Onion seed production

Onion seed production | onion seed farming :-

Soil and climate requirements :-

Well drained medium to heavy soil.

PH range of 6.5 to 7.5 are good for onion seed production.

Flowering initiation in onion takes place at a comparatively cooler temperature(15 - 25 degree celcius).

Higer temperature are favourable only for seed ripening and maturity.

Low temperature at the time of bulb planting (nov - dec).

Moderate temperature during stalk development, flowering and seed setting (january - feb).

Warm temperature at seed maturity and drying (march - april).

Field preparation and planting :-

A deep ploughing and incorporation of well decomposed FYM @ 20t per hectare creates good soil tilth.

Ridges and furrows are common planting method.

Selection of mother bulb :-

The 5m distance should be maintain from other onion field for avoiding contamination of bulbs of another variety.

Harvest of rabi season already catches enough resting period, but the bulb harvested in kharif need to give a resting period of 15 - 20 days.

The ideal bulb selection should be based on following criteria :-

1. Bulb should be true to type.

2. Uniform colour.

3. Uniform shape.

4. Medium to large in size (45 - 60 mm diameter).

5. Preferably single center.

Planting :-

For kharif season variety this cycle is completed in one year while, rabi season varieties takes two year to complete one cycle.

Bulb are planted normally during october - november for seed production.

The top 1/3rd portion of the bulb should be cut before planting and treated with o.2 % carbendazim solution for 20 - 30 minutes.

The treated bulb need to be planted at 5cm to 6cm depth.

Seed requirement :-

40 - 45 q/hectare.

Irrigation :-

Onion seed crop has shallow root system thus it demands frequent irrigation.

Fertilizer :-

For onion seed crops 100 : 50 : 50 : 50 NPKS/hectare is recommended.

1/3rd of recommended N and full quantity of P, K and S should applied as basal dose before planting.

Application of N, K and S are not recommended during the flowering, because these make the flower nectar unattractive to bees.

Application of micronutrient :-

Boron, sprayed after opening of flowers, helps in improving pollen germination.

Isolation and rouging :-

Onion being a highly cross pollinated crop more care is needed for the isolation from the field of seed crop of other varities.

An isolation distance more than 1000m for commercial seed crop, 500m for certified seed and 100 m for foundation seed is recommended to maintain the genetic purity of the seeds.

Onion are hermaphrodite in nature the anthers mature before the stigma and makes the self pollination uncommon.

To ensure good pollination, 2 - 4 colonies of honeybees can be kept in one acre seed plot.

While keeping the honeybees, insecticide sprayed after opening of flowers must be avoided.

Disease and pest management :-

Harvesting, Drying, and Threshing :-

Generally, the harvesting is performed manually by cutting the umbels by hand or by sickle.

Harvested umbels are dried, by exposing in the sun for 4 - 5 days.

Wooden sticks are used for beating the umbels gently.

A well managed seed plot can yield about (800 - 1200)kg/hac can be obtained under best management and climatic conditions.

Pakaging and storage :-

Onion seed loses viability after 12 months if they are packed improperly.

Packing in a polythene bag (400 gauge) of 1 to 5 kg capacity for longer viability.

The moisture level should be less than 6% before packing.

Under cold storage at 12 - 15 degree celcius and 35 - 45% humidity seed can be stored for 3 - 4 years.

Thanks for visiting us