ONION

Onion Production Guide

“Integrated Crop Solution”

General
Onions require cool conditions for good vegetative growth with a temperature range of
between 12° C and 24 °C. In Zimbabwe generally the winter months provide these conditions
as the long cool winter months gives better vegetative growth before bulbing, resulting in better
and higher yields. As the summer months approach and high daily temperatures of 25° C to
27° C accelerates the bulbing process. If a cold snap occurs with temperatures of around 13°C
while bulbing this can trigger bolting. The bulbs need a month of dry weather towards the end
of its growing period for maturity. Onions are sensitive to length of daylight. Certain cultivars
like “Texas Grano” an open pollinated variety have fairly short daylight requirements that is why
they are termed short day cultivars. The most popular Hybrid varieties grown in Zimbabwe are
sold by Prime Seed and they are San F1. Cultivars that are able to form bulbs in less than a 12
hour day length must be grown. Late or indeterminate day cultivars require longer day length,
therefore should not be planted above the 28 Degree latitude, as the closer to the equator the
shorter the day length. Zimbabwe lies roughly between 16 Degree- 23 Degree south of the
equator therefore gives best results to short day cultivars. Choice of cultivar is determined
whether long term storage is required or not. Hybrids will store for up to 5 – 6 months whereas
open pollinated varieties do not have good storage properties. As onions remain in the ground
for a long time weed control is very important because the soil should not be worked deeper
than 50mm to 75mm then only during the early growth. Leaf disease control is also very
important.

Site & Soil Selection

Onions have a relatively shallow root system to a depth of about 200mm to 300mm. Onions
can be grown on a wide range of soils. Heavy clay soils however are difficult to work with and
can cause serious problems at harvest. Soils prone to capping i.e. T factor should be avoided.
Onions respond to well composted kraal manure at a rate of up to 20 tons per hectare which
has been incorporated into the soil. Soil PH of 5.5 – 6.5 is optimum as at a low PH; certain
diseases like White Rot become more prevalent. Soil analysis is important and needs to be
done for fertilizer application and to understand the Cation balance e.g. Ca:Mg:K:Na ratio
should be 65%:23%:10%:2%.

Soils should be deep ripped to achieve good drainage, with a good fine to medium seedbed
tilth with no large clods. If direct seeding with a specialised planter a nice level fine tilth will be
needed.
Fertilization
Soil analysis will help to decide how much fertilizer to apply. Onions generally do well with
1,000kg to 1,300kg of compound “C” ( 6:17:15) Calcium nitrate can be used as a top dressing
at the rate of 30kg per hectare starting at 3 weeks after transplanting or emergence. Another
top dressing at 5 weeks, 7 weeks and 9 weeks up until seventh or eighth leaf stage. Micro
nutrient sprays of Nutrifoil 2 every 2 weeks at the rate on the label should be done until the bulb
starts to form. Avoid late or excessive Nitrogen top dressings as this will cause “Bull necks”, it
will also cause the plant to go back to vegetative mode if Nitrogen levels are high at bulb
formation.

Production Methods
Onions can be produced in the following way :-
a) Production of seedlings in an open field seedbed for transplanting.
b) Doing seedlings in trays with up to 3 or 4 seeds per plug. Prime Plants Nursery have the
expertise to do this.
c) Seeding direct in the field with a precision planter.
d) Onion sets for transplanting.

Field Seedbeds
A common method used. Sowing is done from early February to mid-April for transplanting
from May to June. Harvesting is then normally done from September to mid-October. Seed is
sown in rows 150mm – 200mm apart and seed sown to a depth of 10mm to 12mm. About 7
grams to 10 grams seed is used per square metre. Allow 3kg to 5kg of seed to produce
600,000 seedlings to be planted per hectare. Transplant seedlings when pencil thick about 6 –
8 weeks after sowing.

Seed Trays
Sowing time similar to open seedbeds. Seedlings normally only get to 3.0mm to 3.5mm in
diameter. Once the plug is pulled separate the seedlings and plant individual plants. Some
growers plant the plug without separating the seedlings but at slightly wider spacing. This is
not normally suggested as these clusters do not develop sufficiently and some bulbs are
malformed with flattened sides.

