ABSTRACT
The modern method of producing bulb crops uses proper soil cover for weed control and a sufficient amount of irrigation water to increase onion productivity under drip irrigation. The trial was conducted at Dokki Farm, which belongs to CLAC, Agricultural Research Center, El-Giza Governorate, Egypt, during two growing winter seasons in 2019/2020 and 2020/2021. This study looked at the effects of three irrigation levels (50, 75, and 100 percent of irrigation requirement (equal 1571, 2357, and 3143 m3 water per feddan, respectively as average two seasons)) and four soil cover treatments (black polyethylene, white polyethylene, rice straw mulch, and control (bare soil) on onion crop growth and production over two seasons.
Regardless of mulch type, all soil cover treatments increased soil temperatures compared with control. The application of 100% from irrigation requirement (IR) resulted in a significant increase of the plant length, number of leaves per plant, and fresh revealed that polyethylene mulch, especially black colour, is the most appropriate for producing onion. The soil cover affected the N, P, and K contents of onion plants. The 100% IR and black polyethylene cover gave the highest values of net income, for onion.
The irrigation level is 100 % (3143 m3 water/feddan as average of two seasons) and black polyethylene is the best condition for high crop yield and quality. While the best conditions for water use sufficiency were obtained under irrigation level 50 % and black mulch.