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To attain the highest Return On Investment, ensure to use the right onion variety, correct seed rate, proper irrigation, nutrition and spraying. Get your soil tested for optimum onion growth. Onion Doctor offers high-quality seed variety, Drip Irrigation and installation services, Feeding program and soil testing services. Feel free to reach to us for a quote.
High-end success in bulb onion farming calls for good management from land preparation to harvesting. Harvesting below a ton in one acre is easy as harvesting 20 per acre.
Land preparation for bulb onion farming.
Bulb onions require deeply ploughed fertile soils with good drainage. Loam soils or sandy loam are the best. Bad ploughing and poor soils like clay or soils with hard pads lead to slow uptake of nutrients by bulb onions leading to the growth of thin bulbs.
Onion Doctor offers trainings and guides on how to prepare land, soil testing, manure application and feeding program to ensure from planting till harvest nothing goes wrong. We offer our services at a very competitive price. Reach to us for a quote.
Adding at least 20 tons of farmyard manure with deep ploughing is always recommended before planting. This softens the soil and improves fertility and water retention ability.
The farm should have enough water for irrigation in the dry season. Insufficient water leads to bulb abortion, stunted growth and low yields of poor quality. Onion Doctor provides Drip irrigation and installation services, for adequate water passage to the roots.
Bulb Onion Variety.
Some of the best varieties include Neptune, African Red and Red Coach. Onion Doctor we offer these high-quality varieties for a competitive price. Reach to us for a quote.
How to plant bulb onion seedlings: The onion farm should be irrigated before and after transplanting. 8cm by 15cm is the best planting spacing for good-sized bulb onions. A smaller spacing leads to a smaller size bulb onion while a bigger spacing gives large-sized bulb onions. Weeding should be carried out after 3-4 weeks of transplanting depending on weed size. Weeding should be done in dry weather to prevent the spread of fungal diseases.
Fertilizer application: Despite using manure, topdressing is recommended for high yield. Top-dress with 100kgs of NPK 23:23:0 fertilizer two weeks after transplanting to boost roots and leafs development. Good irrigation with proper feeding with the right fertilizers at the right time is the secret to a high yield.
Pests and Diseases management: Purple blotch, downy mildew and Rust are the common diseases in bulb onion farming.
Rust is a fungal disease that causes oranged raised spots on the leaves while downy mildew causes light green to yellow angular spots on upper leaves surfaces. Affected leaves may turn yellow and die off from the tip downward.
Most of these fungal diseases are spread by spores carried by wind, irrigation water or splashing rain. Spraying fungicides will help in controlling these fungal diseases.
Thrips are the worst pests in bulb onion farming. They are common in dry seasons where they sack water on onion leaves in the second month of transplanting. If not controlled, thrips can cause over 30% yield loss. Early spraying insecticides helps in controlling and preventing thrips in onion fields.
Bulb onion harvesting: Fast-maturing varieties under good management mature within 90-105 days of transplanting. Onion curing is done first by bending onion leaves around the neck. Good curing allows leaves and neck to dry improving bulb onion shelf life. Sorting follows where bulb onion is graded based on size and quality from Extra large size to smallest size
Onion Doctor supports small holder farmers across Africa with quality and affordable Onion and Garlic seedlings, Onion seedlings, Farm planning services, Soil testing, Drip irrigation installation and maintenance, Agronomic support, Onion and Garlic value pack, Farm management, E-extension and on-farm training for farmers to optimize on yields and get maximum profits.