Onion Growing in New Zealand

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 66, Issue 1, 15 January 1943, Page 17

Onion Growing in New Zealand

, Instructor in

Agriculture, Whangarei.

Although onion growing in New Zealand occupies a very small acreage when compared with such crops as wheat, oats, potatoes, etc., the industry is of paramount importance to many smallholders for whom onion production provides the main cash crop. The chief purpose of this article however, is to assist the farmer who aims at growing onions for his own household. If. the general principles outlined are adhered to by the farmer-grow er, he should obtain satisfactory results.

By

A. V. ALLO,

ONIONS in New Zealand have always been grown principally for'the local market, . although at various times small shipments have been sent overseas.. The main districts devoted to this crop are Pukekohe in the North Island, and, in the South Island, areas contiguous to Christchurch, particularly Marshlands and Halswell. Small areas are grown in the other centres, while nearly every amateur gardener has his onion patch. Soil Types Onions can be grown successfully on several types of soil, but it is preferable that the ground is free working. A good silty, volcanic or peaty loam, river flat soil, pumice or sandy loam may all be suitable; - the latter type is considered to produce the best keepers with the brightest skin. It is essential that all onion ground be well drained, sweet, and in good heart. Other things being equal, onions grow best on a sunny slope with a northerly aspect. The onion plant is very delicate, and will not stand extremes .of wetness or drought., As it takes 6to 7 months to mature, and is . growing during the wettest and driest periods of the year, the quality of a crop depends to a large extent on the, weather conditions during growth.'in a wet season the bulbs are inclined to be soft, and .of large size with many thick necks, and will not keep well. On the other .hand, if the season be dry, crops are lighter and bulbs smaller than usual. The ideal climate is a gentle spring with fair rainfall, a fair summer rainfall until mid-January (with no humid weather), and no extremely hot summer days, and then a warm dry autumn.

Onion growing is mostly confined to small holders, and where it is the main cash crop, it is usually given the most

favourable place in the rotation, which may be onions, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, onions.. On the. other hand, there are many growers who grow onions' on the same ground year after year with no ill effects, provided the soil fertility, is maintained. The ground should be well drained. Consolidation should be good, while the final seed-bed must be firm, friable, moist, and free of weeds. All preparatory cultivation should have , this

object in view. On no account should seed be sown when the ground is wet, and ' sticky, and sowing ' on hurriedlyworked soil should be . avoided. Fertilisers Although not gross feeders, onions require a plentiful supply of plant food if the maximum yield is to be obtained. The soil needs a good supply of organic material which may be obtained by ploughing in well rotted stable manure

or a soiling crop such as oats. In these days of fertiliser rationing it is difficult to make any hard and fast recommendations regarding the use of artificial fertilisers, but it is quite safe to say that the maximum amount of fertiliser obtainable under the fertiliser restrictions should be applied. Onion growers vary m their opinions regarding the value of lime, but many experienced growers claim that lime improves the onions in hardness and quality Methods of annlvine fertilisers varv ivietnods of applying er i 1 se s vary somewhat. They may be broadcasted on the area prior to sowing and lightly worked in, or they may be drilled in with the seed. Varieties to Grow .. Of recent years a considerable amount of investigational work . has been carried out in New Zealand in an attempt to determine the most suitable

varieties of onions to grow. The most desirable characteristics of an onion are (a) high yielding ability; (b) good keeping quality, (c) good cooking qualjty, (d) uniformity of type, size, and shape, (e) disease resistance, (f) a skin that is neither too coarse nor too thin, ■ characteristics are self . ex J-nese cnaractensucs are sen ex Planatory. As regards size, the onions most favoured by the housewife are those that average four or five to the pound. If bulbs are too large the keeping quality deteriorates, while if bulbs are too small, there is too much wastage n peeling . In the early days of onion production Brown Spanish was the chief variety grown, but the crops were usually very light (often only five to six tons per acre). This variety is also susceptible to mildew, and as a cooker is not commonly popular, as it is hard to cook and dark in colour. Varieties

such as Brown Globe, Deptford, Golden Globe, Ailsa Craig, etc., have, been grown for many years, but none are suitable for keeping until September or October. Some South Island growers have a strain of onion that appears to be a cross between the Brown Spanish and Brown or Golden Globe and this strain is a fair keeper under favourable c i rcumstanceSe The Australian Brown was introduced in 1928, and proved a good keeper, but its cropping power was very moderate and it soon went out of favour. The Straw Spanish has been grown for many years in the Pukekohe district. It is a flat topped onion, somewhat the colour of grain straw. It resists mildew, is a high yielder, thinskinned, and a good cooker. It is, however, not a good keeper. Of recent years, an improvement in the Straw

