Onion Red Bombay

Bombay red is an excellent pungent red onion with high market demand. The onion matures in 150 days from transplanting and is very popular with red onion farmers. The yield potential 16tonnes per acre at maximum when good management is taken into practice. The onion has an excellent shelf life and can be transplanted long distances without damage

Nursery Establishment

All onions are raised on a nursery bed before being transplanted onto the main seedbed once 1acre requires an average of 1-1.8kgs of seed depending on the variety and irrigation method used.
The plot should be prepared by digging and mixing the soil with well decomposed farmyard
For ease of nursery management practices such as weeding and irrigation, ensure thenursery bed is 1.2m wide and of a conventional length.
Make shallow drills of 1cm – 2cm depth at a spacing of 15cm – 20cm apart. Thinly sow the seeds and cover them lightly using soil or well decomposed and fine farmyard manure.
At this point you can drench your nursery using a bio-stimulant, fungicide and insecticide to control against early attack of soil borne diseases and pests.
Germination takes place in about 5-
Depending on environmental conditions, irrigate your nursery in the morning hours but maintain a damp condition during the 6weeks of seed raising in the nursery.
On the 6th week when seedlings have 3-5 leaves trim them and apply a fungicide to prevent attacks from Downey mildew. This facilitates more root development, more plant vigor and large
Seedlings are ready for transplanting when they have 3-5 well formed leaves
Before lifting the seedlings, the nursery bed should be irrigated a day before to avoid root damage of the seedlings.
The seedlings should be transplanted in rows 15-20cm apart and 8-10cm from one seedling to the At this spacing, the onions utilize fertilizer and manure applied efficiently which in turn makes onions mature fast and maximize yield per unit area. NOTE: During transplanting, don’t burry the onion seedlings more than 1inch into the soil.

Nutritional Requirement

At planting, application of phosphorous is crucial as this acts a starter solution that invigorates young seedlings growth. One can choose to apply NPK or CAN. o After 2-3weeks when the seedlings have established, a top dress using a nitrogenous fertilizer is A second and third top dress split might be necessary depending on the soil analysis results
Foliar fertilizers can be applied in between the basal fertilization splits to maximize on nutrition required during
Once the bulbs start to form and push away the soils, minimize on Nitrogen application as this can lead to delayed maturity due to thick necks and soft o Since onions develop slower than other vegetable crops, they are more susceptible to weed competition especially during early stages of growth which can result to yield losses.
Weeds can be controlled by using pre or post emergence herbicides by using only registered products. Care should be taken to avoid damage to the bulbs when carrying out mechanical weeding.