Crop tour onions - week 17
Varying position of seed onions: breaking the crust is the motto
Most fields with seed onions have been growing for some time now, but the difference in emergence is very large. The early sown plots seem to fare best. The condition of other plots is critical, given the state and the drought.
The rain that the growers were waiting for in March is now having its negative effect and is hindering the emergence of onions in several regions. Onion growers have pulled out all the stops to keep the crust in check. Rolling, harrowing, watering, everything to hinder the onion as little as possible.
More than a crust
At Dirk Binnema in Eenrum (GR), the situation is critical. He has had 55 millimeters of rainfall in a short time and can now only watch his onions 'battle' with the crust. Binnema rather calls it a plate because it is a package of 20 centimeters thick. Harrowing and hoeing is therefore no longer an option and irrigation was also cut due to the strong wind and the risk of brown rot in the area. "Many a concrete farmer licks his fingers at my onion and beet fields. I think you can drive over them with a forklift!"
Reinder Hogenhout from Kimswerd (FR) is satisfied with the turnout, but it could have been better. Most onions are already flagging and a few are still coming through. He used a Macon/Agrideals crust crusher, which broke the crust in each row. The harrow also had to be used for the plot in Dronten (FL) of the Aeres University of Applied Sciences. The plot was sown just before the heavy rainfall and had a large crust that has since broken. However, the seed onions are still not on top.
first pipe
Nationally, the sowing onions in the south are the best. Just like in other years, these were sown earlier than the rest of the Netherlands and that seems to be working out well. Encrusting plays a less important role due to the lighter soils in the southeast and in many cases the onions were already on top. For example, Klaasjan Boer from Kortgene (ZL) is satisfied with the emergence of his onions, but is a bit disappointing in some places: "I am satisfied with the emergence and many onions have the first pipe. But when you go into the field, you still see places where there are fewer plants. Some are still coming through and there are some shoots against the crust."
On the lighter soils in the south, the onions are a bit better and growth is quite good with these temperatures. This can be seen on the plot in Ysselsteyn (Li) as well as in Oeffelt (NB). Geert Jillissen from Oeffelt has all the onions on the Crop Tour plot upstairs. On March 14, his seeder made lengths over the light loamy soil and was not irrigated after that. The primed onion seed has managed to withstand the drought well, because the condition is good: "The onions on the early sown plots on the light soil look great, the first pipe is finished".
Robin Winter
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