The buyer for Waterman Onions and sales manager of Onion seed online: Jelmer Elzinga, describes what he has noticed in the last months of the cultivation season of 2022. In his latest column, Jelmer discusses the developments of onion sets and seed onions in the Netherlands this month.

We have seen everything in 2022, from hot and dry periods characterised by extreme temperatures and many hours of sunshine to heavy rain showers that particularly plagued the start and end of cultivation. According to Jelmer, the last weeks of September, in which rainy weeks hampered the harvesting of the onions on the swath, did impact the harvesting moment and the associated quality of the harvested product. “You can see that the onions stored from the end of August to the beginning of September dry quickly and have the right colour. Unfortunately, it is noticeable that these have thinner skin and are therefore more vulnerable in storage.”

“Germination test is certainly a must.”

Due to the wet start of 2022, the onions will experience higher pressure from soil-related fungal diseases this year. Nevertheless, Jelmer finds the difference between plots large. “It differs per plot how the onions come out of the ground; you can generally say that pinkroot and fusarium were more present. On the other hand, the bacteria are not that bad, especially due to the drier period.” Jelmer warns growers about germ problems in storage. “Make sure that you are regularly checking your product. A germination test is certainly a must this year. Take a good look at what you have in storage and how the quality and germ are developing.”

Off-field sales

Now that only a single grower still has to load, the count can be made. “What struck me most this year is that the share of sales of onions straight from the field has increased compared to previous years. Now that the prices for the grower are good, I expect an increase in the onion acreage next year.” Jelmer also states this based on the sales of Uienzaadonline. “We see that not all varieties are sufficiently available. Therefore, growers are advised to order quickly before diverse onion seed varieties are no longer available.

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