Growth and Quality Profiency of Onion (Allium cepa L.) by Application of Biofertilizer, GA3 and Humic Acid

Abstract

During the Rabi season in 2022-2023, a comprehensive trial was carried out at the Department of Horticulture, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya. Employing a Randomized Completely Block Design (RCBD), the research assessed twelve different interventions, consisting of biofertilizers, GA3, humic acid and a reference group. Notably, the combined application of Azotobacter, Azospirillum, GA3 and humic acid (T10) showcased substantial improvements in several growth parameters. These encompassed plant height (62.23 cm), number of leaves (10.18), length of leaves (54.08 cm), leaf area (624.65 cm²), leaf area index (4.16) and leaf diameter (8.14 mm). Additionally, this treatment recorded the highest Total Soluble Solids (TSS) at 12.37 °Brix. Moreover, the inclusion of sulphur and humic acid significantly affected the pyruvic acid content, with T10 recorded the highest pyruvate values (5.28 µmol/g). Conversely, the reference group (T12) only recorded slight improvements, emphasizing the noteworthy impact of the interventions on both the growth and qualitative characteristics of the onions.