College of Dryland Agriculture and Natural Resources Management
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Item Organic Mulches and Weeding Frequencies Effect on Weed, Growth, Yield and Yield Component of Onion (Allium cepa L.) at the district of Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia.(Mekelle University, 2025-06-11) Gebremeskel Hagos NgusOnion (Allium cepa L.) is produced for home consumption and as income sources for many smallscale farmers and commercial growers in Tigray. However, the yield of the crop is not as high as the crop potential due to biotic and abiotic constraints among those weed competition is the major. Therefore, an experiment was conducted from January to June 2024 during the irrigation season with the objective of evaluating the effects of organic mulches and weeding frequencies on weed, growth, yield and yield components of onion. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 3 replications. The factors include three organic mulching (No mulching, Grass mulch and Wheat straw mulch) and 4 weeding frequencies (No weeding, single weeded, twice weeded and thrice weeded) made a total of 12 treatments. Results indicated that the highest marketable bulb yield (40.49 t ha-1), highest total bulb yield (41.5 t ha-1), longest plant height (63.8 cm), highest number of leaves per plant (20), longest leaf length (38.4 cm), highest average bulb weight (119.2 g), widest bulb diameter (7.1 cm), longest bulb length (6.4 cm), highest weed control efficiency (75.93 %) and highest weed control index (73.04%), was found in treatment (T8) combination of grass mulch and thrice weeded. The most frequent, abundant and dominant weeds were found to be Galinsoga parviflora cav. and Bidens pilosa L., with a frequency value of (100 % and 88.9 %,), abundance (20.1 and 12.3) and dominance (30.3% and 18.6%), respectively. The partial budget analysis of marketable bulb yield revealed that the highest marginal rate of return was obtained from (grass mulch combined with thrice weeded) with a percentage of marginal rate of return of (281.8%). The experiment was done for only one season at a single location and therefore it needs to be repeated over season and locations to make a conclusive recommendation.Item Garlic (Allium Sativum L.) response to Nitrogen fertilizer rate and Intra-row spacing in Enderta Woreda, South Eastern Tigray, Northern Ethiopia(Mekelle University, 2025-03-14) Teklu HisheGarlic (Allium Sativum L.) is one of the most ancient widely cultivated vegetable crop, and propagated by cloves and used for food medicinal purposes. However, its productivity is far below the demands. This is due low soil fertility; inappropriate planting density, and major diseases. A field experiment was conducted at Mekelle University Endayesus compus to study the effect of different nitrogen levels and intra- row spacing on yield and yield component of garlic during 2024 irrigation season using a local variety of garlic. The treatments consisted of four levels of nitrogen fertilizer (0,46,69 and 92 kg N ha -1), and three levels of intra- row spacing (5, 10 and 15 cm) arranged in randomized completely block design replicated three times each. Data were collected on plant growth, bulb yield and yield components and garlic rust diseases infestation level. The result showed that the different nitrogen rates significantly (P<0.01) affected garlic plant height, leaf length, leaf dry weight and marketable yield. Besides, intra row spacing significantly (P<0.05) influenced all garlic parameters except leaf number, clove number, and harvest index. Similarly, their interaction had significant effect on marketable yield and total bulb yield. The least and highest diseases severity and incidence percentages (4.1 &19.4) and (20 & 55%) was recorded from plots spaced at 5 & 15cm respectively. The highest 9 t ha-1 total bulb yield was recorded at 5 cm intra -row spacing and 69 kg of nitrogen fertilizer. The highest marketable yield of 8.1 t ha-1 was recorded from application of 46kg N spaced at 5 cm of intrarow spacing. Cost benefit analysis indicated that the highest (2,134,200) and lowest (1,162,533.34) ETB ha-1 net return was earned from 46 and 69 N ha-1 spaced at 5 and 15 cm intra row spacing respectively. The maximum marginal rate of return (8690%) was obtained from plots treated with 46 kg N and 10 cm intra row spacing. In garlic production, the application of nitrogen fertilizer at rates exceeding 92 kg ha-1, combined with an intra-row spacing of 15 cm, has been found to be uneconomical. Such practices not only result in excessive costs but also lead to diminishing returns in terms of yield. Based on these findings, it is recommended that farmers should reduce nitrogen fertilizer application to 46 kg N ha-1 and adjust the intra-row spacing to 10 cm. This rate of nitrogen and intra row spacing is expected to optimize fertilizer use efficiency, reduce unnecessary input costs, and enhance the overall profitability of garlic production.