Calibrating Water Hyacinth Based Compost For Organic Onion (Allium Cepa) Production

Summary in the original language of the document

"Water hyacinth based compost is a recent innovation aimed at addressing the menace of water hyacinth on water ways. However, there is paucity of information on specific quantity of the water hyacinth compost for optimum yield of onion (Allium cepa). Thus, the effects of different levels of water hyacinth based compost on the fresh yield of onion (Allium cepa L.), as well as the post-harvest soil fertility in an organic farming system are presented in this report.An experiment was carried out in two years at the Organic Vegetable Garden of the Teaching and Research Farm; University of Ibadan, to calibrate water hyacinth based compost for fresh yield of onion. The compost was applied at the rates of 0, 30, 60 and 90 kg K/ha in 2015 and 0, 30, 60 and 90, 120 and 150 kg K/ha in the year 2016 in a randomized complete block design with four replicates. Data were collected on fresh onion bulb weight as well as post-planting soils. Yield data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and means were separated using Duncan Multiple Range Test, while soil data were subjected to descriptive analysis.The result revealed that fertilizer source had significant effects on fresh bulb weight (t/ha) at (p≤0.05). The treatments 90 kg K/ha and 150 kg K/ha water hyacinth based compost significantly influenced fresh bulb weight having 79.7 t/ha and 106.3 t/ha respectively, but were not significantly different at p≤0.05. Post-planting soils with 90 kg K/ha was better than others treatments in nitrogen and phosphorus which are critical elements for onion production. Based on the results of this study, 90 kg K/ha water hyacinth based compost is recommended for organic onion production."