Effect of mycorrhizal fungi and compost as agroecological practices on onion (Allium cepa L.) growth and yield under field conditions

Abstract

The current study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of combining compost and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) as agroecological practices on onion (Allium cepa L.) growth under field conditions. The treatments adopted in this study were T0 (control), T1 (40 T/ha of compost), T₂ (3 kg/ha of AMF inoculum) and T₃ (40 T/ha of compost and 3 kg/ha of AMF Inoculum). Results showed that the AMF inoculation increased the roots colonization compared to control plants. The compost did not reduce the colonization rate, but rather increased it. As results, it was revealed that the AMF inoculation (3 kg/ha) and compost (40 T/ha) significantly improved onion growth and yield under field conditions. For instance, the rate of growth in plant height reached 67% compared to the controls. At the same time, the onion's yield has risen by 92% over the controls. Moreover, only inoculation of roots with AMF increased plant height and onion yield by 29% and 5% respectively. Therefore, compost and AMF could be considered as alternatives to synthetic fertilizers and promising biofertilizers for the sustainable production of the onion crop under Moroccan field conditions.