Onion bulb rot disease affecting yield of women producers in rural communities of the Gambia

The surge of onion bulb rot disease poses a significant threat to smallholder farmers who depend on onion production as source of income. This study was conducted on onion bulb rot disease affecting the onion yield of women farmers in rural communities of Gambia to determine the onion bulb rot dissemination and damage caused by the disease. The sampling procedures was purposive method with a sample size of ninety farmers were interviewed. The data was analyzed for descriptive statistics presented in frequencies and percentages using SPSS software. The result showed that 60% of respondents indicate soft rot bulbs, 30% of leaf drops while 10% of the respondents indicate slime flux discharge from the root basal. The results indicated that majority 65% of the onion growers prepared their own nurseries for seedlings production and 30% of producers nursed their own seedlings and purchased others, respectively. The results show that significant (p≥ 0.026) relationship between time of planting and percentage damage cause by the disease. In addition, correlation analysis was done showing a strong positive (r = 0.97) relationship between time of transplanting onions and disease incidence. In conclusion farmers demonstrate awareness of symptoms and spread of diseases, showing a significant gap in knowledge regarding effective control and prevention measures. This research further recommends the use of best agronomic practices for control measure such as soil health management, seedling management, water management and integrated pest management practices for the control of onion bulb rot disease.