Response of garlic (Allium sativum L.) to vermicompost and mineral N fertilizer application at Haramaya, Eastern Ethiopia

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is an important vegetable crop in Ethiopia. The yield of the crop is often constrained by low and unbalanced nutrient supply in the soil. This study was undertaken to assess response of garlic variety Chelenko I to vermicompost and mineral N fertilizer application on growth and bulb yield of the crop during the 2016/2017 main rainy season. The treatment consists of a factorial combination of four levels of vermicompost (0, 2.5, 5 and 7.5 t ha-1) and five levels of mineral N fertilizer (0, 52.5, 80, 105 and 130 kg N ha-1), laid out in a randomized complete block design in a factorial arrangement and replicated three times. Data was collected on plant growth, yield component and bulb yield of garlic. Results revealed that significant (P < 0.05) maximum leaf length (41.08 cm), bulb weight (39.17 g/bulb), harvest index (63.94%) and total bulb yield (12.93 t ha-1) were recorded at the rate of 7.5 t ha-1 of vermicompost application while maximum average leaf width (1.25 cm), clove number (13.57 cm), and bulb dry matter (51.66%) were obtained at maximum rate of 130 kg ha-1 mineral N fertilizer. The results indicated that application of vermicompost at 7.5 t ha-1 and 130 kg Nha-1 mineral fertilizer gave the highest total garlic bulb yield of 12.9 and 12.69 t ha-1, respectively. Key words: Chelenko I, marketable bulb yield, response, total bulb yield, vermicompost.