Abstract            Volume:10  Issue-2  Year-2022         Original Research Articles

Online ISSN : 2347 - 3215 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcret@gmail.com

Onion is one of the most important vegetable crops grown under irrigation in Southern, Ethiopia. Nitrogen and phosphorus are most essential nutrients/ important inputs/, to increase yields of vegetables including onion typically depends on the fertility status of the particular soil. An experiment was carried out to find suitable levels of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers under balanced fertilizer and to assess economic feasibility of N and P fertilizer at Meskan, Gurage districts of Ethiopia. This experiment was designed in a Randomized Complete Block Design with factorial arrangement in three replicates. Treatments were four nitrogen level (0, 46, 92, and 138 kg ha^-1) and four phosphorous level (0, 20, 40, and 60 kg ha^-1). The results of this study revealed that there significant (P < 0.05) interaction effects of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer application during all growing seasons on total and marketable bulb yields of onion. However, unmarketable bulb yield did not show significant effect. The maximum un unmarketable bulb yield was obtained from unfertilized or control plot. The maximum marketable bulb yields (34.0, 30.8 and 32.2 tone ha^-1) were obtained in response to the application of 92 kg ha^-1 of N combined with 40 kg ha^-1 of P during three consecutive growing seasons respectively. Likewise, the maximum total bulb yields (34.4, 31.1 and 32.7 tone ha^-1) were obtained in response to the application of 92 kg ha^-1 of N combined with 40 kg ha^-1 of P during three consecutive growing seasons respectively. Economic analysis revealed the highest net benefit of 555,4430.00 Eth-Birr with MRR% of 362.1% was obtained by application of 92 kg ha-1 of N and 40 kg ha-1. However, the lowest net benefit, 381,100.00 Eth-Birr was obtained from the control or unfertilized plot. Therefore, application 92 kg ha^-1 of N combined with 40 kg ha^-1 P fertilizers pointed out that the fertilizer level of seems to allow a good balance production and productivity and economically advisable for farmers in the study area for better onion production, with similar soil types and agro-ecologies.

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