Influence of organic manures and bio-fertilisers on yield attributes and economics of kharif onion (Allium cepa L.) in semi-arid region
Keywords:
querctin, Azosprillium, aeration, bio-fertilisersAbstract
Onion (Allium cepa L.) is a bulbous biennial herb of family Alliaceae. It is commonly called as "Queen of kitchen" for its unique usage throughout the year in the form of salads, condiments or for cooking with other vegetables. The pungency in onion is due to sulphur compound "ally propyl disulphide" in the volatile oil and the outer skin colour is due to the presence of "querctin" (Nadkarni, 1954). Onion bulb is rich in minerals like phosphorus (50mg/100g), iron (0.7mg/100g), calcium (18mg/100g), carbohydrates (11.0g/100g), protein (1.2g/100g), vitamins 'C' (11mg/100g), fibers (0.6g/100g) and nicotinic acid (0.4mg/100g) (Aykroyd, 1963). The productivity of onion in India is very low (16tha) in comparison to other countries. Thus there is ample scope for increasing production through fertilizers, especially that of organic manures and bio-fertilsers in light textured soil. Production of onion in kharif season is more important to have continuous supply of onion round the year. Organic manures stimulates the production of polysaccharides and other compounds that favours aggregation of fine soil particles, thereby promoting good structure, improved tilth, aeration, moisture movement and retention (Bose et al., 2001). Bio- fertiliser inoculation like Azosprillium, PSB helps the plants to attain better vegetative growth and increases yield by 10-30 percent (Mohondas, 1999 and Tilak and Annapurna, 1993). The present investigation was taken up to study effect of organic manures and bio-fertilisers on kharif onion in semi arid region.Downloads
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