Enhancing Onion Production and Productivity through Introduction of Seed Production Techniques in Central Zone of Tigray Region, Ethiopia

  Yemane Kahsay

The main reason of low production and productivity in Tigray and specifically at the study area is restricted use of inputs, notably improved seeds and fertilizers. Different vegetable seeds are imported which results in different problems like disease outbreak, timely unavailability, costly and so on. The demand of vegetable seed is increasing from time to time. Though vegetable seed production is difficult, there are attempts and efforts to produce at local level. Strengthening of community based seed multiplication is a means to develop the vegetable seed production techniques and business. In order to bring this to practical, demonstration and scaling up activities conducted since 2009 to 2014 and data of 2012 &2013 are used for this report. Farmers Research Group (FRG) approach was used to implement the research. In 2013 an average yield of 7q/ha of onion seed was recorded while the maximum was 10 q/ha. While in 2014 a maximum yield 16 q/ha was recorded at farmers field. The yield increment might be due to skill development by the farmers. Farmers could get gross income of 24, 000 thousand from a parcel of 300 m2 land. Thus local seed production practice is technically possible and economically feasible and should be encouraged and promoted by all stakeholders so as to enhance the income and livelihood of farmers.

Keywords- onion, seed, production and yield

Unique Identification Number - IJEDR1703117
Page Number(s) - 810-818
Pubished in - Volume 5 | Issue 3 | August 2017
DOI (Digital Object Identifier) -   
Publisher - IJEDR (ISSN - 2321-9939)

  Yemane Kahsay,   "Enhancing Onion Production and Productivity through Introduction of Seed Production Techniques in Central Zone of Tigray Region, Ethiopia", International Journal of Engineering Development and Research (IJEDR), ISSN:2321-9939, Volume.5, Issue 3, pp.810-818, August 2017, Available at :http://www.ijedr.org/papers/IJEDR1703117.pdf