How to Grow Onion from Seed to Harvest

Onion (Allium cepa Linn.) is one of the important spices. White onion varieties are less spicy and have a higher sugar content, making them unsuitable for use in salads. Onion is used as a spice in the preparation of various crops. It is cultivated in 35,645 hectares in our state and has an average yield of 68.0 quintals per acre.

Planting season:

The important crop season is ‘Rabi’, the yield is good if the seeds are sown in the second half of October. In Kharif, it should be sown in the month of June-July and for summer crop in the month of January-February.

Soils:

Well-drained fertile red soils, loamy soils, sandy soils with high organic matter are suitable. Wet, alkaline and waterlogged soils are unsuitable. Soils with soil PH level 5.8-6.5 are suitable.

Varieties:

10 grams of seeds Contains approximately 3000 seeds
Onion Seed Germination time is 4 to 10 Days

Red Onion Varieties:

Bellari Red onions are large and the spiciness is low. A suitable variety for cultivation in all regions of our state.

Nasik Red (N-53): The onions are medium in size and red in color. Suitable variety for Kharif and Rabi. Yield : 80 tones /acre.

Pusa Red: The onions are flat. The spiciness is less.

Agrind Dark Red: A dark red variety suitable for Rabi. It is harvested after 130 days of planting. Yield : 120-140 quintals/acre.

Arka Niketan: Light pink color variety suitable for Kharif and Rabi. Highly spicy and harvested 145 days after planting. Yield : 164 quintals/acre.

Ara Kalyan: Dark pink variety suitable for Kharif. It is resistant to purple blotch and gives high yield. It is harvested after 140 days of planting. Yield : 188 quintals/acre.

Arka Pragathi: Dark pink variety suitable for Kharif and Rabi. It is harvested after 130 days of planting. The quality of the storage is good. Yield : 180 quintals/acre.

Arkabindu: Dark pink variety suitable for export. The onions are 2.5-3.5 cm in diameter, rounded, with flattened ends and are high spicy, have sugary content (14-16%). It is harvested 75-85 days after planting. ‘Yield : 100 quintals/acre.

Yellow Onion Varieties:

Early No: The onions are less spicy, suitable for use in salads. It is harvested 95 days after planting. Yield : 188 quintals/acre. The quality of the storage is poor.

Arka Pitambar: A variety suitable for export to European countries. Each onion is 80 gm and can be harvested in a short period of time. To some extent resistant to purple blotch disease. Yield : 140-152 quintals/acre

Varieties of White Onion:

Pusawhite Flat: This variety has High sugar content.

Agrifound White: A variety released from Nashik.

Hybrids:

Arka Lalima: Large onion variety resistant to leaf spot blotch. Each onion weights 120-130 gms, good storage quality up to 5 months. Suitable for export to Gulf countries.

Seed Per Acre:

Seed rate: 3-4 kg per acre is sufficient for sowing.
Harvesting: 3-4 months.
Yield: 8-14 tones/acre

Planting time:

November-December to April in Rabi season and June-July to October-November in Kharif season. As a summer crop, it can be planted in the months of January and February.

Water Management:

Water twice a week until the roots are well established. After that 4-5 times should be given at intervals of 12-15 days for up to 60 days. Watering should be stopped 15 days before harvesting.

Harvesting:

In the Kharif crop, it means that 50 percent of the plant pruning are harvested when they fall to the ground. In the same Rabi, 50 percent of the leaves of the plants dry up.

Watering should be stopped 15 days before the onions germinate. After ripening, the onions should be dried in the shade. Onion leaves should be cut at a distance of 2.5 cm from the onion and dried in the shade.