Onion Growth and Yield Response to Zinc and Boron under Mansehra’s Agro-Climatic Conditions

Onion (Allium cepa L.) belongs to the Alliaceae or Amaryllidaceae family. The bulb of an onion is prized for its distinctive aroma, taste, and pungency. Vegetable exports are a major source of foreign currency for our nation. Boron aids calcium absorption in plants and promotes effective calcium usage; it also aids protein synthesis. The ironic anhydrate of growth hormones, for example, contains zinc as a constituent element (auxins). Temperature and cold tolerance of plants are improved while phosphorus absorption by plants is affected. It also serves as a catalyst in the synthesis of chlorophyll. The usage of macronutrients may be improved by the addition of micronutrients. The experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design with plots accommodating standard plant population in 4 rows having 5-meter length and 45 cm row to row distance, whereas plant to plant distance was maintained at 5cm. Analysis of variance was performed to confirm variability of data and validity of results using computer-based software Statistics 8.1. The differences amongst treatments were separated using least significance difference test (LSD) at 0.05 probability level. In this experiment, results showed that maximum root length, bulb weight, yield, number of leaves and roots were best by treatment of zinc followed by boron and control level. Among all combination of treatments T4 and T15 showed best results against all parameters.