Transplanting seedlings from field seedbeds or plugs.

Seedlings are planted in shallow furrows which have been made on top of the bed. The number
of rows will depend on variety and the growers decided final population. Roughly 5 to 6 rows
on a 1,2metre bed top is the normal. Seedlings are placed at a slant on the sides of the furrow
and the roots are covered with soils to a depth of 1cm to 2.5cm. After transplanting, the
seedlings will lie flat but will recover in a few days after the settling in irrigations and will start
growing upright.
Direct Seeding
Direct seeded crops are normally 6 weeks earlier to maturity and avoids the labour- intensive
practice of transplanting. A big disadvantage is that the entire field has to be kept weed free,
seedlings are still very small, weak and vulnerable. Weed control pre and post emergence is
very important. Irrigation is a problem as it needs to apply small amounts often and evenly over
the entire crop until germination is complete. Seed requirement is between 6kg to 8kg per
hectare.

Production Methods
Sets are more robust after they have been transplanted and therefore easier to manage. Seed
is sown in an open field nursery on beds that are 1.2metre to 1.6metre on top with 6 or 8 rows
per bed 20cm apart this figuration depends on if a planter is being used or being done by
hand. Seeding is normally done in June in the hotter parts of the country and July – August in
the cooler areas as a general rule of thumb one hectare of seedbeds should supply enough
seedlings for 10 hectares of crop. It is very important that not too much Nitrogen is given to the
growing seedlings. Approximately 30kg – 50kgs of Nitrogen needs to be applied per hectare.
After germination the bulbs will start to form within 4 – 6 weeks. Bulbs will continue to grow
until November when their size gets to 20mm – 25mm in diameter, then will begin to lodge.
Lifting will be done in late November to Mid-December. After the sets have been lifted allow the
necks to start drying off for 2 – 3 days then the sets can now be dried in bulk bins, on wire
racks or cages. Make sure that the necks of the sets are completely dry before storage.

It is important that the storage facilities are adequate to hold all the sets as they need to be
kept for between 2 – 3 months before planting out. Before storage, sets can be graded into
roughly 3 sizes, 15mm – 20mm – 25mm so immature and over size bulbs can then be
discarded so they do not take up storage space. If sets are stored in bulk do not go higher than
1metre – 1.5 metre in the drying room. There are two methods of storage, either cold or warm.
Cold storage needs temperature range from 1° C to 4° C with a R.H of 65% - 75%. Warm
storage has a temperature of 26 °C – 27° C with a R.H. of 60% - 75%. Sets can be stacked on
a slatted or perforated floor so that an air flow can then pass through. There are problems with
cold and warm storage. High temperatures can result in slow emergence after planting out the
sets due to the lack of the breakdown of the inhibitor (diallyl-dislulfide) which is formed in the
sets during the latter stages of growth. After planting out frequent light irrigation of 1mm to
2mm can be applied twice a day to help cool the soil down. Warm storage is best for sets
larger than 25mm, as large sets are prone to bolting with cold storage conditions. Cold storage
can lead to unwanted flowering if sets are kept for the whole period of storage. The inhibitor is
broken down by cold storage. Before storage contact your Prime Seed Agronomist to
recommend a fungicide to prevent disease and decay during storage and how best to apply it.
Remember to dry the bulbs again if dipped in a chemical solution.
Make sure at transplanting time that the sets must be completely covered with soil as any part
left exposed will probably get sun scorched resulting in possible pathogen attack. After
transplanting out the sets the smaller size sets just start enlarging in size and begin to become
normal onions. Large sets over 35mm in diameter often split. The idea of using sets is to get a
crop to mature earlier than the normal plantings thereby catching higher prices on the market.
However this method does result in a rather uneven crop. The percentage of bolters, thick neck
bulbs and split bulbs is often quite high. Spacing of the sets in the field is the same as for
planted out seedlings or direct seeded crops. Planting is done by hand or a specially designed
planting machine.

Spacing
Plant density can be from 600,000 to 800,000 plants per hectare. Seed count is normally
270,000 seeds per kilo.

