Crop tour onions - week 24
Seed onions are very variable this season
The differences in growth stages of the sowing onions are extremely large this season after the wet and late spring. Plots with a good stand and a fifth pipe on a plant alternate with plots full of water damage and far below average growth. A poor soil structure makes itself felt immediately. Meanwhile, the longest day is getting very close.
The picture in the onion plots is extremely variable this year in our wet country. No province or region seems to emerge from the wet spring unscathed when it comes to sowing onions. At first glance, onions sown earlier (in mid-April) appear to be more developed on average than those sown two weeks later or even later. But that idea goes wrong, according to the growers who participate in the Boerenbusiness Crop tour not completely finished. The previously sown plots have had to experience lower temperatures, causing the young plants to encounter a crust here and there. This has led to plant failure. The bean and onion fly is also very present this year and is leaving its mark on various plots, especially in the center and south of the Netherlands.
Moderate growth
The water damage is clearly visible on the Crop tour plot in Dronten (Flevoland) of the Aeres University of Applied Sciences. Students Lisanne Dam and Marnix Kaashoek, who are monitoring the plot this season, indicate that growth on the plot is quite disappointing. "The seed onions have not grown much again and many plants have fallen away. This is due to the water damage. There was water in places and it could not be removed in time. In some places a third pipe is visible." In addition to the water damage, the bean and/or onion fly may also have caused damage.
The crop tour plot of Aeres University of Applied Sciences in Dronten.
Water damage is clearly visible on the plot.
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Fifth pipe
Further north in the Noordoostpolder at the Gewastour plot in Marknesse, growth is actually good. This is what onion grower Peter Holster tells us, who indicates that it is a nice block of onions. "The onions are growing very nicely. I am actually very satisfied and certainly cannot complain. Sometimes the fifth pipe is already starting to come. It helps that I sowed quite early (second week of April). I was unsure whether I should take that sowing time. , because the ground was far from a 10. The choice turned out well in the end."
Holster does indicate that he is missing a few plants. "I'm certainly missing some plants because I sowed early. The seed had a hard time getting up, because we still had a fairly cold period after sowing and the plot still had a crust for a while. It's always a matter of waiting to see how a choice, but if you sow at a reasonable time, you have an advantage in terms of growth. Then the onions can also grow larger and that makes up for the few plants that are lost."
The fourth and sometimes a fifth pipe is also installed on the Gewastour plot in Wezup, Drenthe. The onions have suffered from the lower temperatures of the past period and the large amount of water, explains onion grower Arjen Jakobs. "The onions are looking good and are in good condition. In some places the plants are lagging behind because of nematodes. With the lower temperature and the large amount of water, you can see that growth is not optimal at the moment." He also sees major differences in the growth stages between the onion plots in the region where Jakobs grows his onions. "The picture is very variable. Good plots alternate with very bad ones. Some plants barely grow."
Almost all of the Netherlands has had more precipitation this spring than in an 'average' year. Few places were skipped and this is also clearly visible in the south. Rinus Struik, account manager at De Groot & Slot, saw that boundaries were pushed again in his working region of the South Netherlands. He also noticed that it is impossible to say whether the early sown or late sown plots are in better shape during this period of growth. "What you clearly see this year is that the quality of the soil is decisive. Early sowing seems very nice, but it is disappointing if the structure is not good. It is also impossible to say whether the plots are sown early or sown late. be better this season. It depends on so many factors and is very variable." Kunst cites the example of late-sown plots that have been able to grow undisturbed since they were sown. These look good if you compare it with the number of days after sowing.
In Philippine (Zeeuws-Vlaanderen) it was possible to sow reasonably on time (second week of April), but some of the plants were lost due to the heavy rainfall. This is what onion grower Jacky Dieleman says, who sees this on many plots in his region. "The growth is there, but you can see that the precipitation has done a lot of damage to the plots. Where there was water, there are no longer any plants. In total, 20% of the plants on the plot are gone. All those places where there is nothing, they are hitting each other hard. And you see that more often, because there is no plot without a problem. There is something wrong with every plot. Soil resources have also done their best and there are structural problems visible. I would have liked to see it different, but it just wasn't different this season."
Jesse Torringa
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