nitrogen fertilizer applications had shown a highly significant effect on growth, yield and quality of onion. Similarly, the keeping qualities of the Onion bulbs are highly influenced by application of N at different levels. Excessive application of Nitrogen fertilizer caused higher bulb rots (%); bulb sprouts (%) and weight loss (%) during the three month storage time at ambient temperature. This can be recommended for use by potential onion investors or farmers in the study area. Keywords : Growth, Nitrogen, Onion, Quality, Storage life, Yield. DOI : 10.7176/JNSR/9-10-05 Publication date :May 31 st 2019

Highlights

Onion was introduced to the agricultural community of Ethiopia in the early 1970’s when foreigners brought it in
The increase in height at increased application of N could be attributed to its involvement as building blocks in the synthesis of amino acids, as they link together and form proteins and make up metabolic processes required for plant growth
The results of this study are in agreement with finding of Jilani (2004) who reported that, application of 200 kg N ha-1 significantly enhanced the length of onion leaves

Summary

Introduction

Onion was introduced to the agricultural community of Ethiopia in the early 1970’s when foreigners brought it in. Though shallots were traditional crop in Ethiopia, Onion is becoming more widely grown in recent years. The crop is produced in different parts of the country for local consumption and for export of flowers to European markets (Lemma and Shimelis, 2003). All the plant parts are edible, but the bulbs and the lower stem sections are the most popular as seasonings or as vegetables in stews (MoARD, 2009). It is one of the richest sources of flavonoids in the human diet and flavonoid consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. One Onion quality parameter, the percentage of single center bulbs, has become important to meet demands of both processing and fresh market buyers (Brewster, 1990 and Pelter, 2004)

Methods

Results

Conclusion