Abstract:
An experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Farm of the Eastern
University, Sri Lanka, during the 'Yala'2007 to evaluate the performance
of onion (Allium cepaL.) cv. Vethalam under different growing methods.
The experiment was layed out in the RandomizedComplete Block Design
(RCBD) with four treatments and five replications. Four ditTerent growing
methods were practiced; they were raised seed bed, seed bed with ridges
and furrows, sunken bed without polyethylene sheet and sunken bed
with polyethylene sheet. Perforrnance of onion was assessed in terms
of plant height, number of leaves per plant, yield and yield components
such as bulb diameter and number of bulbs per plant. The maximum
number of leaves per plant rvas recorded in the sunken bed with
polyethylene sheet method and the plant height was high in the sunken
bed with polyethylene sheet and raised seed bed methods on the 8h
week after planting. The highest number of bulbs per piant was obtained
in the sunken bed with poiyethylene sheet method. The plants which
were raised in the raised seed bed method showed the maximum bulb
diameter. However it was not significantly different from the bulb
diameter recorded in the sunken bed withlpolyethylene sheet method.
Sunken bed with polyethylene sheet method gave the highest yield
compared to the other growing methods. This may be because
polyethylene sheets would have enhanced the retention ofmoisture and
nutrients available for the plants, which would have resulted in the
production of highest yield.
