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Influence of Mulching on the Growth and Yield of Onion

M. A. Rahman
Department of Agricultural Botany, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207

J. A. Mahmud
Lecturer
Department of Agroforestry and Environmental Science, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207

M.M. Islam
Associate professor
Department of Agricultural Botany, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

A field experiment was conducted at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Farm, Dhaka, Bangladesh during the rabi season from October 2010 to April 2011 to evaluate the influence of mulching (M) on the growth and yield of onion (Allium cepa) cv. Taherpuri. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with four replications. Treatments of the experiment were three types of mulching such as no mulch or control (M0), rice straw (Ms) and water hyacinth (Mw). The results indicated that growth parameters such as plant height and number of leaves at different days after transplanting, dry weight of leaf, pseudostem and root were increased significantly with the application of mulching (M). Mulching of soil with straw (Ms) and water hyacinth (Mw) increased the length and diameter of bulb, fresh weight and dry weight of bulb and bulb yield. Interestingly, the bulb yield did not show significant differences between Ms and Mw. But mulching with water hyacinth numerically gave the highest yield (10.46 t /ha) than the mulching with rice straw (9.78 t /ha). Therefore, the use of water hyacinth as mulching material may be applied to grow onion.

Keywords: Onion, Mulching, Growth and Bulb yield

Location: Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Farm, Dhaka, Bangladesh during the rabi season from October 2010 to April 2011

Start Date: 00-10-2010

End Date: 00-04-2011

Program Area: Crop-Soil-Water Management

Commodity: Onion

Objectives:

Objective of the study was to evaluate the influence of mulching (M) on the growth and yield of onion.

Methodology:

The experiment was conducted at the Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Farm, Dhaka, under the agro-ecological zone of Modhupur Tract, AEZ-28 during the period from October 2010 to April 2011 in rabi season. Onion variety named as Taherpuri was used for this study. The seeds were collected from seed traders and seedlings raised in seedbed situated on a relatively high land. The size of each seedbed was 3 m × 1 m with height of about 10 cm. Curator @ 6 kg ha^-1 was dusted over the seedbed to protect the germinating seeds from ants. The germination was completed within 7 days after sowing. Light irrigation and weeding was done whenever were necessary. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with four replications. Treatments of the experiment comprised three type of mulching viz. M₀ = without mulching, M_s = mulching with straw, M_w = mulching with water hyacinth. The size of each plot was 4 m × 1.5 m = 6 m². The experimental plot was opened on 02 December, 2010 and afterwards the land was ploughed and cross ploughed several times with the help of a power tiller followed by laddering to obtain a good tilth. Weeds and stubbles were removed, and the large clods were broken into smaller pieces to obtain a desirable tilth of friable soil for transplanting seedlings. Healthy and disease free uniform sized 45 days old onion seedlings were uprooted from the seedbeds and transplanted in the main field by maintaining the spacing 20 cm between line to line and 10 cm between plant to plant in the afternoon on 01 January 2011. The seedlings were watered immediately after transplanting. Some seedlings were also transplanted contiguous to the experimental field as border crop to be used for gap fillings. Different intercultural operations and protection measures were done when were necessary. Ten plants in each plot were randomly selected and tagged for recording data on plant height (cm), number of leaves plant^-1, dry weight of leaves(g), pseudostem (g) and roots(g) during harvesting, bulb length (cm), bulb diameter (cm), fresh bulb weight (g), dry weight of bulb (g), yield (kg plot^-1), yield (t ha^-1). All the data were statistically analyzed using the computer package program. The mean differences among the treatments were compared by least significant difference (LSD) test at 5% level of significance.

Source of Information: Technical Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 3 (24): 3497-3501, 2013

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

1. Government

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The use of water hyacinth improves onion growth, including bulb yield under the edaphic and climatic conditions of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Bangladesh.

Knowledge Management: Journal