Record Details

MANAGEMENT OF CLAY SOILS OF SOUTH GUJARAT FOR IMPROVING YIELD AND QUALITY OF ONION (Allium cepa L.)

KrishiKosh

View Archive Info
 
 
Field Value
 
Title MANAGEMENT OF CLAY SOILS OF SOUTH GUJARAT FOR IMPROVING YIELD AND QUALITY OF ONION (Allium cepa L.)
 
Creator DODAKE, SURESH B.
 
Contributor PATIL, R.G.
 
Subject onions, land resources, planting, soil conditioners, yields, gypsum, storage, nutrients, biological development, farmyard manure
 
Description The present study was carried out in three parts viz.,
survey, incubation and field experiment. In order to obtain views
of onion growers regarding cultural practices followed by them a
survey was conducted. Simultaneously an incubation study was
under taken for evaluating the effect of integrated nutrient
management (INM) in presence and absence of soil conditioner
(gypsum) on periodical nutrient availability under laboratory
condition. Similarly, field experiment with 12 treatment
combinations was carried out at Soil and Water Management
Farm, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari during rabi
season of 2003-04 for assessing the effect of 2 land configuration
(flat bed and raised bed), 2 levels of soil conditioner (gypsum o
t/ha and 6t/ha) and 3 INM treatments : F1= recommended dose
(RD) through fertilize r, F2 = ½ RD + FYM and F3 = ½ RD + press
mud (PM) on growth, yield, nutrient uptake, soil properties as
well as on losses during storage and quality parameters of onion.
The survey data indicated that most of the farmers
(90%) are planting onion on flat bed and did not apply gypsum
(84%) as soil conditioner. Though, majority of the farmers are
adopting integrated nutrient management system, yet the rate of
application of organics was found to be very low.
The results of an incubation study indicated that in all
the treatments involving fertilizer or fertilizer + organics and/or
gypsum registered lower pH than absolute control. In case of soil
salinity, significantly higher EC values were observed with
treatments receiving gypsum or gypsum + organics and/or
inorganic fertilizers. The organic carbon showed declining trend
with increase in period of incubation. The treatments receiving ½
RD + either FYM or PM in presence or absence of gypsum
recorded significantly higher organic carbon content in soil as
compared to control. The availability of N, P and K was higher
with the treatments receiving RD through fertilizers alone and
that of micronutrient availability was more with treatment
receiving ½ RD + PM followed by ½ RD + FYM. The values of
available N, P, K, S, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu recorded at the end of
incubation were 123.7, 25.08, 216.5, 31.7, 37.5, 53.8, 0.95 and
2.41 mg/kg, respectively, with treatment receiving ½ RD + PM.
The corresponding values with control were 100.9, 18.30, 147.8,
5.9, 26.6, 35, 0.57 and 2.20.
Better plant height and number of leaves per plant
were recorded with raised bed planting than flat bed. An
application of gypsum as a soil conditioner favourably influenced
the plant height, number of leaves and dry matter production at
all the growth stages of onion. Irrespective of treatments, rate of
dry matter production by onion was found to be maximum at 40
and 80 DAP. All the beneficial effects of land configuration and
soil conditioner were positively reflected on bulb and leaves
yields. The raised bed planting increased the bulb yield by 8.5 per
cent over flat bed and application of gypsum as soil conditioner
@ 6 t/ha improved bulb yield by 10 per cent over no gypsum
application.
The treatment effects on periodical nutrient content in
leaves and bulb were not affected significantly in most of the
cases. Based on nutrient uptake pattern, N requirement of onion
was found to increase up to grand growth stage (80 DAP) and
declined thereafter, while K removal by onion during all the
stages was almost equal. The proportion of S uptake at grand
growth and harvesting stages was more or less similar but it was
less at bulb initiation stage. Almost similar pattern of treatment
effect was also observed for Fe uptake by onion at diff erent
growth stages, while in case of Zn its requirement was found to
be maximum during 80-120 days after planting. Planting of onion
on raised bed, application of gypsum and conjunctive use of
organics and inorganic fertilizer maintained their superiority in
nutrient uptake over respective controls. The TSS and reducing
sugar content in onion tended to increase with storage time but
non-reducing sugar as well as total sugar showed declining trend.
Among the INM treatments, F3 maintained its superiority in all
the quality parameters during the whole period of storage over
rest of the treatments (F1 and F2). At all the samplings (30, 60, 90
and 120 DAS), physiological loss in weight, sprouting and total
losses were significantly lower with F3 than F1, whereas rotting
loss was found to be minimum with F2. Use of fertilizer alone
resulted in 27 per cent total loss of onion bulb as against 20 to 22
per cent total loss with INM treatments.
Raised bed land configuration registered lower EC
values than flat bed while application of gypsum increased the
soluble salt contents in soil at all the samplings i.e., 40, 80 and
120 DAP. Amending soil with organics viz., FYM or PM along
with ½ RD of fertilizer increased the organic C status of soil
significantly as compared to RD only. The higher content of
available N and P in soil was observed with FYM and PM after
harvest of crop. An increase in available Fe content in soil was
observed wherein gypsum and organics were applied.
Between the two land configurations, raised bed
significantly improved the infiltration rate (IR) and water stable
aggregates (WSA). Application of soil conditioner also enhanced
both IR as well as WSA by 34 and 4 per cent, respectively over
its no application. Use of FYM along with ½ RD of NPK
fertilizers tended to hasten IR and WSA by 29 and 11 per cent,
respectively over use of fertilizer alone. Similarly, the extent of
increase in IR and WSA with use of ½ RD + PM was 23 per cent
and 6 per cent, respectively over application of fertilizer alone.
 
Date 2016-03-05T11:13:29Z
2016-03-05T11:13:29Z
2005-12
 
Type Thesis
 
Identifier http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/64840
 
Language en
 
Format application/pdf
 
Publisher Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari