🧅 Onion

Cultivation, Important Points

Allium cepa
Family: Alliaceae
Origin: Central Asia
Rich source of Vitamin B Complex.
India’s rank 2nd in area and production after China.
India’s rank 3rd in export in the world (12% of total world’s export).
Netherland is the leading exporter of onion (21%), 2nd → Spain.
Onion accounts for 77% of total foreign exchange earning among fresh vegitables.
Maharashtra leading state with 23.4% area and 27.5% production under onion.
Lassalgoan in Maharashtra is the biggest onion market in India.
Potato-Onion/ underground onion/ Multiplier onion – Allium cepa var. aggregatum.
Tree onion – Allium cepa var. viviparum.
Highly cross pollinated due to protandry. Pollination of onion chiefly by Honey bees.
Anthesis at 5 to 9 am.
Onion is a cool season crop. Optimum temperature for bulb development is 20-25 °C.
Bolting in onion/stem elongation due to low temperature
Temperature is more important than day length in seed production.
Day length is more important than temperature for bulb production.
Zn application (1-3 ppm) increases yield as well as improve quality.
Umbellate inflorescence.
Flower colour: White or bluish.
Pungency in onion due to Allyl propyl di sulphide.
Cate chol is a phenolic factor present in onion has antifungal property.
Colour of outer skin of onion is due to Quecertin.
Quecertin compound presence in onion and garlic protection against cancer and heart disease.
Onion is very useful in sun stroke.
In onion to check sprouting or germination during storage is spraying Malic Hydrazide @ 2500 ppm 15-20 days after storage.

Seed rate

8-10 kg Seeds/ha for nursery sown to raise seedlings.
Or planting by bulbs: 750 kg medium sized bulb/ha.

Varieties

Largest cultivated onion varieties: Orange and Yellow.
Introduction:
- Brown Spanich
- Early Grano
- Bermuda Yellow
Selection:
- Pusa Ratnar
- Pusa Red
- Pusa White Round
- N-53
- Arka Niketan
- Arka Kalyan
- Arka Pragati
- Arka Bindu
- Nasik Red
- Agrifound Dark Red
- Patna Red
- Bangalore Rose
- Pusa White Flat: Suitable for dehydration
Selfing Variety:
- Pusa Madhvi
Hybrid:
- Arka Pitambar: White X Red
- Arka Kirtiman
- Arka Lalima
Kharif season:
- Arka kalyan
- Agrifound ^{AFO 2017}
- N-53 & N-241
- Arka pragati (for both season)
Purple blotch resistant varieties:
- Arka Kalyan
- Nasik Red
Long day variety:
- Brown Spanish
- Early Grano: Good for Salad (Both Yellow Coloured variety)
Male sterile lines have been isolated in Pusa Red.
Arka Bindu and Agrifound Rose are suitable for export.
Three variety of onion are recommended for growing as Green Onion:
- Early Grano
- Pusa White Flat
- Pusa White Round
Grown as white colour bulb: Bhima shubra
Small Onion Varieties:
- Banglore Rose
- Arka Bindu
- Agrifound Red: Pickling type variety.
Multiper Onion varieties:
- Argifound Red
- CO-3
- CO-4