Onion

Basic information

Onion is one of the most ancient vegetable crops. In China, Iran, the Mediterranean countries, it was known for 4000 years before our era. In Russia, the onion came from the banks of the Danube in the early 12th century. Onion is a perennial plant. In the first year, a bulb with a diameter of 1-2.5 cm( onion-sowing) grows from the seed. In the next season, large bulbs are formed from it, giving flower-shooters for the third year, on which the inflorescences with the seeds are formed. By the nature of branching( the ability of the plant to form a certain number of bulbs in the nest), all varieties are divided into small, medium and many-cavity. Varieties are distinguished not only by their nesting, but also to taste - to sharp, semi-acute and sweet. Different types of onions have different ways of cultivating them: some are grown from seedling and a sample, others from seedling and one-year-old culture from seeds, others - only in one-year culture by sowing seeds or seedlings. The best precursors of onion are cultures, under which large doses of organic fertilizers, cucumber, zucchini and pumpkin were applied.

Requirements

Onion is a relatively cold-resistant plant. It easily tolerates spring frosts, but in the loop phase shoots can die at a temperature of -2-3 ° C.The optimum temperature for leaf growth is 15-25 ° C, they are able to withstand frosts down to -7 ° C and a heat above 35 ° C.With respect to light, onions are a rather demanding plant, and need a high intensity of illumination, especially when grown from seeds. Moisture to plants is most needed in the first period of vegetation, while for bulbs to ripen, dry and hot weather is required. Especially high requirements onion makes for fertility of the soil, since with a relatively strong development of the leaves has a weak root system. Under it are taken away well-fertilized and clean from weeds. The soil should have a reaction close to neutral( pH 6.4-7.9).The soil is prepared from autumn, immediately after harvesting the predecessor. Under the dig, a well-bred manure-raw manure, humus, various aged composts at a rate of 3-5 kg ​​/ m2 or bird droppings - 1-2 kg / m2.An effective fertilizer is also wood ash in a dose of 0.5-1 kg / m2.Fresh manure should not be applied to the onion, otherwise it will not stop the growth of leaves for a long time, while the bulbs begin to form with delay, do not ripen, are strongly affected by cervical decay, poorly stored. Bow is responsive to the application of mineral fertilizers. In the initial period of growth, he particularly needs nitrogen and potassium, later, when forming a bulb, potassium and phosphorus. The dose of superphosphate 25-30 g / m2, potassium salt - 15-20, urea - 10 g / m2, with 2/3 or 1/2 of the total dose of superphosphate and potassium fertilizer from the fall, and the remainder and nitrogen fertilizer - in the spring. Fertilizers need to be applied in small doses.

Composition

Contains sugars, proteins, mineral salts, amino acids, essential oils. It is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, PP and especially ascorbic acid, the daily need for which a person can satisfy by eating only 80-90 grams of green leaves per day.

Cultivation of

Sevok is a valuable seed material, the quality of which largely depends on the future harvest of onion-turnip. Sevok is grown from onion-cherry. For seeding use dry or wet seeds. Soak the seeds for 2-9 days at room temperature, changing the water, or in warm( 40 ° C) water for 8 hours. They sow onions in autumn or spring, as soon as the soil permits. Pre-arranged ridge, the surface of which is carefully leveled and harrowed by rakes. The width of the ridges is 1 m, the distance between the rows where the seeds are sown is 12-15 cm. It takes 9-10 g of seeds per 1 m2.Seeded seeds are sealed with humus by a layer of 1 - 1.5 cm, and mulched from above with peat or sheet earth. To obtain onion-turnip, use a 1.5-2.5 cm diameter seedling. Before planting, the bulbs are picked, separating the dried and sick. If in the previous year the plants were affected by downy mildew, the decontamination station for 10-15 days before planting is heated at a temperature of 40-42 ° C for 8 hours. Plant the seed in warmed soil usually in early May. To accelerate the growth, it is cut off on the shoulders and soaked in water with a slurry( 6: 1) for 12-24 hours. On a previously prepared ridge, the grooves marking the rows are drawn, in which the onion bulbs are planted. On a 1 m-wide ridge, sowing is planted in 3-5 rows with a distance between them of 20 cm. The depth of the landing should be such that the bulbs are in the moist soil layer. They are sprinkled with humus by a layer of at least 2 cm. Sevok, planted under winter, is best cultivated on ridges, so that in the spring it is not flooded with thawed water. The ridges are filled with humus, mineral fertilizers and ashes. They planted onions at the end of September and the first half of October. The depth of planting is 3-4 cm, the distance between the rows is 20-25 cm, between the bulbs in the row is 4-5 cm. The ridges are mulched with humus or peat compost by a layer of 2-2.5 cm. They are covered with dry leaves on top.

