Response of Onion(Allium cepa L.) to Nutrient Sources and Weeding Regimes in Sudan Savannah

Abstract

Onion is an important vegetable in Nigeria, but its production and quality are often low due to inappropriate agronomic practices like good nutrient sources and proper weed control. A study was carried out for two years to investigate the response of onion ( Allium cepa L.) to nutrient sources and weeding regimes on the bulb quality during 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 seasons at Sabke Dam, Katsina State (12o56’ N;7 o45’E). The experiment consisted of five sources of nutrients(mineral fertilizer, poultry droppings, rumen content, farm yard manure and no fertilizer as control) and four hoe weeding regimes at 3, 6, 9 weeks after transplanting(WAT) and weedy check as control. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Results indicated that poultry droppings significantly produced higher proportion of marketable bulbs, soluble solids and dry matter as well as high cured bulb weight and bulb yield compared to other nutrient sources in both years. The control recorded the least in respect of all quality characters studied. Weeding regimes significantly (P weight in 2007/2008. Good quality marketable bulbs of onion was best obtained from poultry droppings in combination with weeding at 6 WAT