Effects of Salicylic acid (SA) and Azospirillum on growth and bulb yield of Onion (Allium cepaL.) cv. Agrifound Light Red

Abstract

The present investigation was carried out during Rabi season of 2014–2015 and laid out in a Randomized Block Design with three replications at Vegetable Research Farm, Department of Horticulture, J.N. Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh). The experimental material for the study was comprised of 18 novel treatments combination of Salicylic acid (SA) and Azospirillum to estimate the best treatment combination in Rabi onion under particular region. The growth parameters under present investigation noted under T17 recorded maximum plant height (cm) at 30, 60, 90,120 DAT (33.28 cm), (37.58 cm), (45.22 cm) and (48.46 cm) respectively, length of leaves (cm) at 30 DAT (32.57 cm), 60 DAT (36.29 cm) under (T17) and T11 (41.75 cm) at 60 DAT and T12 (44.15 cm) at 120 DAT respectively, maximum number of leaf at 30 DAT (8.09) in T14, 60,90 DAT (12.99,17.92) in T17 and at 120 DAT (19.37) in T11respectively, neck thickness (mm) at 120 DAT (13.71 mm) under T11, dry weight of leaf (g) at 120 DAT (3.92 g). The yield parameters also reported best under T17 as average weight of bulb (88.07g), equatorial diameter (67.38mm), polar diameter (60.37mm), double bulb(2.38%)T11, bolting per cent lowest (1.18%), A, B and C grade bulb (on weight basis) (37.22%)T5, (65.09%) and (34.19%) respectively, bulb yield polt 1(14.77kg), marketable bulb yield (26.28t/ha.) T13, total bulb yield estimated in T16 (30.47 t/ha). T11 recorded highest gross monitory return ( 450705/ha), net return ( 385020/ha) and benefit cost ratio 5.86.