EFFECT OF VERMICOMPOSTAND BIOFERT1LIZER ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF RABI ONION (Allium cepa L.) CV. PUNA RED

A field experiment was conducted during rabi season of 2008-2009 to study the effect of vermicompost and biofertilizer on yield and quality of rabi onion. The experiment was laid out in the split-plot design with four replications. There were twenty-four treatment combinations comprising of for levels of vermicompost viz. 5, 10, 15, 20 q ha­-1 , three treatments of Azotobacter (A1) i.e. seedling dipping (A1S1), seed treatment (A1S2) and soil application (A2S2) and three treatments of  Azospirillum (A2 ) i.e. seedling dipping (A2S1), seed treatment (A2S2) and soil application (A2S3). The data revealed that, among vermicompost application of 20qha-1 recorded significantly higher high fresh weight of bulb (43.04 g), bulb yield (25 1.20 q ha-1), N content (0.9l8 %), TSS (11.07%) and pungency (6.63 mg / l00g) as compared to control. Among the biofertilizer levels, A1S2 recorded significantly maximum bulb yield (23 .51 q ha­-1) fresh weight of bulb (42.13 q ha­-1) TSS (10.06 %) and it was on par with A2S2. Among the interactions the treatment, 04A1S2  recorded comparatively maximum fresh  eight of  bulb (49.14 g) and bulb yield (269.52 q ha-1)  followed by O4A2S2, 03A1S2 and 03A2S2 which were at par with each other.