Inorganic and Organic Liquid Fertilizer Effects on Growth and Yield of Onion

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe Government of Ethiopia recently introduced a new synthetic compound fertilizer (NPS; 19% N, 38% P2O5, and 7% S) for blending with K, Zn, and B. The performance of NPS, and whether blending it with organic liquid fertilizer (OLF), improves growth and productivity of onion (Allium cepa L.) has not been studied. The experiment was conducted in the Gurage zone, Ethiopia, from June to September 2016 to identify the best combination of NPS and OLF to increase onion productivity. Combinations of NPS and OLF used were 0, 400, or 500 L∙ha−1 OLF and 0, 150, or 200 kg∙ha−1 of NPS. The interaction of NPS and OLF affected plant height, leaf number, bulb diameter, and bulb dry weight with the highest mean values (43.6 cm, 7.73/plant, 5.14 cm, and 20.8 g/bulb) obtained from 400 L∙ha−1 OLF+0 NPS, 0 OLF+200 kg∙ha−1 NPS, 400 L∙ha−1 OLF+0 NPS, and 400 L∙ha−1 OLF+200 kg∙ha−1 NPS, respectively. The main effect of OLF affected onion leaf length, total bulb yield, and bulb fresh weight with the highest values obtained from 400, 500, and 500 L∙ha−1 OLF were 36.5 cm, 46.2 t∙ha−1, and 46.8 g/bulb, respectively. The main effect of NPS affected total bulb yield, with the highest yield, 46.1 kg∙ha−1, obtained from 200 kg∙ha−1 NPS. Growth and yield attributes were influenced differently by OLF and NPS fertilizers, indicating that there is an opportunity to customize combinations of OLF and NPS to increase productivity of red onion.