Successful weed control in onion cultivation is already a challenge, but it will be even more difficult next season. With the disappearance of the products Chlorine IPC and Pyramin DF, a gap has fallen in the crop protection product package and there seem to be no alternatives.
The availability of sufficient crop protection products has been a point of attention in onion cultivation for some time. It is becoming increasingly important to use the remaining resources at the right time if you want to achieve a good result. The sector is therefore trying to obtain an exception or exemption for, among other things, Chlorine IPC. In a dry spring, when the effectiveness of soil herbicides is limited, no alternative to this product is yet available.
Extra challenge for onions on sand
Weed control can become a problem, especially on sandy soils. As a result of the top layer drying out more quickly (compared to the situation on clay soils), the effectiveness of soil herbicides can often be disappointing. However, the loss of Chlorine IPC is also a major problem under humid conditions, insiders say. If the crop has not hardened sufficiently, products with contact action are no longer available.
“With the remaining resources, weed control will be a challenge next season.” says Fokko Prins cultivation specialist at Agrifirm. "Current products may only be used a number of times per cultivation cycle. So you have to make choices about which product can be used at what time and there is a risk that there will be gaps in the spraying schedule. Uniform emergence and even position of the crop are extra important. of interest."
Mechanical weed control
Mechanical weed control (by hoeing and weeding harrows) can supplement chemical weed control. Here too, weather conditions play an important role in effectiveness. In addition, current technology can only be used at a relatively late growth stage. Chemistry is expected to remain the basis for weed control for conventional growers in the coming years.
In onion cultivation, there is also a shift in cultivation area. The crop is losing popularity in the south-west of the Netherlands, but is of interest to growers in the east of the country. The onion area on sandy soil has grown from approximately 2.700 hectares in 2017 to almost 5.200 hectares in 2020. The area in the east also appears to be growing further in the coming season. It remains to be seen how cultivation will develop further after this year (with all the restrictions).