International Journal of Horticulture, 2024, Vol.14, No.4, 207-217 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/ijh 216 3.2.7 Total yield The data indicates that yield (ton/ha) as influenced by mulching materials (Table 13). It showed that there was significant effect of mulching in yield of onion. Highest yield was obtained in white polythene mulch 30 µ (27 ton/ha) followed by rice husk mulch (26.9 gm), neem mulch (22.7) and lowest yield was found in non-mulch; control (13.1 ton/ha). Table 13 Effect of mulching on total yield (ton/ha) Treatments 100DAT Control 13.1c Sawdust mulch 20.3b Straw mulch 22.0b Banana leaves mulch 22.0b Neemmulch 22.7b White polythene mulch 27.0a Rice husk mulch 26.9a Pvalue <0.001 LSD 3.6 CV(%) 9.2 Grandmean 22 SEM(±) 1.03 Note: LSD= Least significant difference, SEM= Standard error of mean, CV= Coefficient of variation, P value= Probability value 4 Concluding Remarks The study showed that the either organic or inorganic mulches used both had positive impact on yield and yield attributes of onion. From the research it was concluded that mulching shows effective result in terms of number of leaves, plant height, length of leaves, neck, shoot and root length, bulb length, weight and bulb diameter and overall yield in comparison to control (no mulch). Weed control was found to be effective on mulched plots especially on white polythene mulch. So, it wise to suggest the use of mulch to increase production and productivity. Among different mulching material white polythene mulch was found to be best in term of taken parameters. Despite having positive effect on soil moisture, temperature and yield parameters, the white polythene mulch couldn’t integrate into the soil after it’s span and its management was difficult due to wear and tear. Organic mulches on the other hand, easily decomposed into the soil and handling of mulch materials after the crop period was relatively easier compared to white polythene mulch. Thus, this research showed that white polythene mulch as the most suitable mulch treatment to conserve soil moisture and enhance the yield and yield attributing parameters of winter onion. In upcoming days, it would be better idea to use this technique to reduce weed, conserve moisture and improve soil health producing more yield. Authors’ contributions DRM, AS and SKC contributed to design, data collection, interpretation and analysis of the results and drafted the manuscript. BK and BB collected data, interpreted the results and contributed to writing the manuscript. LBC analyzed the data and contributed to writing and reviewing the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgement The authors thank the college premises for helping throughout the research journey and thankful to faculty member for their immense guidance throughout the journal. Conflict of Interest Disclosure The authors affirm that this research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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