Efficacy of Prepared Composts on Onion Productivity and Quality
Efficacy of Prepared Composts on Onion Productivity and Quality
Zaheer Ahmed Lashari1, Muhammad Saleem Sarki1, Saleem Maseeh Bhatti1, Muhammad Sachal Khokhar1 and Zohaib ur Rehman Bughio2*
ABSTRACT
Composting is a natural process of decomposing organic wastes into valued fertilizer that enriches plants and soil. The present research was undertaken to prepare composts utilizing organic wastes and to testify their impacts on onion cultivation. Three dissimilar composts with variable recipes viz. banana plants + poultry manure (Compost 1), banana plants + goat manure (Compost 2) and banana plants + cattle manure (Compost 3) in 3:1 ratio were prepared in cemented pits. The prepared composts were sampled and analyzed for selected parameters. Afterwards, a field experiment was executed to study the effect of prepared composts and their integration with inorganic fertilizer on growth and yield of onion (Allium cepa L.). The treatments were: T1=Control (No NPK and/or Compost), T2=Recommended NPK (120-60-60 kg ha-1), T3=Compost 1 (15 tons ha-1), T4=Compost 2 (15 tons ha-1), T5 Compost 3 (15 tons ha-1), T6=Compost 1 (10 tons ha-1) +1/2 NPK, T7=Compost 2 (10 tons ha-1) +1/2 NPK, and T8 Compost 3 (10 tons ha-1)+1/2 NPK. Results showed that in various composts, the ranges of different parameters were EC: 2.50 to 3.34 dS m-1, pH: 7.9 to 8.4, total C: 13.34 to 32.48%, total N: 0.64 to 1.86%, total P: 1.36 to 1.46%, total K: 1.45 to 3.05%, C:N ratio: 16.85 to 22.20, C:P ratio: 10.39 to 23.56 and C:K ratio: 14.64 to 17.66. All these values were inside the satisfactory limits of a matured compost. In the field trial, the plants treated with T6 (Compost 1 (10 tons ha-1) +1/2 NPK) significantly improved the growth and yield attributes of onion crop than all other treatments. Compost or NPK application either in integration or alone boosted the NPK levels in onion leaves with respect to control treatment. The upmost content of N (0.91 %), P (0.91 %) and K (2.80 %) were recorded from T8, T2, and T7 respectively. We suggest that an integration of compost with inorganic fertilizer is a better choice for improved growth, yield and quality of onion crop.
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