Dutch Crop tour onions - week 31
Ironing seed onions, correct MH spraying is crucial
The Gewastour sowing onions started ironing last week and that is going very quickly now. The first MH spraying has therefore been done. The right moment is crucial for a good recording.
In the south of the Netherlands in particular, the seed onions have started ironing en masse, such as the plot in Ysselsteyn (Limburg). The first blocks are also starting in the middle of the Netherlands and even in the north some plots are already being ironed.
Iron early
Despite the growing weather, sufficient moisture and the green color on the crop, many fields with seed onions have started ironing. The ironing is because the juice flow in the neck of the onion is too weak, so that the foliage can no longer be carried and therefore sags. But also the lesser plots, where the length of the plant is lacking and the number of plants is low, seem to start to spread. Fortunately, there is sufficient moisture present so that the onions can continue to grow considerably, provided the crop remains healthy.
Grab seed onions from 2 sides with MH
Several growers are surprised because ironing normally starts later for them and the crop was not yet ready for it. In addition, the large foliage package also ensures that the cover is not optimal during spraying. Andre Boot, Hazera's crop specialist on onions, hears this more often this season and has advice.
'There is a difference between whether the crop is lightly ironed or whether it is completely flat. Such a plot is often lightly ironed and still has to be sprayed with MH.' Andre's advice is to grab the seed onions from 2 sides with MH. 'This gives you a good coverage and therefore a better recording of the MH. You drive back and forth through the same spray track with half the dose, so that you end up with one full dose again. But always consult with your own crop specialist about what is the most convenient.'
Right time MH spraying
In recent years it has been difficult to determine the MH spraying due to the two-way effect and the position on the plots. Certain spots in the field were completely ironed out, other spots were standing upright. The main reasons are often the structure and soil type. This year the onions are on average quite even and the moment is easier to determine.
The right moment can be found on the basis of several rules of thumb. The best known and most common rule is that as soon as 10% of the plot has been ironed, the MH spraying must be carried out. Onion growers also often look at the bulb-neck ratio. This ratio should be about 3 to 1 but is difficult to judge for some breeds.
Another well-known method is cutting a number of onions. It is important that the onion has a leafless skirt in the core. A leafless skirt is the skirt that does not grow upwards through the neck, but whose top remains in the bulb. If this skirt is not present, the MH moment should be postponed.
MH Spraying Crop Tour
The plots in Ysselsteyn (Limburg) and Oeffelt (North Brabant) are fully ironed, but no spraying with MH has been carried out there. The sowing onions on both plots are not stored and are sent off land.
The Crop Tour plot in Nagele (Flevoland) is the first plot where MH spraying was carried out. The onions are also starting to iron in Zeeland and MH is on the schedule. Another parcel of the onion grower has already been treated, but the yellow seed onions of the Dormo variety are not yet ready for the Crop Tour.
Jesse Torringa
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