Table 1.
Mean values of onion biometrical parameters at harvest as affected by bulb planting time and density (n = 3 ± SD).
| Source of Variance | Flower Stalks | Umbel Diameter (mm) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. Per Plant | Height (cm) | Diameter (mm) | ||
| Year (Y) | ||||
| 2014 | 3.1 ± 0.03 | 107.4 ± 0.99 | 39.1 ± 0.13 | 73.5 ± 0.74 |
| 2015 | 3.3 ± 0.02 | 111.1 ± 0.86 | 40.8 ± 0.23 | 76.1 ± 0.59 |
| n.s. | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. | |
| Planting time (Pt) | ||||
| 20 December | 4.0 ± 0.07 a | 112.1 ± 1.96 a | 41.9 ± 0.74 a | 81.2 ± 1.39 a |
| 10 January | 3.2 ± 0.07 b | 118.3 ± 2.33 a | 41.9 ± 0.83 a | 78.4 ± 1.50 a |
| 31 January | 3.0 ± 0.04 b,c | 109.9 ± 1.39 a | 40.5 ± 0.53 a | 76.2 ± 0.89 a |
| 21 February | 2.7 ± 0.10 c | 96.9 ± 3.56 b | 35.5 ± 1.23 b | 63.8 ± 2.37 b |
| Bulb density per m2 (Bd) | ||||
| 2.0 | 3.6 ± 0.04 a | 112.7 ± 1.37 | 42.2 ± 0.46 a | 76.8 ± 0.82 |
| 2.5 | 3.3 ± 0.04 a,b | 109.7 ± 1.45 | 39.9 ± 0.51 a,b | 75.0 ± 0.97 |
| 3.3 | 3.0 ± 0.04 b | 108.9 ± 1.15 | 39.9 ± 0.41 a,b | 74.3 ± 0.72 |
| 5.0 | 3.0 ± 0.04 b | 105.9 ± 1.34 | 37.8 ± 0.54 b | 73.4 ± 0.94 |
| n.s. | n.s. | |||
| Y × Pt | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. |
| Y × Bd | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. |
| Pt × Bd | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. |
| Y × Pt × Bd | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. |
Within each column, n.s. = no statistically significant difference; means followed by different letters are significantly different according to the Duncan test at p ≤ 0.05. Mean values ± standard deviations have been reported for the main effects of the experimental factors.