Performance of Onion (Allium Cepa L.) Enhanced By Organic Fertilizer in a Forest Agroecology, Nigeria

Abstract

There is a growing interest in the use of organic fertilizers for vegetable production in Nigeria, it is important to determine the appropriate rate of application. Field trial was conducted in 2016 to evaluate the effects of cow dung application on growth and yield of onion (Allium cepa L) at the Teaching and Research Farm, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti.  The treatments consisted of cow dung applied at 0, 5, 10 and 20 t ha^-1 arranged in randomized complete block design with three replicates. Data were collected on plant height, length of leaf, number of leaves, bulb length, bulb diameter and number of bulb, weight of single bulb plant^-1, total biological weight and bulb yield. The result indicated that cow dung rates significantly influenced growth of onion with tallest plant, highest number of leaves and leaf length of 53.87 cm, 6.33 and 58.94 cm respectively. The highest number of bulb (51.8), weight of single bulb (51.9 g), total biological weight (57.4 g) and bulb yield  (14.5 t/ha) were obtained with 20 t/ha rate of application. Addition of cow dung can improved the fertility of the soils for onion production in the forest agroecology leading to low cost input by peasant farmers.

Keywords: Agroecology, bulb, cow dung, onion, organic manure, yields.