Spanish has been brought about by

selection, and the Pukekohe Longkeeper is the outcome. . It yields a shade less than Straw Spanish, but is of an excellent keeping quality. Various growers in the Pukekohe district have further improved the Longkeeper strain, which is now by far the most popular variety in the country. ’ The value of this strain has been particularly marked in the South Island, where there has been a keen demand for the Longkeeper seed. A variety popular in the South Island for sowing in the autumn and harvesting in early January is the Giant Rocca, which has large bulbs of poor keeping quality. In Canterbury, autumn sown onions are sown in March and April, being harvested in December and January. Spring-sown onions, the main crop, are sown in August and September and are harvested in March and April. In the North Island seed is sown about five to six weeks earlier in the spring than in the South. Two types of crop are grown (a) transplants, and (b) seedlings. T vans plants The seed is sown f in. deep in rows. one foot apart, at the rate of one ounce per chain, in late March and April. Each 5 lb. of seed sown in this manner will- provide sufficient plants to plant out one acre. In July, or even as late as September, the plants are wheelhoed out of their beds. The plants are topped and tailed with shears for ease of handling and transplanted in rows one foot apart and spaced 3 to 4 inches in the rows. The transplanter holds a bundle of plants in one hand, and with the other presses the roots of each plant in the soil with the thumb, allowing the plants to lie over on one side. Plants may also be carried in a bag slung in front of the planter, who is then able to use both hands for planting. - The plants soon strike and in a few days are upright. Before planting, the rows are marked out by pulling a rakelike, wooden implement, with five teeth each one foot from its neighbour, over the area to be planted. Transplanting is far more common in the North than in the South Island. Seedlings The seedling crop is sown from July to September, the earlier date being : commoner in the North Island. The rate of seeding is from 3 lb. to 5 lb. per acre and the seed is sown either by hand or with a drill in rows 12 to 15 inches apart. The , rate of seeding depends on the lateness of the spring ' (if sowing is held up by rain it is advisable to allow a slightly heavier seeding), on the variety, and. on the germination percentage of the seed. A large bulbed variety, e.g., Giant Rocca, would have a lighter seeding than a

smaller bulbed type such as Long-

keeper. If the germination of the seed is less than 85 per cent, the rate of seeding should be increased. When the seed is sown the drills should be . ~ , , The seedling crop is usually later than the transplant in coming to maturity, and gives a slightly lower yield, but this may be offset by the saving in. labour, and the production of an onion that is a better keeper. In a crop planted by the seedling method, there is usually no thinning, and the bulbs just push each other out of the rows. This procedure is quite satisfactory, with most of the bulbs reaching good size, while there is a good demand for the smaller sized

- bulbs as pickiers. If so desired, howl ever, they can be thinned to 3 to 4 : inches apart. I - After-cultivation The surface of the ground should be kept open and free from weeds. The * soil may be hoed with a hand hoe, or wheel hoe, although, if the latter be ' used, a certain amount of hand weed--1 ing along the drills is required. Hoeing should not be too deep, just sufficiently ; so to cut the weeds. As the onion , roots soon traverse the space between ; the rows it is a mistake to interculti- : vate deeply, and when the bulbs are ; well formed intercultivation ceases. As the yield of a crop depends to a large extent on the care and attention the

farmer devotes to after-cultivation, it is essential that the ground should be ' kept as free from weeds as is possible. Harvesting Onions are ready for harvesting six to seven months after sowing. In the case of autumn sown onions maturing in January, and the earliest maturing bulbs of the transplanted crop, the bulbs may be lifted, and topped when green, and used immediately. This is not the general' practice, however, and in nearly all cases the onions are allowed to ripen fully before pulling. When the bulbs are fully formed and the tops yellow, they may be bent over, care being taken only to bruise the leaves, and not break them, as otherwise new leaves will start to form, and the bulbs become useless for keeping. If the autumn be very warm and dry it is not necessary to bend over the tops. When the tops are dry, - or: nearly so, the bulbs are pulled and placed into windrows, - three or four rows comprising one windrow. . They are left ..to lie ..in the paddock five to ten days, depending on the weather. When the tops are dry they are cut off with shears-about • J in. from the bulb. If rain intervenes the onions.

are turned until dry. When clipped the onions are roughly graded according to size and quality. Yields vary considerably, but 12 to 16 tons per acre is considered a good crop. If onions are to be stored, drying must be thorough. They may be stored loose in sheds, in sacks or crates, or in clamps under trees covered with straw or a tarpaulin.

Answer to Correspondent

Sowing of Swedes

“M.W.H.” (Whakaangiangi) : — I know it is against all laws to mix turinp seed with super, but, can swede seed be mixed with serpentine superphosphate and sown through the drill, and does serpentine superphosphate flow faster than super in the drill? FIELDS DIVISION:— Numerous field trials have shown that serpentine superphosphate can be mixed with swede seed for sowing through the drill with little or no harmful effect on the germination. Compared with . superphosphate, the serpentine super has given very much better germination. With regard to the

question of the relative rate of sowing compared with super, generally the serpentine superphosphate is in a better physical condition and runs more freely, about four hundredweight being sown with the setting to give three hundredweight of super.

Pig Industry Broadcasts

UNDER the auspices of the District Pig Councils concerned broadcasts will be delivered in February as follows: IYA, Auckland. —February 18, 7.15 p.m., “Care of Young Pigs after Weaning,” by H. H. Preston, Supervisor, Northland District Pig Council. 4YA, —February 8, 7.15 p.m., “Concrete for Piggeries,” by the Supervisor, Otago and Southland District Pig Council. , 2YH, Napier.—February 9, 7.30 p.m., “Housing and Sanitation,” by I. H. Owtram, Supervisor,. Tairawhiti District Pig Council. 2ZA, Palmerston February 16, 8.30 p.m., “Avoiding Losses in Pig Production,” by H. H. Marsdon, Supervisor, Wellington District Pig Council.