Determination of Optimal Balanced Fertilizer Rate and Irrigation Scheduling for Onion under Vertisol Soil Type

Abstract

The onion is one of the vegetable crops grown under irrigation. In order to improve crop production and productivity, irrigation is the only solution for contributing to food security, self-sufficiency, and the export market. The experiment was conducted at Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Center with the determination of the optimally balanced fertilizer rate and irrigation scheduling for onions under Vertisol soil type to determine the optimum rate of balanced fertilizers and irrigation intervals and identify the interactive effect of nutrient and moisture levels on the yield and yield quality of onion.The experimental treatments had three irrigation intervals, viz., 80% MAD, 100% MAD, and 120% MAD, and three fertilizer rates of application, viz., 100 kg ha^-1 NPSB, 150 kg ha^-1 NPSB, and 200 kg ha^-1, and a control fertilizer rate of 100 kg ha^-1 urea. The design of the experimental plot was split into the RCBD arrangement. The experimental study result showed that Crop Growth and Physiology Parameters, Yield Parameters, and water productivity had no significant difference under blended fertilizer rate application. But in irrigation intervals, plant height, marketable yield, and total bulb yield of onion were significantly affected. The highest total bulb yield of onion was recorded in the control irrigation (100% MAD) in the interval.

Keywords: Blended fertilizer, Onion, Manageable Allowable Depletion (MAD), Irrigation Scheduling.

DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/93-01

Publication date: January 31^st 2024