Review on Mineral Nutrition of Onion (Allium cepa L)

Proper nutrition is one of the factors which is limiting onion production. Onion yield and quality is affected by fertilization of macro and micro nutrients. Mineral nutrients, Nitrogen, phosphorous and Potassium are macronutrients which significantly affect onion production. Nitrogen and phosphorous fertilization significantly affect growth, yield and quality of onion. The requirement of mineral fertilizer varies from place to place, depending on different factors in the growing areas. Effective use of N, P and K fertilizer depends on soil condition, irrigation system, climatic factors and management factors. In all different research reports, it is described that onion is a heavy feeder for N, P, K and the application of these mineral elements enhance production significantly. The quality of onion, physiology and production is highly limited by fertilization of N, P and K fertilizers. Therefore, in this review the effect of mineral nutrition on growth, physiology and yield of onion are discussed and examined in detail.