Participatory variety evaluation and selection of improved onion (Allium cepa L.) varieties for bulb yield under supplementary irrigation condition at Basketo Special District, Southern Ethiopia

Onion is one of the most important vegetables and high economic crops, but grown by a few small-scale farmers in Basketo special district (woreda). Likewise, productivity of the crop in the district is very low. Lack of improved onion varieties and the use of inappropriate agronomic practices are among the major factors that limit the productivity of onions in the study area. Hence, this study was conducted at Basketo special woreda in 2019 and 2020 cropping seasons under supplementary irrigation to evaluate adaptability and to select high yielding onion varieties using farmers’ selection criteria. The experiment consisted of five improved onion varieties, namely; Adama red, Bombay red, Nafis, Adama Red, Robaf and Nasik Red and arranged in Randomized Complete Block Design in three replications. The results revealed that onion varieties exhibited differential performance in the two cropping seasons in the study area. Accordingly, Nasik red variety gave the highest bulb weight, marketable and total bulb yield (13.23 and 1.75 t/ha) and took a short period for bulb maturity compared to other onion varieties in the two cropping seasons. On the other hand, variety Bombay red produced 11.7 and 11.3 t/ha during the year. However, variety ‘Nafis’ was also selected by the farmers through their criteria. Therefore, onion varieties Nasik red (129.9Q/ha) and Nafis (106.1 Q/ha) are selected and recommended for the onion growers in the study area for better bulb yield.