Onions grow fast, but they also have setbacks

With the current temperature and moisture, the onions are having a hard time growing. The second pipe is already visible in onions sown in April, while those sown later are also developing well. However, there are also setbacks in the field. Plant numbers are disappointing for various reasons and in some regions there is water damage.

We can no longer really speak of a good or optimal start after the later sowing, which mainly took place from mid-April to the first week of May. It is simply too late for that. But it is a fact that most plants have grown significantly in recent days, as can be seen from a tour of the Crop Tour plots. 

Smooth start
The fact that the seed onions benefit from the moisture and temperature is clearly reflected in the onions sown later. These are developing quickly, such as the Gewastour plot in Kimswerd, Friesland. The plot was sown on May 2, so it has been in transit for less than three weeks. Onion grower Reinder Hogenhout says that he is quite satisfied with how things are going now. "The weather is growing. When you see what they have done in such a short time, it is quite unique. The first pipe is now in place and the crop is not missing anything. The weather was also good, such as the rain showers from 5 and 10 millimeters. They do the crop well."

Rain has also fallen on the Gewastour plot in Beemte Broekland (Gelderland) in recent weeks and, in combination with the temperature, this is good for the onions. Onion grower Ruud Vossebeld spread polysulphate this morning on his plot, which was sown on May 1. 

A little further north in Wezup in Drenthe, onion grower Arjen Jakobs sowed his onions earlier this season on April 15. He is satisfied with how his onions look on the sand. "The second pipe is now coming, so it continues to grow nicely. I am also very satisfied with the position, which is very regular. I cannot complain as it stands and in recent days we have had 12 millimeters, a nice boost for growth."

Setbacks
Good growth is one thing, and with plenty of moisture, good emergence seems likely, but that is not the case everywhere. In addition, in addition to the late sowing, there have already been quite a few setbacks this growing season. Several regions in the Netherlands, mainly the south, are already hit by heavy rainfall and hail in recent weeks. On the other hand, there are regions, such as parts in the north of the country, where little precipitation fell and crust formation caused problems. The hard drying weather is the reason for this. In addition, the bean and onion fly is also quite active, which does not leave the young shoots unharmed. All this together has significantly affected plant numbers in several regions.

Onion grower Klaasjan Boer from Kortgene (Zeeland) also indicates that the number of plants on his plot is disappointing and that it is a combination of various factors. "We have had hail, a lot of rain, crusts and even a few nights of frost. That is not good and the plants are weakened. Spraying against weeds may also have had an influence, because if they are already difficult to grow, it does have an effect. I think that they become rude with this position"

Last Monday, Boer broke the crust that was on it. "I do that to get oxygen into it. That crust had become one thick plate, so I want to break it open. The position is disappointing, but the plants there are growing nicely."

Last week there was another considerable amount of precipitation in the South. The plots of onion grower Jacky Dieleman from Philippine (Zeeland) received 50 millimeters of rainfall within one day. Even though it was already very wet. The water remained longer in the lowlands and cost plants, but in many places the situation still seems to be reasonably good.

Jesse Torringa

Jesse is an editor at Boerenbusiness and focuses in particular on the arable farming sector, including grain and onions. He also closely follows the fertilizer market. In addition, Jesse works on an arable farm in Groningen with seed potatoes as the main branch.

j.torringa@boerenbusiness. Nl

© DCA Market Intelligence. This market information is subject to copyright. It is not permitted to reproduce, distribute, disseminate or make the content available to third parties for compensation, in any form, without the express written permission of DCA Market Intelligence.