Crop tour Week 15- Onions
Onions are slow to start due to drought and cold
Drought has been the biggest challenge for the participating onion growers of the Crop Tour so far. Although most farmers are able to irrigate their plots, some are not. The rain that is predicted from next Sunday is therefore more than welcome for many.
Klaasjan Boer from Kortgene (Zeeland) cannot irrigate his onions due to the salt content in the water. Klaasjan sowed his onions on 17 March, but the emergence is difficult due to the persistent dry weather. On one plot it is clear that the drought is hampering the growth of the onions, he indicates. On another plot, with a slightly different soil type that retains more moisture, the onions want to emerge better. Ruud Vossebeld from Beemte-Broekland (Gelderland) is the only one who has not yet sown his Gewastour plot. He only wants to sow after the rain.
Drip irrigation
Reinder Hogenhout from Kimswerd (Friesland) has chosen to irrigate his onions with drip irrigation and gave 12 millimeters of water. This has a positive effect on germination, because the soil around the seed has become nice and moist with the drip irrigation. René Haaijer from Veelerveen (Groningen) and Peter Holster from Marknesse (Flevoland) were also busy connecting drip hoses for their onions. "It is quite a job, but if the system functions well, it will probably have a positive effect on the emergence of the onions." Aeres Hogeschool in Dronten (Flevoland) started sowing the Promotion variety this week. After working the soil with a quick harrow, the plot was sown and immediately irrigated with an irrigation boom to help germination get going.
According to Steven Dorrestijn, Crop Advisor Arable Farming and Field Vegetables at Syngenta, the onions may not be there yet, but they will come. "The expectation is that next week about 80% of the onions will be above ground, while this is currently only 10-15%." Jacky Dieleman from Philippine (Zeeland) and Arjen Jacobs from Wezup (Drenthe) fall into that category, with their onions now nicely visible in the row. "The cold nights slow down the germination, causing the growth of the onions to lag behind," says Dorrestijn. The first onions were sown four weeks ago, but he expects that these will largely be caught up by the onions sown later.
Irrigation makes the difference
What can make a big difference, according to him, is the possibility of irrigation. "If part of the seed is dry or the soil dries out and the roots of the germinated seeds do not have enough moisture, it becomes difficult for the onions to continue growing. That makes it difficult for an even and smooth emergence."
The ideal scenario is that the seeds germinate evenly and are at the top at the same time. Irregular emergence and an uneven position cause problems with weed control in this phase. Where the onions are the least, you want to spray away as few as possible and you have to adjust the dosage of the herbicides accordingly. There is always some loss, 20% to 30% is considered normal. As a grower, you do not want to lose much more.
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