"Commercially speaking, it is important for producers to start the onion harvest as soon as possible with an attractive and productive product, with guarantees that it will not suffer any problems while in storage," says the specialist. "We are delighted to present our new earliest variety: the CE10231. Its planting takes place around September 25th. It is an onion with a completely round shape, which mostly reaches a medium size and has a very good skin color. Depending on the weather, its harvest in Andalusia can kick off in late March, and it has a long shelf life for such an early product," he says.
According to Paco González, onion yields have been affected in recent years by the presence of mildew, which is one of the biggest threats to this vegetable. "For two years in a row, the temperatures in November have been higher than usual, and this, together with the rains and the consequent increase in humidity, attracts the presence of fungi, such as mildew. Once it appears in the plantations, it is very difficult to eradicate if no adequate treatments are employed, and the restrictions imposed by the European Commission to the use of chemical products are becoming increasingly tougher. For this reason, we advise farmers to apply preventive solutions."
One of the best ways to prevent the appearance of this fungus is to plant already resistant varieties that also provide high yields. Intersemillas has a wide range of short-day varieties with these qualities.
The BELYNDA, for instance, is a slightly later variety than the aforementioned CE10231. It can be harvested in the first days of April. It has a larger bulb and its shape tends to flatten slightly as it ripens. In addition, it has a very good color for its segment. Next in the schedule are the SETE and SPRING STAR, which are harvested from April 10. Their bulbs are completely round and they also have an attractive color. These are already very productive varieties. Later, with a harvesting period starting on April 20, comes the OSAKA, which stands out as being super productive and highly resistant to mildew. Lastly, the ESPADAN variety is harvested at the beginning of May, closing the cycle of early varieties. Besides also being super productive and highly resistant to mildew, it stands out for its skin color and its shelf life.
The Valencian seed house distributes its short-day onion varieties in Western Andalusia and also in Murcia and the Region of Valencia, where intermediate-day onions are also grown. The seeds of long-day (or long conservation) varieties are distributed in Castile-La Mancha and Aragon. Outside Spain, Intersemillas exports mainly to the countries of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. "There are African countries that are also demanding our onion seeds, but we are still studying what the best sowing dates are, and this takes time. At the same time, we are working on the search for pink-fleshed varieties, meeting the demand of some countries in the Middle East."
