Evaluation of kharif onion varieties and transplanting time for production under North-Western mid Himalayan region

In order to boost onion production during kharif, it was considered imperative to test onion varieties for their performance and assess the effect of planting time on its production. Four onion varieties, viz. N-53, Nasik Red, Agrifound Dark Red (AFDR) and Agrifound Light Red (AFLR) were transplanted on five dates separated at ten day intervals starting from 15th July to 25th August at Research Farm of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Chamba for two consecutive seasons (2014 & 2015). There was a significant effect of varieties, transplanting dates and their interaction on bulb diameter, bulb weight and yield. The maximum bulb diameter (5.52 cm) and highest bulb weight (58.65 g) among cultivars was noticed in cultivar Agrifound Dark Red. The yield of onion was significantly affected both by variety and transplanting time. The highest average yield (184.98 q/ha) was observed in variety FDR. The highest bulb yield among transplanting dates was recorded on fourth transplanting date D4 (15th August). AFDR transplanted around second fortnight of August produced the highest bulb yield.