Effects of the commercial product based on Trichoderma harzianum on plant, bulb and yield characteristics of onion

Abstract

Effects of the commercial product TrichoFlow WP(TM) (Agrimm Technologies Ltd., New Zealand), based on the fungus Trichoderma harzianum, on quality characteristics and yield of bulb onion was investigated. Bulb sets of the local cultivar Kantartopu was planted in soil with in and between row distances of 0.15 m and 0.40 m, respectively. The product, at considerably high dosages of 5 g m(-2), 10 g m(-2) and 15 g m(-2), was mixed with water and sprinkled once to the plots at planting. Analyses of data at harvest did not show statistical significance for Trichoderma effect on total bulb yield, bulb diameter, leaf length, number of shoot apex, %titratable acidity, number of internal (fleshy) leaves, number of external (papery) leaves, %soluble solids and %bulbs with diameters of 20-39 mm, 40-69 mm and >= 70 mm. The yields obtained from the plots treated with the dosages of 5 g m(-2), 10 g m(-2) and 15 g m(-2) and the control plots were 1063.7 kg da(-1), 1051.0 kg da(-1), 1066.5 kg da(-1) and 985.0 kg da(-1), respectively. Our results showed that high dosages of the Trichoderma product were not effective in enhancing onion bulb and yield characteristics under the given conditions. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.