Guru GyaanAgroStar Agronomy Centre of Excellence
Proper planning required to harvest and store onion and garlic
Harvesting and storage of Rabi onion:
• Watering should be stopped 10 to 15 days before the harvesting of onion.
• The crop should be harvested after 50% neck fall.
• Onion should be uprooted without letting the leaves dry much. After harvesting, it should be dried in the farm along with leaves. Onions in each row should be kept in such a way that onions in the second row will hide the onions from the first row and the leaves will be exposed.
• After three days well dried leaves of onions should be cut leaving 2-2.5 cms stalk above the bulbs. This prevents easy entry of the pathogens into the onion.
• The onions should be stored in a well-ventilated storage house having air flow at the bottom and on the sides.
Harvesting and storage of onion seed production:
• The flower heads begin turning brown when they are mature for harvesting. The upper cover of the seeds get torn and the blackish seeds are seen. When the seeds in the flower heads turn blackish, they should be harvested.
• All the flower heads do not mature at the same time. They should be harvested as they become mature. Generally, the flower heads should be harvested 3 to 4 times.
• After harvesting the flower heads, they should be spread on a tarpaulin and dried in bright sunlight for 5 to 6 days. The dried flower heads should be beaten with a stick and separated by winnowing and then cleaned. Good quality seeds should be collected and dried in the sun. Moisture content should not be more than 6%.
Harvesting and storage of garlic crop:
• Garlic should be harvested when 50% of the leaves are dry.
• The garlic should be harvested along with the bulb.
• The garlic should be dried along with the bulb in the farm itself for 2 to 3 days. This increases the storage capacity.
• Garlic should be harvested using a small hoe or sickle and should be graded.
• When the garlic leaves are wet, 20 to 25 same sized bulbs should be tied together to make a bundle. These bundles should be dried under a tree for 15 days and then should be stored in the storage room.
Dr. Shailendra Gadge
(Directorate of Onion & Garlic Research, Rajguru Nagar dist.Pune),
Agrostar Agronomy Excellence Center, 5th December 17
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