Effect of Nutrient Management on Growth, Yield and Economics of Rabi Onion

On-Farm Trials (OFTs) were carried out by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sikar-II (SKNAU, Jobner) during the rabi seasons of 2023-24 and 2024-25 on 20 farmers' fields to assess the impact of improved nutrient management practices on growth, yield and economics of rabi onion under field conditions. The treatments included farmers' practice, recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF: 100:50:50 kg N: P2O5: K2O /ha) and RDF supplemented with two foliar sprays of NPK (13:00:45) @ 5 g/l. The results clearly indicated that RDF combined with foliar application of NPK significantly enhanced growth attributes such as plant height, neck thickness and bulb diameter, resulting in the highest bulb yield (420.23 q/ha), which was 25.78 per cent higher than farmers' practice (334.11q/ha). The improved nutrient management practice also recorded higher gross returns (?336,184/ha), net returns (?233,484 ha-1) and benefit-cost ratio (3.27) compared to RDF alone and farmers' practice. An extension gap of 86.12 q/ha highlighted the considerable scope for yield enhancement through adoption of the demonstrated technology. The study concluded that integration of foliar application of NPK (13:00:45) with RDF was an effective, economically viable and farmer-friendly nutrient management strategy for enhancing productivity and profitability of rabi onion under the semi-arid conditions of Rajasthan.