Onion (Allium cepa L.) is an important crop with high nutritional and medicinal value and provides income for smallholder and large-scale farmers. Utilizing blanket fertilizer recommendations for open-pollinated onion varieties often results in suboptimal productivity. Therefore, it is crucial to optimize fertilizer requirements for high-yielding onion hybrids to enhance onion production. This study assessed the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers on the growth and yield of onion hybrid Neptune in Woleh during the dry- winter season of 2024. The analysis of variance indicated that nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers significantly affected (P ≤ 0.05) onion growth and yield. The treatment combinations of 138 kg N ha− 1 and 34.5 kg P2O5 ha− 1 recorded the highest marketable bulb yield of 32.77 t ha− 1 and the highest net benefit with acceptable marginal rate of return (MRR) (4546.64%). Accordingly, application of 138 kg N ha− 1 and 34.5 kg P2O5 ha− 1 is recommended for the production of onion hybrid Neptune in Woleh. Since, the experiment was conducted in one location and for one season, further studies across different areas and multiple growing seasons are recommended to establish reliable and broadly applicable nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer recommendations for onion.
Background
: High-tunnel tomato cultivation technology is vital for year-round production during the rainy season and for enhancing income among smallholder farmers in north-west Ethiopia. However, its productivity and sustainability are adversely affected by Fusarium wilt (FW) disease. This study assessed the current status of FW epidemics, examined associated biophysical factors, and characterized
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici
(FOL) isolates during the 2024 main cropping season.
Methods
: A total of 75 high-tunnel technologies were inspected in four major tomato-producing districts within two zones. A logistic regression model was used to associate biophysical factors with disease incidence and severity.
Results
: All the surveyed high-tunnels were infected with FW, with incidence ranging from 43.6% (Libo Kemkem) to 60.5% (Dera), and severity from 41.4% to 58.3%. Disease incidence and severity were strongly correlated (P < 0.001) with district, age and leakiness of high-tunnels, seed type and source, plant and weed density, crop rotation, and irrigation method. Elevated incidence and severity (>50%) were notably associated with Dera district, gray soils, older and leaky high-tunnels, local and unknown seed varieties, informal seed exchange, high plant and weed density, fruit-setting stage, absence of crop rotation, and contact irrigation method. Pathogen isolation and characterization study identified eight morpho-culturally and pathogenically diverse FOL isolates.
Conclusion
: FW exhibits extensive distribution across high-tunnel technologies, driven by various biophysical factors and has diverse strains. Therefore, integrated management strategies, including cultural interventions and resistant varieties, are imperative for sustainable high-tunnel tomato production in the study area. Further research on temporal pathogen dynamics and molecular characterization of isolates is also recommended.
Yekoye Abebaw, G. Damessa, E. Adgo et al.· CABI Agriculture and Bioscie...· 0 citations
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