Asian Journal of Research and Review in Agriculture

Onion is widely used as a condiment to enhance the flavor of food. Onion also has a long history of medicinal importance. Compounds from onions have been reported to have a range of health benefits, which include anticarcinogenic properties, antiplatelet activity, antithrombotic activity, asthmatic and antibiotic effects, and effectiveness against the common cold, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and other diseases. the present study was undertaken with the objectives to evaluate the effects of alternative irrigation methods on onion yield and water use efficiency, and assess farmers’ perceptions of conventional versus alternative irrigation technologies. The field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different irrigation methods alternate furrow irrigation (AFI), conventional furrow irrigation (CFI), and farmers’ practice, on growth, yield, and crop water use efficacy of onion. Significant differences were observed among treatments for plant height (PH), bulb weight (BW), bulb diameter (BD), crop water use efficiency (CWUE), marketable yield (MY), unmarketable yield (UY), and total yield (TY). CFI recorded the highest PH (75 cm) and BW (6.7 g), while AFI produced higher BD (10.8 cm) and CWUI (19310 kg/m³). The farmer’s practice resulted in the lowest performance across all measured parameters, with reduced PH (57 cm), BW (4.7 g), and CWUI (15076 kg/m³). Total yield was highest under AFI (19,361 kg/ha), followed by CFI (19,937 kg/ha), and lowest under the farmer’s practice (15,515 kg/ha). The findings highlight the potential of improved irrigation practices to enhance onion productivity and water use efficiency compared to traditional methods. The farmer’s practice resulted in the lowest performance, underscoring the inefficiency of traditional irrigation methods. Considering both yield and water productivity, AFI is recommended as a sustainable irrigation practice for onion production in semi-arid areas.