Although the onion harvest went smoothly in most places, problems in storage facilities are now regularly revealed. It is especially striking in the south, according to Syngenta's onion experts. They also look ahead to the next season.
"The harvest actually went quite well", Kees Jacobs begins his story. "The onions arrived under good conditions. And then as a grower you soon think 'nothing is wrong, there's nice stuff in the shed'. But appearances can be deceiving. There are more problem batches than many people think. We also hear that from the trade. And the problems are not only in the batches that only arrived after the September precipitation."
In many cases, the storage problems are related to internal bulkhead. Jacobs: "There is often a relationship with a less successful MH spraying. This is especially the case in the south, where the heat and drought have hit harder than in the northern half of the country. As a result, the uptake of the MH was often not optimal. But we also see quite a lot of fusarium and that plays a role in almost all cultivation areas. The storage life of the onions is less than in other years across a broad front."
Parties cleared
An important factor this autumn is the high temperature that lasted until mid-November. "That made cooling difficult, so the onions remained active for a long time," says Jacobs' colleague Michiel van Mol. "In some varieties there is so much activity that you can already see the bottom drop, as we call it. In other years, that only happens in May." All the necessary batches have now been cleared prematurely, the onion experts know. "If you were lucky, they could still go to Poland for 15 or 20 cents for the cutting plant. But batches have already entered the digester."
Euros don't rot, onions do
Jacobs and Van Mol advise growers to take a large sample from storage and assess it if there is the slightest doubt. "Remove onions from the cell in several places and also from deeper layers. Cut them in half in a place with good light. If you see rot or another disease in one out of fifty onions, you already have a problem." An example of such another condition is internal shot. "You can often see that because the skin of such an onion bursts," says Jacobs. "The internal germination puts tension on the skin." What also works well, according to the onion experts, is to get a third person to handle the onions. "He looks with a more objective look."
The advisers think that it would be a wise choice for many growers to sell the onions before the turn of the year. "Now you can make a good price. And the euros in your wallet won't rot, but your onions might. When you sell, you no longer have any storage risk."
Important decisions
In addition to possible storage problems, cultivation decisions for next year also require attention. "Actually, you make the most important decisions in the winter," says Jacobs. "This is the time to make a well-thought-out plan. You can then make adjustments during cultivation." According to Jacobs, a good plan starts with the choice of plot. "Onions are an expensive crop, so place them in a place with few cultivation risks. Don't neglect damaged plots and make sure that the autumn tillage is done under good conditions. Also don't forget that compacted soil gives a greater chance of fusarium. The fungus strikes faster in case of oxygen deprivation." To minimize the risk of damage from soil-related problems, a rotation of less than 1 in 6 is not recommended, according to the onion experts.
Matters such as soil sampling and the fertilization plan are also never arranged too early, according to Van Mol. "If you know in time which fertilizers you need, you can order at a suitable time. And if you want to use primed seed, you also have to order it in time." According to Jacobs, the latter cultivation measure fits in with a trend. "We have to look for more robust cultivation systems in arable farming. Primed seed fits that. I know a grower who, by definition, irrigates after sowing primed seed. He sees this as an investment in a guaranteed emergence. And I think the choice of variety is even more important Consider, for example, drought resistance. But a healthy, not too tight rotation is also an important pillar of a robust cultivation system."
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