Evaluation of Different Onion Seed Production Methods for Improving Production and Productivity of Onion in Southern Tigray

Harnet Abrha

doi:10.7176/jnsr/10-9-05

Abstract

Use of quality seed is a determinant factor for improving crop yield. Onion is widely grown crop by the farmers in the Raya-valley, Ethiopia which is mainly used as cash crop. Most of the farmers in this area use seeds of unknown sources of poor quality, leading to low yield. This demands establishment of local seed system for better quality and accessibility. Aiming at curbing the problem, evaluation of the performance of different onion seed production methods on yield and yield component of onion seed was conducted in Raya Alamata Woreda,Tumuga Kebele. Three seed production methods i.e. bulb to seed method (harvested bulb planted one and half month after vernalization), sliced (1/3 rd ) bulb treated by ash method (bulbs planted one month after vernalization) and seed to seed method were evaluated. Significantly highest onion seed yield (1246.8kgha -1 ), number of flower stalks per plant (10.1) and 1000 seed weight (4.768gm) were recorded from sliced bulb treated by ash method. On the contrary, significantly lower seed yield, number of flower stalks and 1000 seed weight were recorded from seed to seed method. Therefore, seed production from sliced bulb treated by ash method could be recommended for seed producer farmers around in Raya-Valley. However, further studies including other treatments like newly released onion varieties, time of planting and bulb size will be crucial for improving seed yield of onion. Keywords : Production method, Onion seed, Sliced and Ash treatment DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/10-9-05 Publication date: May 31 st 2020

Highlights

Onion (Allium cepa L.), belonging to the family Alliaceae, is considered as one of the most economically important vegetable crops is produced on large scale in Ethiopia in general and south zone of Tigray in particular
The highest seed yield recorded from sliced bulb and treated by ash method before planting could be due to more sprouts per bulb, early breakage of bulb dormancy and uniform flower stalk formation promoted by the sliced bulb
3.2 Number of Flower Stalks per Plant and 1000 Seed Weight The highest (10.1) and significantly different number of flower stalks per plant was recorded from sliced bulb treated by ash method followed by bulb to seed method with mean stalks of 7.45

Summary

Introduction

Background Onion (Allium cepa L.), belonging to the family Alliaceae, is considered as one of the most economically important vegetable crops is produced on large scale in Ethiopia in general and south zone of Tigray in particular. Area coverage by onion production has increased from 22,769 ha in 2014/15 to 29,517 ha in 2015/16 production season (CSA, 2016) while productivity of the crop has reduced from 10.1 to 8.9 t/ha (CSA, 2016). This is quite lower than the potential productivity of the crop. Vegetable production in Ethiopia relies mainly on imported seeds, and most vegetables which are produced from imported seeds do not perform very well due to germination and adaptability problems

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Results

Conclusion