Onion Farming in India: A Profitable Horticulture Crop to Grow in India

Table of Content

• Introduction
• Climate and Soil Requirement for Onion Cultivation
  • Climate
  • Soil
• Different Stages in Onion Farming
  • Land Preparation for Onion
  • Transplanting of Onion Seedlings
  • Fertiliser Application in Onion Farms
  • Weed Control in Onion Farms
  • Irrigation of Onion Plants
  • Harvesting of Onion Crops
• Crop Cycles in Onion Farming
• Top Five States in Onion Production

Introduction

Onion is the third most valuable vegetable globally after potato and tomato and is grown in over 140 countries of the world. India has the largest area under cultivation for onions and is the second largest producer of onion globally. Indian onions are available throughout the year and are famous in world for their pungency.

The adoption of good agricultural practices at each stage of onion farming can help increase overall productivity of onion. Before we go on to discuss different stages of onion cultivation, let us see the climatic and soil requirement.

What is the Climate and Soil Requirement for Onion Cultivation?

Climate

Onion is a hardy and cool season crop. It can be cultivated in a wide range of climatic conditions. But ideal climate for good crop growth are:

• Mild weather
• Absence of extreme cold & heat
• Absence of excessive rainfall

The optimum temperature, rainfall and humidity required is

Further, requirements of climate are as under:

• Short-day onion: It is grown in the plains and requires 10-12 hours day length.
• Long-day onion: It is grown in hills and requires 13-14 hours day length.
• At the time harvesting: A dry and clean weather.

Soil

All types of soil are fine for growing onion but the best one is deep, friable loam and well drained alluvial soils with sufficient organic matter and moisture holding capacity. The ideal pH range is between 6.0 and 7.5.

Onion can also be cultivated in alkaline soil but it should be mild because onions crops are sensitive to highly alkali, acidic and saline soils. It is recommended to avoid growing Kharif onions on black and heavy soils.

What are the Different Stages in Onion Farming?

Land Preparation for Onion

Plough the field deeply to eliminate debris and soil clods and incorporate 15 tonnes of farm yard manure per hectare during final ploughing.

Prepare flat beds measuring 1.5 – 2.0 m in width and 4 – 6 m in length.

In case of drip or sprinkler irrigation method, prepare broad bed furrows (BBF) measuring 15 cm in height and 120 cm top width and there should be a furrow of 45 cm between two beds.

Transplanting of Onion Seedlings

Procuring quality seedlings: Procuring a high-quality onion seedling from a nursery is ideal for transplanting in any season.

Establishment phase: Transplant onion seedling after dipping roots in water solution made of carbosuphan 2 ml/ liter and carbendazim @ 1 gm for two hours. This will help reduce thrips incidences and fungal disease.

Age of Seedling: Transplant kharif season nursery at 35 – 40 days of sowing, late Kharif at 40 – 45 days and in Rabi at 50 – 55 days of sowing in nursery.

Spacing: The ideal spacing between the two rows is 15 cm and between the plants is 10 cm so that plant population per unit area is maintained. As a result, one seedling gives only one single bulb and are of uniform size.

Fertiliser Application in Onion Farms

For onions grown during Kharif season the recommended dose of chemical fertilizers per hectare is

• Nitrogen (N): 75 kg
• Phosphorus (P): 40 kg
• Potassium (K): 40 kg
• Sulphur (S): 30 kg

For rabi and late Kharif crop, the dose recommended per hectare is:

• Nitrogen (N): 110 kg
• Phosphorus (P): 40 kg
• Potassium (K): 60 kg
• Sulphur (S): 30 kg

At the time of planting, 1/3rd of recommended N and full dose of Phosphorus Pentoxide (P₂O₅ ), Potassium Oxide (K₂O) and S are applied. The remaining 2/3rd N is applied in two equal intervals at 30 and 45 days after planting.

While applying Sulphur, remember to apply 30 kg S per hectare if sulphur content in soil is above 15 kg per hectare and 45 kg S per hectare, if sulphur content is below 15 kg per hectare. The recommended dose will result into optimum production of onions.

In case of drip or sprinkler method, fertigation method of applying fertilisers can be adopted. In this case:

• Application of 40 kg N as basal dose at the time of transplanting; and
• Remaining nitrogen in six equal splits at ten days interval from transplanting.

Weed Control in Onion Farms

Control of weeds at initial stages is highly critical for producing high marketable bulb yield. The effective weed control requires:

• Application of Pendimethalin @ 30% EC (3.5-4ml/L) 17 or Oxyflurofen @ 23.5% EC (1.5 -2.0 ml/L) before transplanting or at the time of transplanting.
• After 40 – 60 days of transplanting one hand weeding is required.

Irrigation of Onion Plants

In general, onion needs irrigation at the time of transplanting, three days after transplanting and subsequently at 8-12 days interval depending upon the season, soil moisture status, climatic conditions and soil type.

Irrigation needs to be stopped when the onion crop matures (10-15 days before harvest) and about 5% top starts falling which helps in reducing the rotting during storage.

Onion crop can be successfully taken using drip or sprinkler irrigation system and it is a need of the day. In case of sprinkler irrigation, good quality of water should be assured.

Harvesting of Onion Crops

The harvesting of onion differs as per crop cycle:

Rabi Crop Season

• Harvesting required when more than 50-70 per cent of the tops are down (neck fall).
• The bulbs should be harvested along with leaves by hand-pulling from beds.
• Bulbs should be cured in the field for about 3-5 days in such a way that bulbs should not be 18 exposed directly to the sun.
• After 3-5 days of curing, the roots and tops are clipped which makes bulbs firm and dry and helps in improving their shelf life.
• The tops should be removed leaving 2.0-2.5 cm stalk above the bulbs.

Kharif Crop Season

In kharif season, bulbs mature in about 90-110 days. Development of pigments, bulb size and shape are taken as an index for maturity during kharif season.

After attaining this condition, top fall can be induced mechanically by rolling empty barrels two or three days before harvesting.

What are the Crop Cycles in Onion Farming?

Onion in India is grown in three crop seasons, namely Kharif, late Kharif and Rabi. The sowing, harvesting and contribution to total onion production are as under:

Note: Kharif and late Kharif onion crops are available for immediate consumption and rabi onion crops are stored and exported.

Which are Top Five States in Onion Production in India?

The onion production in India in 2023-24 stood at 242.12 lakh metric tonnes, with top five states contributing around 75% to the total onion production.