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2022 Vol.55, Issue 4 Preview Page

Original research article

Evaluation of Controlled Release Fertilizer on Bulb Yield, Nutrient Content, and Storage Quality of Overwintering Intermediate-Day Onions
Jongtae Lee1*
,
Byeonggyu Min1
1Senior Researcher, Crop Science Division, Gyeongsangnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services, Jinju 52733, Korea, Researcher, Onion Research Institute, Gyeongsangnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services, Jinju 52733, Korea
*Corresponding Author
30 November 2022. pp. 324-342
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Abstract

Controlled release fertilizer (CRF) can delay its availability for plant uptake and increase fertilizer use efficiency, which might be useful for overwintering onion (Allium cepa L.) which has a growing season of 7 to 8 months. The study was performed to evaluate the effect of CRF on bulb yield, nutrient content, and storage quality of intermediate-day onions in onion growers’ fields during the 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 growing seasons. The formulation of CRF used was 18N-3.1P-7.5K, and as an N source, 50% polymer-coated urea-N and 50% urea-N plus diammonium phosphate-N were blended. Treatments included CRF 25%, CRF 50%, CRF 100%, or CRF 150% based on the soil test recommended N rate. Separated NPK fertilizers of single application (NPK once), three-split application (NPK 3-split) and non-fertilized plot were checks. Soil NO3-N content in all CRF treatments and NPK once peaked at 133 days after transplanting. Marketable bulb yields for NPK once and CRF 150% was 66.12 Mg ha-1 and 65.67 Mg ha-1, respectively, on a 2-year average, which were not significantly greater than CRF 50%, CRF 100%, and NPK 3-split. Most nutrient uptakes in the bulb were not different among all treatments except for no fertilization. Apparent nutrient recovery of CRF 25% was 32.5% in N, 20.9% in P, and 76.1% in K on a 2-year average, approximately twice that of CRF 100%. Total flavonoids content was higher in CRF 25% than in other treatments. The 50% reduced CRF rate based on the soil test recommended N rate should satisfy crop demand of available nutrients when electric conductivity was more than 1.5 dS m-1 and organic matter was 35 g kg-1 in preplant soil.

Comparison of bulb yield characteristics of onion as affected by application rates of controlled release fertilizer (CRF) and application methods of NPK fertilizer.
Treatments Marketable yield (Mg ha-1) Unmarketable yield (Mg ha-1) Stand reduction (%)
Large† Medium Small Total
2013/2014
CRF 25%‡ 52.98 ns§ 27.48 ns 1.26 ns 81.73 ns 1.29 ns 2.8 ns
CRF 50% 62.67 22.44 0.67 85.79 0.69 2.3
CRF 100% 67.81 19.62 0.45 87.87 0.94 4.6
CRF 150% 68.31 22.00 0.58 90.89 0.55 1.9
NPK once 69.16 18.81 1.49 89.47 1.21 2.8
NPK 3-split 68.08 19.13 0.50 87.71 0.80 5.1
No fertilization 60.71 22.08 1.49 84.29 0.56 5.6
2014/2015
CRF 25% 3.28 ns 24.41 ns 10.37 b 38.07 ns 0.80 ns 7.90 ab
CRF 50% 2.87 29.07 8.96 b 40.89 0.48 8.94 a
CRF 100% 2.10 22.69 10.28 b 35.07 0.97 8.31 a
CRF 150% 3.16 27.14 10.14 b 40.44 0.72 6.30 ab
NPK once 4.43 28.24 10.10 b 42.77 1.02 6.83 ab
NPK 3-split 2.33 28.68 10.88 b 41.88 0.68 4.88 b
No fertilization 0.67 14.92 17.18 a 32.78 0.33 7.17 ab
F-test
Year (Y) ** ns ** ** ns ns
Fertilizer (F) ns ns ** ns ns **
Y × F ns ns ** ns ns ns

†Size categories in bulb diameter: large (≥8.0 cm), medium (≥6.0 and <8.0 cm), small (≥4.0 and <6.0 cm), and cull (<4.0 cm).

‡CRF 25%, 50%, 100% and 150% rates based on soil test recommended N rate; NPK once = single application of N, P and K with 100% rate based on soil test recommended N, P and K rate; NPK 3-split = basal and 2-split applications of N, P and K.

§Fisher’s protected least significant difference (p ≤ 0.05).

ns, *, **: not significant or significant at p ≤ 0.05, p ≤ 0.01.

Keywords
Allium cepa L.
Bulb quality
Fertilization
Soil nutrients
Weather
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Information
  • Publisher :Korean Society of Soil Science and Fertilizer
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국토양비료학회
  • Journal Title :Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
  • Journal Title(Ko) :한국토양비료학회 학회지
  • Volume : 55
  • No :4
  • Pages :324-342
  • Received Date : 2022-09-20
  • Revised Date : 2022-10-31
  • Accepted Date : 2022-11-01
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7745/KJSSF.2022.55.4.324
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