Effect of Intra-row Spacing on the Growth and Yield of Onion (iAllium cepa L/i) in Guinea Savannah, the Gambia

The field experiment was conducted at the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), a horticulture research field in Yundum (Latitude: - 13.35903° N longitude: - 16. 72244° W) from January to April 2020 cold-dry season in The Gambia to study the effects of intra-row spacing on the growth and yield of onion. The experiment consists of four intra-row spaces (10, 15, 20 and 25cm). The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications. Data collected on the growth; yield component and yield were subjected to analysis of variance. Significant differences mean were separated using the least significant differences (LSD) test at the 5% level of probability. There were significant differences between the intra-row spacing of plant height at harvest, total bulbs, bulb yield, average bulb diameter and individual bulb weight. There were no significant differences observed in the number of leaves per plant. Intra-row spacing of 10cm obtained the highest yield (30.76 t hasup-1/sup), while wider intra-row spacing of 25cm recorded the lowest yield (18.85 t hasup-1/sup). Based on the findings of this study, it could be concluded that intra-row spacing of 10 and 15cm can be suggested for onion production during the cold-dry season in The Gambia.