Dibyashori Rana Magar¹ , Anita Sharma¹ , Smirty K.C.¹ , Binod Kafle¹ , Bhuwan Bohara² , Lal Bahadur Chhetri³

1 Department of Agriculture, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Tribhuvan University, 33700, Nepal
2 Department of Agriculture, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, 246174, India
3 Department of Horticulture, Agriculture and Forestry University, 44200, Nepal
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Horticulture, 2024, Vol. 14, No. 4   doi: 10.5376/ijh.2024.14.0023
Received: 28 Apr., 2024    Accepted: 02 Jul., 2024    Published: 10 Aug., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Magar D.R., Sharma A., K.C. S., Kafle B., Bohara B., and Chhetri L.B., 2024, Effect of different mulching materials on onion (Allium cepa) production at Lamahi, Dang, Nepal, International Journal of Horticulture, 14(4): 207-217 (doi: 10.5376/ijh.2024.14.0023)

Winter onion production in rainfed regions is constrained by the limited availability of soil moisture. Mulching has proven to be a viable tool to conserve soil moisture and enhance yield. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of different mulching methods on the performance of onion (Allium cepa L. var. Nasik Red N 53) concerning its yield and yield attributes during the winter season (Nov–March) at Lamahi-5, Dang. The experiment was laid out following a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications and seven treatments. The treatments were T1: Control, T2: Saw Dust (1 kg), T3: Straw (1 kg), T4: Banana Leaves (1 kg), T5: Neem Leaves (1 kg), T6: White Polythene (30 µ), and T7: Rice Husk (1 kg). The onion variety Nasik Red was transplanted at a spacing of 20 cm by 10 cm. Biometrical parameters like plant height, and number. of leaves, length of leaves, neck thickness, neck length, and yield-attributing characters like shoot weight, bulb weight, bulb length, bulb diameter, root length, root weight and total yield were observed. The collected data were statistically analyzed for the best mulching materials using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the separation of means for significant effects was by least significant difference (LSD) at the 5% level of probability. Among different mulching materials, white plastic mulch was best in terms of vegetative and phenological observations like plant height (64.8 cm) and number of leaves (11) at 100 DAT, while length of leaves (32.7 cm) was found to be significant at 60 DAT. White plastic mulching at 30 µ was best in terms of yield and yield attributing characteristics like bulb diameter (7 mm), bulb weight (117.5 gm), and yield per plot (27 tons/ha). In the upcoming days, it would be a better idea to use this technique to reduce weeds, conserve moisture, and improve soil health, producing more yield.

Onion (Allium cepa); Growth; Mulching materials; Yield