Yield of onion in soil with cattle manure and nitrogen

ABSTRACT Onion is the third vegetable crop in economic importance for Brazil, only behind potato and tomato, and responds with increased production to the use of organic and mineral fertilizers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of doses of cattle manure and nitrogen (N) on onion growth and yield. The experimental design used was randomized blocks, in 6 x 2 factorial scheme, corresponding to six doses of cattle manure (0; 10; 20; 30; 40 and 50 t ha-1), in the presence and absence of N, with four repetitions. The variables studied were: shoot fresh and dry masses, total and marketable bulb yields, percentage of bulbs classified and leaf N content. There was an interactive effect (p ≤ 0.05) of cattle manure and N doses on shoot fresh and dry masses, total and marketable yields, classification of bulbs according to transverse diameter and N concentration in onion bulbs. The optimal dose for marketable yield of bulbs is 27 t ha-1 of cattle manure in the presence of N.