Onion

Botanical Name :- Allium cepa

Family :- Alliaceae

Origin :- Central Asia

2n :- 16

Specification :-

• Allium is Greek word.
• Winter season crop.
• India is the second largest producer of onion in the world, next to China.
• India rank third in export of onions next to Netherland and Spain.
• Maharashtra is the leading producing state.

Types of onions are grown in India :-

1. Common onion (Allium cepa Var. cepa) with large bulbs born singly and prorogated through seeds. (Used as salad or in curries)

2. Shallot (Allium cepa Var. ascalonicum)

3. Tree onion or Egyption onion (Allium cepa Var. uiuiparaum / proliferum)

4. Chiva (A. schoenoprasum)

Climate :-

• Rainfall exceeds :- 75 - 100 cm during monsoon period.
• Temperature for vegetative growth :- 12.5 - 23.0 °C
• For bud formation :- 20 - 25 °C

Soil :-

• It is sensitive to high acidity and alkalinity.
• Ideal pH is 5.8 to 6.5.

Planting of bulb :-

• 10 - 12 quintals of bulbs are required to plant one hectare.

Broadcasting or drilling method :-

• Seed requirement is as high as 25 kg/ha.
• When bulbs are 6 - 8 weeks old seedlings should be thinned.
• Flowering structure is called as "Umbel".

Variety :-

• Agrifound Dark Red, Agrifound Rose.
• Poona Red, Nasik Red, Bellary Red, Patna Red, Patna White are common in onion trade.

IIHR, Bangalore :-

Arka Niketan, Arka Kalyan, Arka Bindu, Arka Pragati.

IARI, New Delhi :-

Pusa Red, Pusa Ratna, Pusa Round, Pusa Madhvi.

Harvesting and Yield :-

• Onion is ready for harvest in 3 - 5 months after transplanting depending on variety.

Seed Production :-

• Onion is cross pollinated crop.
• Isolation distance of 1000 - 1600 m and 500 m for foundation and certified seeds respectively.

Two method :-

1. Seed to seed method.
2. Bulb to seed method.

• Medium size bulb of 2.5 to 3.0 cm diameter and 45 x 30 - 45 cm spacing.
• Heads are harvested when seeds turn black in colour.
• Seed yield is 800 - 1000 kg/ha.