Evaluation of Adaptability and Yield Performance of Onion (Allium cepa L.) Varieties at Efa Galano, Sayo District of Kellam Wallaga Zone, Western Ethiopia.

Abstract

For the study, the research field was laid out and reproduced three times using a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Thus, analysis of variance revealed that the tested onion types had a substantial influence on practically all quantitative parameters except average stand count at harvest, which was non-significant. In the current study, however, the greatest days to maturity (late maturing) were recorded for both Red Bombey and Red Croel (140.333days to mature), whereas the minimum days to maturity (early maturing) was recorded for Adama Red (115.333days to mature). Furthermore, the greatest (6.513t/ha) and least (4.381t/ha) marketable bulb weights were recorded from Red Croel and Adama Red, respectively, while the minimum bulb yield (4.827t/ha) and maximum bulb yield (6.699t/ha) were reported from Red Croel and Adama Red, respectively. Based on the current investigation, it was unable to recommend one variety over another because a single yield trial cannot offer trustworthy information on yield performance of varieties, necessitating a multi-year multi-location yield experiment. However, for the immediate needs of onion crop growers, this experiment suggests that the Red Croel variety was a better bulb yielder than the other analyzed onion varieties in the study area and areas with similar agro-ecological characteristics.