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Crop Guide: proven results of onion fertilization

Proven Results: Efficiency and Profitability with Haifa's Fertilization Programs for Onions

 

1. More onion yield with 50% less nitrogen - Multicote™ Agri trial in Israel , 2016

 

Fertilizer

Rate (kg/ha)

N rate (kg/ha)

% N of common practice

Control - No fertilization

-

-

-

 

Common practice

46-0-0

652

300

100%

Multicote™ Agri Hi

42-0-0

714

300

100%

Multicote™ Agri Med

42-0-0

536

225

75%

Multicote™ Agri Lo

42-0-0

357

150

50%

The common practice fertilization was applied by base dressing + 10 top dressings

Multicote™ Agri treatments were applied by single application

 

Efficiency and Profitability

More onion yield

while applying

50% less nitrogen

 

Fertilizer cost $/ha

Application cost

$/ha

Total cost

$/ha

Common practice

378.3

417.7

793.0

Multicote™ Agri Hi

689.8

37.7

727.5

Multicote™ Agri Med

517.3

37.7

555.0

Multicote™ Agri Lo

344.9

37.7

382.6

  • All Multicote Agri treatments resulted in higher yields compared to the farmers practice.
  • The Multicote™Agri 50% N treatment was the most profitable treatment.

 

 

2. More onion yield, more dry matter and better NPK absorption with Haifa Multicote™ Agri. Trial in Mexico, 2007-2008  

Location: INIFAD research center. The plot was irrigated by flooding the field

 

Treatment no.

Rate (kg/ha)

% CRF

Yield (ton/ha)

N

K2O

N

K2O

Total

Jumbo

Large

Medium

Small

T1

0

0

0

0

28.15d

8.64

56.66

29.03

5.72

T2

100

100

50

30

52.69c

26.31

49.18

22.99

1.55

T3

100

100

30

30

49.96c

19.96

52.93

25.44

1.66

T4

140

140

50

30

57.71ab

24.91

49.70

23.70

1.68

T5

140

140

30

30

61.78a

17.42

61.48

20.41

0.68

T6 (conventional)

200

200

0

0

53.33bc

20.44

52.61

24.47

2.48

DSH (0.05)

 

 

 

 

4.5

 

 

 

 

CV (%)

 

 

 

 

4.0

 

 

 

 

Economic analysis ($/ha)

Treatment no.

Total income ($/ha)

Variable costs ($/ha)

Total costs ($/ha)

Net income ($/ha)

Benefit: cost ratio ($/ha)

T1

33503

0

30000

3503

0.12

T2

67069

4325

34325

32744

0.95

T3

62353

3824

33824

28711

0.85

T4

73111

5787

35784

37324

1.04

T5

78389

5085

35085

43304

1.23

T6 (conventional)

66674

3940

33940

32734

0.96

 

 

3. Multicote™  Agri trials in commercial farms, Mexico

 

  1. Las Adelinas farm
Location: Abasolo, Guanajuato state, Mexico.
Variety: Cirrus, area : 4.4 ha
Sowing: 17-18/8/2009, Harvest : 15/12/2009

 

Farmer's practice

Fertilizer

Rate (kg/ha)

Total nutrients applied (kg/ha)

N

P2O5

K2O

CaO

MgO

Base 13-18-20

500

67

92

100

 

 

Fertigation

 

233

39

256

72

36

Total

 

300

131

356

72

36

 

The Haifa treatment

Fertilizer

Rate (kg/ha)

Total nutrients applied (kg/ha)

N

P2O5

K2O

CaO

MgO

Base: Multicote™ Agri (4) 21-17-17

553

117

92

94

 

 

Fertigation

 

94

40

153

72

36

Total

 

211

132

248

72

36

 

Yield results (MT/ha)

Treatment

Total yield

Bulb size

rejected

small

medium

large

XL

Farmer's practice

56.98

2.34

10.51

31.54

11.45

1.14

Multicote™ Agri

63.30

2.53

5.06

27.85

24.05

3.80

 

 

  1. El Palomar farm

Location: Abasolo, Guanajuato, Mexico

Variety: Carta Blanca, area: 8 ha.

Sowing: August 2010, Harvest: January  2011.

