Crop tour Week 27 Onions
Seed onions refresh nicely from fallen millimetres
Seed onions have undergone considerable development in recent times. Storm Poly has finished in the Netherlands and has caused precipitation and a lot of wind in various places. This precipitation, together with the millimeters that fell shortly before, refreshes the onion crop nicely, as the growers who participate in the Boerenbusiness Crop tour.
The onions in Zeewolde (FL) have risen again after the storm. The onions lay flat over the land due to the strong wind. So it didn't cause any damage. In the end, 22 millimeters of precipitation also fell on the Gewastour plot.
Measuring is knowing
The onions in Lepelstraat (NB) continue to grow well. Onion grower David de Wit measured and weighed his onions last weekend. The onions now almost all have their seventh pipe. The longest leaf is now 50 centimeters. Since the longest day (June 21), the weight of the foliage has quadrupled, says De Wit.
Last fertilizer application
The last fertilizer dose was given on Tuesday in the north of the country in Eenrum (GR). 250 kg fertilizer per ha was spread on the crop. This should save the onions until the end of the season.
First sign of spherical formation visible
The first form of spherical formation is visible on some plots. Normally, bulb formation starts around the longest day, but due to late spring, bulb formation usually starts later. Temperature plays an important role in spherical formation. The higher the temperature, the faster a plant starts. As soon as bulb formation is fully underway, no new foliage is developed. Below are the first signs of bulb formation on the plots in Philippine (ZL) and Wezup (DR).
The other photos are from last year on various Gewastour plots. If you compare the onions on the sandy soil with last year in Wezup, the onions are further this year. This is because the onions were sown on time: on April 14, 2023. On most plots, growth is far behind last year. The further photos are the onions on the plots in Kimswerd (Fr) and Veelerveen (Gr) in 2022. Reinder Hogenhout says that the onions this year are a few weeks behind last year's growing season.
Thrips and fusarium
Trips can be found in every plot. Many thrips can be seen especially in the plots that have not been irrigated." This is because the growth point in the onions does not continue to grow. "Due to the warm weather expected in the coming days, thrips multiply quickly again. We will see how the thrips pressure develops further," says Arjan Bos van Hazera. Bos also adds that fusarium is present in various places and can develop further. This is especially noticeable in places with a lesser structure in spring and watering it a lot.
"We'll have to wait and see how the second half of the season will go. In recent years, I've had the experience that the onions can recover a lot in the second half of the season, provided the growing conditions are good. The weather will show how things will go the second half of the season" says Bos. The fallen precipitation is the way in the right direction.
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