Vol. 12, Special Issue 11 (2023)

Author(s):
Himanshu Verma, BR Pandey, BP Bisen, BK Verma, Manoranjan Biswal and Lallu Ram Awasthi

Abstract:
The research was conducted at the Department of Horticulture, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, College of Agriculture, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, during the Rabi season of 2022-23. A Randomized Completely Block Design (RCBD) was employed, consisting of twelve distinct treatments (including biofertilizers, GA₃, humic acid and a control), with each treatment replicated three times. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of these treatments on onion yield and economic outcomes. It is noteworthy that the combination of Azotobacter, Azospirillum, GA₃ and humic acid resulted in significant enhancements across various yield parameters, such as polar diameter (5.51 cm), equatorial diameter (5.68 cm), neck thickness (0.97 cm), average bulb weight (69.40 g), bulb yield per plot (14.85 q/ha) and marketable yield per hectare (243.77 q/ha). Notably, Treatment T₁₀, which incorporated all these components, yielded the highest net returns (Rs. 259497.00) with a benefit-cost ratio of 2.44. This indicates the economic viability of utilizing these inputs in onion cultivation. Conversely, the control plot (T₁₂) demonstrated limited economic gains, thereby underscoring the effectiveness of the treatments under investigation.