Plant on beds of 1.2m – 1.6m beds centre to centre. Five to eight rows per bed 20cm apart and
seedlings or seeds 5cm to 10cm apart. Planting depth is critical as this has a noticeable effect
on the bulb shape. The onion stem plate forms at the point that the seed germinates. The entire
bulb forms above this point thus the bulb may form below or above the soil surface depending
on the placement of the seed.

Irrigation
After sowing the seed direct in the field or in the field nursery seedbed the soil surface should
not be allowed to dry out. This entails short irrigation cycles two to three times a day
depending on weather conditions. After transplanting seedlings they should be watered daily
until the plants stand up. Onion roots can penetrate up to 800mm but most roots feed in the
top 200mm – 300mm of soil. Care of irrigation management in the first 9 – 10 weeks is
important, before bulb formation and the next important period is just before harvest. No stress
should be allowed during bulb formation however no irrigation should be applied for the final 3
weeks before maturity to allow the bulbs to cure properly. A good onion crop will require
600mm – 700mm of irrigation.

Harvesting
Some growers harvest a small portion of the crop once the bulbs are a good size and sold as
green onions tied in bunches. This is normally sold to local vendors. Mostly growers start
harvesting when the tops of over 50% of the crop have collapsed and fallen over, even though
the leaves still show a green colour. A good way to lift is to loosen the soil with a blade pulled
below the root zone. Leave the onions for 3 – 4 days to dry then pull them out by hand. Even if
the crop is not going to be stored, the bulbs should be dry before marketing. Pull up to about
10 rows at a time and place in a single windrow in the field with the leaves being put over the
bulbs to stop sun burn.
These are left for a further 2 – 3 days to dry and then the roots and leaves are cut off. If rain
should fall before the onions have been removed from the field the windrows should be turned
over and opened up to dry before re doing the windrow. Once off the field and in the shed
onions can be graded to size before pocketing for marketing. If onions are to be stored the
keeping quality is related to the amount of cells per volume of the bulb, the amount of growth
inhibitor (diallyl disulphide) is formed in the leaves then translocate to the bulb at maturity.
Make sure the onions have lodged properly for this process to take place so as to enhance the
keeping quality.

Effective drying is when the temperature is around 27° C and low humidity of 75% R.H. with
good ventilation. This temperature also reduces sprouting in the stored onion. Where long term
storage is required it is important that high relative humidity of 75% - 80% R.H. are avoided as
this is the enemy of stored Onions, promotes root growth and the development of storage
Pathogens that could result in big losses. Low relative humidity of less than 65% R.H. leads to
excessive moisture loss resulting in shrivelled bulbs and big losses in weight. For long term
storage good management of the shed is vital. Before filling the shed it should have been
cleaned thoroughly to prevent fungal and bacterial infections. All damaged onions should be
removed at grading before coming into the building. Good ventilation, temperature control and
humidity control of all the bins should be checked regularly, and any onions with Basal, Neck
and Soft Rots which are common storage problems must be removed. Keep the floor clean of
debris and sweepings.

A well cured onion will store and remain in a good state for a long time.
 Onion Spray Guide
Stage Nursery Transplanting & Vegetative First blubs Blub expansion Mature
seeding establishment
Days: 0 - 49 42 - 56 50- 90 90 - 110 110 - 170 150 -200

Pest Problems

Nematodes Solvigo

Soil Pests Actara Soil drench

Cutworms Karate Zeon

Thrips Actara / Ampligo

Disease Problems
Damping off Apron Star Seed Dress

Downy mildew & white tip Ortiva/Ridomil/Foilo Gold/Revus

Purple blotch (alternaria) Amistar Top / Bravo

Neck Rot Amistar Top / Ortiva

Weed Problems Below are off-labe suggestions; grower must do own tests for crop damage.
Before planting - post Touchdown
emergence perennials
Before planting - post Gramoxone / Touchdown
emergence annuals
Pre-emergence: grasses Dual Magnum

Post- transplanting ;
pre-emergence: grasses Fusilade Forte
+ broadleaf
Pre-emergence: grasses + Servian
Broadleaf