Horticultural Science

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    GROWTH AND BULB YIELD RESPONSE OF ONION (Allium cepa L.) VARIETIES TO VARYING LEVELS OF NITROGEN AND VERMICOMPOST IN BIISHAAN GURACHAA, OROMIA, ETHIOPIA
    (Hawassa University College of Agriculture, 2025) BADEGE AYELE
    Onion is a vital horticultural crop in Ethiopia, supporting both rural livelihoods and urban food systems. However, its productivity remains low due to poor nutrient management, declining soil fertility, and continued reliance on unimproved varieties. Excessive nitrogen use often results in delayed maturity and reduced bulb quality, while organic inputs like vermicompost remain underutilized. This study was conducted to evaluate the combined effects of nitrogen and vermicompost on the growth, yield, quality, and economic performance of improved onion varieties under highland conditions. A field experiment was carried out during the off-season at Shallo Farm, using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Treatments were arranged in a 3 × 4 × 3 factorial combinations comprising three onion varieties (Rio Bravo f1, Nafis, and SV Runagrana f1), four nitrogen rates (0, 75, 150, and 225 kg N ha⁻¹), and three vermicompost levels (0, 5, and 7 t ha⁻¹), giving 36 treatment combinations. Data were collected on phenology, growth, yield, and bulb quality parameters, and subjected to both agronomic and economic analyses. The three-way interaction among variety, nitrogen, and vermicompost significantly (P < 0.01) influenced most growth, yield, and quality traits. SV Runagrana f1 exhibited the best performance, producing the highest total bulb yield (57.48 t ha⁻¹) and marketable yield (51.13 t ha⁻¹) at 225 kg N ha⁻¹ combined with 7 t ha⁻¹ vermicompost. Excessive fertilization (>225 kg N + 7 t VC ha⁻¹) increased unmarketable yield, delayed maturity, and lowered bulb quality. Economic analysis further revealed that SV Runagrana f1 at 225 kg N + 7 t VC ha⁻¹ provided the highest net field benefit (4,471,000 Birr ha⁻¹), benefit–cost ratio (35.1%), and marginal rate of return (15,000 %), indicating strong profitability despite higher input costs. In contrast, moderate fertilization (75 kg N + 5 t VC ha⁻¹) offered a favorable trade-off between yield stability, quality, and input efficiency, making it a more sustainable option for smallholder farmers. Therefore, the study demonstrated that onion yield, quality, and economic returns are highly dependent on the interaction between genotype and nutrient management.Further studies should investigate long-term soil fertility effects and validate the economic sustainability of these practices across diverse agro- ecological zones.
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    YIELD AND GROWTH ANALYSIS OF POTATO (Solanum tuberosumL.) VARIETIES UNDER DIFFERENT INTER ROW SPACING AT SILTE ZONE, CENTRAL ETHIOPIA
    (Hawassa University College of Agriculture, 2025) NUREDIN RASHID BUSHIRA
    Potato (Solanum tuberosuml. ) is a very important food and cash crop in Ethiopia. This experiment was conducted with the objective to increase production of potato through selecting appropriate varieties and determining appropriate spacing at Silte zone, central Ethiopia during belg cropping season.The experiment was arranged in a factorial combination of three inter-row spacing (60 cm , 75cm and 90 cm), and four potato varieties(Belete, Gudene, Chala and Local cultivar) in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Interactive effects of variety and inter-row spacing significantly (P˂0.05) influenced most of the parameters considered. Days to flowering, leaf area index, total tuber number, marketable tuber number, total tuber yield, average tuber weight per plant, unmarketable tuber number and tuber yield and harvest index were significantly affected by the interaction effects of variety and spacing. Plant height, dry matter content, 90% plant maturity, crop growth rate and relative growth rate (P˂0.05) influenced by the main effect variety and spacing. Days to 50% emergency, Leave number per plant and Stem number per hill were influenced only by the main effect variety. Local cultivar requiring the longest duration (101.22 days). Plant height increased significantly in to increasing inter-row spacing.Gudene varieties produced largest stems number per plant and local cultivar produced smallest stems number per plant. The highest (38.57 t/ha) total tuber yield was recorded from Gudene variety at spacing of 60 c m , whereas the lowest (22.28 t/ha) tuber yield was recorded from local cultivar at spacing 90 cm. The highest marketable (30.48a t/ha) tuber yield was obtained from Gudene variety and lowest was obtained from Local cultivar (18.41t/ha). The Crop Growth Rate values increased progressively with time reaching peak at 45-60 DAP. Therefore, from this study, it can be concluded Gudane and Belete varieties at inter-row spacing of 60 cm and 75 cm resulted in highest marketable tuber yield could be recommended to potato growers in the study area.