 

Farmer's practice

Fertilizer

Rate (kg/ha)

Total nutrients applied (kg/ha)

N

P2O5

K2O

CaO

MgO

Base 13-18-20

500

67

92

100

 

 

Fertigation

 

233

28

250

60

15

Total

 

300

120

350

60

15

 

Haifa's treatment

Fertilizer

Rate (kg/ha)

Total nutrients applied (kg/ha)

N

P2O5

K2O

CaO

MgO

Base: Multicote™ Agri (4) 21-17-17

553

117

92

94

 

 

Fertigation

 

94

40

153

72

36

Total

 

211

132

248

72

36

 


 

 

 

Yield results (MT/ha)

Treatment

Total yield

Bulb size

rejected

small

medium

large

XL

Farmer's practice

78.11

11.26

2.73

17.40

33.09

13.64

Multicote™ Agri

87.61

8.60

4.30

23.86

39.50

11.34


 

 

  1. Spring Onion trial in Australia

Grower's practice

Fertilizer

No of applications

Kg/ha

Cost of application

Total

N

P2O5

K2O

Granular 12-11.4-18

1 base

800

96

91.2

144

11.7

Granular 20-0-19

2 top

800

160

0

152

23.4

SOP

1 top

800

0

0

416

 

Total

4

2400

256

91.2

712

 

 

Haifa's treatment

Fertilizer

No of applications

Kg/ha

Total

N

P2O5

K2O

Multicote™ Agri (4) 13.5-4.5-36.5

1 base

1140

153.9

51.3

416.1

 

 

 

Yields and profitability (after 14 weeks)

 

Grower's practice

Multicote™ Agri

Difference

Yield(covers/plot)

140

162

22

Covers /ha

17,724

20,509

2,785

Profitability US$/ plot

595.1

688.7

93.6

US$/ha

75,345

87,195

11,850

Cover = 10 bunches

Plots = 79 X1 m, 4 rows per plot

126.6 plots /ha. Cover estimated price: 4.251 us$

 

     

 

 

Conclusions: Multicote™ Agri treatment resulted in

  • Higher uniformity -  plants with the same color
  • Greater weight per bunch, higher total returns
  • Labor saving
  • Less harm caused by machinery

 

 

Foliar nutrition trial, Mexico

Location: Pénjamo, Guanajuato

Variety: Cal-214, area : 1.5 ha.

Sowing: 14/10/2009.

 

#

Treatment

Spray concentration

No. of applications

Time interval between applications

1

Haifa Bonus™ Lo

2%

2

15 days

2

Haifa Bonus™ Med

4%

2

15 days

3

Haifa Bonus™ Hi

6%

1

 

4

Control

0

0

 

5

Conventional

 

 

 

 


 

 

Foliar nutrition trial, Peru

Foliar Application of  Poly-Feed™ and Haifa Bonus™ npK in red Onion  Arequipeña type , 

Santa Rita zone -  Arequipa – Fundo América - 2010:

 

Size

Poly-Feed™

1%

Poly-Feed™ 2%

Haifa Bonus™ 1%

Haifa Bonus™ 2%

Control

Paneton

8.0

5.9

11.0

6.2

5.01

Primera

23.8

18.25

27.0

22.5

18.24

Segunda

3.0

3.85

3.65

2.98

4.98

Floreada

22.0

19.95

15.1

15.7

13.6

Total

56.8

47.95

56.75

47.38

41.83

Yield kg/ha

63,108

53,275

63,053

52,637

46,479

 

 

Poly-Feed™ 12-6-40+ME

Haifa Bonus™ 13-2-44

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

  • Boyhan and Kelly. Onion production guide. The University of Georgia, 2008.
  • Conn et al. "Onion Disease Guide." Seminis, 2012.
  • FAO. Crop Water Information: Onion. 2015. https://www.fao.org/nr/water/cropinfo_onions.html.
  • FAOSTAT. FAOSTAT. n.d. https://faostat3.fao.org/home/E  (accessed 2016).
  • Onions Australia. Onions Australia. 2016. https://www.onionsaustralia.org.au/index.htm  (accessed 2016).
  • Oregon state university. "Nutrient Management for Onions in the Pacific Northwest." 2001.
  • Phill Sinclair. "The botany of onions." Australian Onion Grower, Vol. 5, 1988.
  • Shannon and Grieve. 1999. Tolerance of vegetable crops to salinity, U.S. Salinity Laboratory Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
  • Thangasamy, 2016, 4R Nutrient Management for Onion in India
  • UC Davis. ONION Leaf Analysis Guide for Diagnosing Crop Nutrient Status. https://vric.ucdavis.edu/veg_info/onion_leaf_analysis.htm  (accessed 2016).
  • University of Georgia. "Onion production guide." 2007 

 

Related Articles:

NPK Fertilizers - Water Soluble Fertilizers

Plant Fertilizer & Plant Nutrition

Foliar Feeding & Foliar Fertilizer

Potassium Nitrate Fertilizers