ONION SEED PRODUCTION.

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 251, 24 October 1942, Page 2

ONION SEED PRODUCTION.

HIGH QUALITY IN MARLBOROUGH. ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE AREAS.

(By

D. R.

Wilkie,

Instructor in

Agriculture, Blenheim, in the N.Z. Journal of Agriculture.) With the ordinary onion so scarce in Britain that its appearance evokes incredulous and jocular comment, it is heartening to realise that action is being taken in New Zealand to rectify the position regarding seed supplies. Several districts are contributingt to this effort and one of the most active areas is Marlborough, where an efficient organisation- for ihe production of good type onion seed in quantity for the English market and for local supply is making rapid progress. Three years! ago this project was in its infancy. A few sacks of onion bulbs of an approved strain were introduced into the districts and sown out with a view to seed production. This could be regarded merely as an experimental venture, but the results obtained showed clearly that the area was very suited to the production of this class of seed. Having established this fact the industry has progressed amazingly. In two years the number of bulbs planted for seed production under certiflcation has increased from a few sacks to over 200 tons. A further step which is now taken locally is the production of the necessary bulbs, so that the industry may

l be called self-supporting. The task of arranging the production of this seed fell largely on the representatives of the mercantile firms concerned, and while the whole project is under the supervision of the Department of Agriculture, the detailed work carried out by these firms has been a large factor in bringing the work to its present stage. At the outset it was no light task, but growers have now become familiar with the growing and the certiflcation procedure. Tha onion is a biennial plant — that is, seed is not produced until the season following the sowing of the original seed. The bulbs are grown in the first season and in the next season these bulbs are transplanted to produce seed. BASIS OF CERTIFICATION. Certiflcation of onion seed is confined to the variety Pukekohe Longkeeper, and is based primarily on the determination of the keeping quality of the bulbs being used, and secondly on the purity and freedom from off -type bulbs. To determine these factor, it is necessary for the application for certiflcation to be made before the seed is sown to produce bulbs, i.e., almost two years before the seed crop is to be producecf. During this period the Department of Agriculture undertakes the determination of the keeping quality from a specially-grown sample of bulbs and also inspects the bulbs being grown for seed production. An inspection is made prior to the harvesting of the bulbs, while a further inspection is made after the bulbs are taken into store and sorted. Thus the bulbs which are despatched to the seed grower for planting are of the highest quality and type purity. SOWING. Sowing generally takes place about the middle of May, when the land should be ready to receive the one ton of bulbs per acre, which quantity is the usual rate of sowing. Generally the planting is made in May or June —spring sowing has been tried, but in most cases was found unsatisfactory. The onions are planted out in 30inch rows, with 12-15in. between each

set ; they may be planted by hand or ploughed in, but each bulb must be properly placed in position. The aim is to cover the bulb with about three inches of soil, so that during the' winter they may produce their root system and be ready to shoot away as soon as warmer weather ccmes along. Manuring is generally at the rate of 3-5 cwt. of blood and bone per acre, which is sown with the bulbs, and about November lcwt. of superphosphate is top-dressed on the growing plants. During the winter light harrowing is carried out in order to suppress weed growth. This factor is most important, and if a . good crop is anticipated weeds must be kept down to a minimum. When the plants have reached a considerable height, weed suppression resolves itself into-inter-row cultivation. This should be shallow, so as not to disturb the root system and it should be frequent. DISEASE CONTROL. By the end of November the plants are running to seed, flowering takes place, and seed formation is apparent by February. Disease control at this stage has in some seasons to be practised, the principal afflictions being Onion Thrip and Powdery mildew. Spraying with nicotine sulphate or arsenate of lead is an effective check for the former, while dusting affected plants with floWers of sulphur gave almost complete control of mildew last season. HARVESTING THE CROP. The next step is the harvesting of the crop, and this takes place about the middle of February, when the seed heads turn from green to grey. The harvest continues over a period, as not all the seed heads ripen at the same time, and as many as three to four cuttin'gs may be necessary. The criterion of a head ready to pick is when the bulk of the seed has turned colour from green to grey and the first few seeds in the crown are black.

THRFSHlJNLx. The successive harvest of ripe heads are placed on racks in an open shed to dry out thoroughly, and take three to six weeks, depending on the weather. The seed is then threshed. a variety of machines being used. The clover huller, the header, and the small threshing machine are all capable of doing this job, but special small machines have been evolved for the work, and generally these give a cleaner sample than the larger outfits. CERTIFIED ONION SEED. After bagging on the farm the sacks are sealed and branded by the Department of Agriculture for later identification. The dressing of the seed is supervised, and after packet - ing the containers are sealed and tagged. Thus comes into being Certified Onion Seed. Considering the short space1 that has elapsed since the inception of the venture in Marlborough the large quantity and high quality of the seed coming forward is worthy of eommendation and speaks well for the co-operation between growers, merchants, and the Department of Agriculture. Increased areas are planned for the coming season.