Sorts

In the central strip of Russia the most common are sharp and semi-sharp varieties, which are grown from sowing, and it takes 2 years to obtain onion. Arzamas - is an old Russian variety, medium-ripening;medium-sized( 2-3 small bulbs weighing 60-90 g, rounded-cubed or round with yellow color of dry outer scales). Belozersky - mid-week, small-sized. The bulb is flat or flat-faced, purple with a dark-red hue, acute taste. Bessonovsky is early-ripening, medium-sized( 3-5 small bulbs with a mass of 35-65 g).The bulbs are round-flat, the outer dry scales are yellow, the inner ones are white. Danilovsky 301 - medium-ripened, small-sized( 1-2 onions of semi-acute taste, flat, large with dark purple color of dry and slightly purple - succulent scales). , an annual hawk, is a fast-paced, small-bodied, semi-detached taste. Bulbs are round or flat, yellow or yellow-brown in color. Rostov-on-Don - is early-ripening, many-nested( 3-6 bulbs).Bulbs are flat, yellow with a pink tinge, weighing 40-80 g. The taste is sharp. Strigunovsky local - is one of the most common varieties of onions. Ripening, mild, acute taste. Bulbs of round shape, light yellow, weighing 100-120 g.

The most famous southern varieties( all late-ripening and small): Spanish 313 ( salad dressing); Lugansk ( medium sharpness); Kaba ( taste closer to sweet); Karatal ( semi-oestrus taste).Care: The first 2-3 weeks, special attention is paid to watering, since moisture is especially important in the formation of leaves and the growth of roots. After watering the soil is loosened. With a good dressing of the soil with fertilizers, onions for sowing in top dressing are not needed. When growing onion-turnip in the case of the formation of arrows after the growth of leaves, they must be removed and supplemented with onion-potassium fertilizers. During the entire cultivation period, the top layer of soil with a depth of 4-5 cm is maintained in a loose state. When loosening, the weeds are destroyed. Usually during the summer 4-5 propoloks and loosening are carried out. At the beginning of bulb formation, plants are given phosphoric-potassium top dressing: 10-15 g / m2 potassium salt and 15-20 g / m2 superphosphate or 20-25 g / m2 nitrophosphate, best in the form of a solution. Shoots of podzimnego onions in the spring after melting snow are fed: 10 g of urea and 15 g of potassium salt per 10 liters of water. With growth, the onions are evenly thinned, leaving a distance between plants of 8-10 cm.

Harvesting

As soon as the leaves of the plants begin to turn yellow and lie down, the scoop is digged in with a scoop, selected from the soil and laid out on a ridge for drying. Periodically they sway the sev. After drying, the leaves are wiped off with their hands and intact healthy bulbs are stored. For further growing of onions, turnings are selected with a diameter of 1-3 cm. Small bulbs( less than 1 cm) are planted under winter, and large( more than 3 cm) are used for forcing out onions. Store onion in the boxes in a layer of 20-30 cm. The optimum temperature is 18-20 ° C.The pendant onions begin to be collected in the middle of July.

Using

The onion is used for food in fresh, boiled, fried form, it is indispensable for the preparation and aromatization of a wide variety of dishes. Onions give off a large number of phytoncides that suppress or kill the development of pathogenic microbes, due to which it is widely used as a remedy.