Effect of spacing and fertigation on yield parameters of onion hybrid Arka Lalima

An investigation was carried out to study the effect of different spacing and levels of fertigation on yield parameters of onion hybrid Arka Lalima at Bengaluru. The performance of six spacings at 80% recommended dose of fertilizers i.e. RDF (100:60:100 kg NPK/ha) and 100% RDF (125:75:125 kg NPK/ha) with water soluble fertilizers (19:19:19, Urea and SOP) through drip fertigation was compared with soil application of normal fertilizers (Urea, DAP, MOP) and normal spacing 15 × 10 cm² The results revealed that treatment T5 (fertigation with 80% RDF and plants spaced at 20 × 15 cm²) produced the highest equatorial diameter (6.47 cm), length (5.73 cm) and weight of the bulb (121.50 g) and fertigation with 80% RDF and plants spaced at 10 × 5 cm² produced highest number of bulbs (32 bulbs kg⁻¹), yield per plot (25.67 kg) and yield per ha (64.17 tonnes ha⁻¹⁾. Significantly lowest equatorial bulb diameter (3.02 cm), bulb length (3.10 cm), weight of the bulbs (34.33 g), yield per plot (11.33 kg) and yield per ha (28.33 tonnes) was obtained in soil application of normal fertilizers with normal spacing but number of bulbs per kg was significantly lowest in the plants spaced at 20 × 15 cm² with 80% RDF through drip fertigation. Therefore, onion crop spaced at 20 × 15 cm² or 10 × 5 cm² with application of 80% of RDF through drip fertigation can be handy for obtaining higher yield of superior bulb quality.