Exploring the Microalgae Biofertilizer Effect on Onion Cultivation by Field Experiment

Abstract

Biological fertilizers have ability to supply the main nutrient elements from unavailable form to available ones during biological processes and provide favorable conditions for germination and initial growth. An attempt was made to find out the efficacy of micro algae as biofertilizer of onion plants. The maximum micro/macro nutrient availability, the growth parameters viz., plant height, leaf numbers/plant leaves weight/plant, fresh weight/plant and dry weight were found to be higher in plants treated with cow dung + Spirulina platensis followed by cow dung + Chlorella vulgaris treated plants. The growth and yield of onion including leaf area, neck thickness, bulb length, bulb diameters and bulb weight and pigment contents as well as the Biochemical composition such as total soluble sugars, total phenols free amino acids and total indoles were observed to be maximum in treated plants. Similarly the anti-nutritional factors of onion and mineral analysis of onion were observed in high quantities in algal biofertilizer treated onion plants. Among the tested components the maximum contents were recorded in cow dung + S. platensis and cow dung + C. vulgaris treated onion plants followed by S. platensis, C. vulgaris and cow dung treated onion plants. It is noted that the all the values were higher than the control onion plants. Thus the two marine microalgae mixture treatment exhibited high growth and yield revealed the potential of the marine microalgae as fertilizer in onion cultivation.