India is 2nd largest producer of Onion next to China. The productivity of Onion is much below that of China or the world average. India exports 16.7 lakh tons worth Rs1816 crore (2010) of Onion. Indian export is mainly to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Pakistan and a small quantity to the middle east.

1. ONION
(Allium cepa)

2. ONION
 India is 2nd largest producer of Onion next to China.
 Productivity of Onion is much below that of China or world
average.
 India exports 16.7 lakh tons worth Rs1816 crore (2010) of
Onion.
 Indian export is mainly to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and
Pakistan and small quantity to middle east.

3. Figures
 Major Onion Producing Countries
Country Area Production Productivity
(Lakh Ha) (Lakh Ton) (T/ha)
China 10.25 226 22.05
India 9.59 163.09 17.01
U.S.A. 0.6 32.77 54.62
Iran (Islamic Republic
of) 0.71 22.6 31.83
Russian Federation 0.92 20.81 22.59
Egypt 0.6 20.25 33.75
Major Onion Exporting Countries : China, India, Netherlands, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, USA, Brazil
Major Onion Importing Countries : Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Dubai, Kuwait,
Indonesia, UAE, Singapore, Seychelles, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bangladesh

4. Figures
 Major Onion Producing States
State
Area
Production
(in '000 MT)
Productivit
y (Ton/ha)
('000 ha)
Maharashtra 468.0 5864.0 12.5
Madhya Pradesh 117.3 2826.0 24.1
Karnataka 136.6 2065.2 15.1
Gujarat 72.8 1851.2 25.4
Bihar 54.3 1304.2 24.0
Andhra Pradesh 55.8 1004.6 18.0
Rajasthan 57.5 705.0 12.3

5.  Maharashtra is the largest producing state contributing
about 31% of India’s total production.
 It has largest area (1.2 lakh Ha) and highest productivity
(21.5 tons/ha).
 Nasik is India’s largest market for Onion trading.
 Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and
Karnataka are other important states.

6. Seasons & Varieties
Season Growing Months Harvest months Storage Quality Remarks
Kharif /Rainy June-August August-September Poor (1 month) 10-15%
Late Kharif
(Rangda)
September-
November
November-
December Poor (1 month) 30-35%
Rabi /Winter (Pol
/Unhali) December-February February-March Good (4-6 month) 50-60 %
Variety Season Colour Remarks
N-53 Kharif Red Poor Storage
Baswant-780 Kharif Red Poor Storage
N2-4-1 Rabi Brick-Red Good Storage
N-257-9-1 Rabi White Good Storage
Phule Safed All year White
Good for
Dehydration
Phule Suvarna Late Kharif /Rabi Yellow Red
Good for export to
Europe
AFDR Late Kharif /Rabi Dark Red
Fairly Good for
Storage
AFLR Rabi Light Red Good Storage

7. Nursery Raising
 Seed Rate: 8 – 10 Kg/Ha
 Proper nursery management and transplanting are
important operations in the onion crop.
 About 0.05 hectare nursery bed area is enough for getting
seedlings to transplant in one hectare.
 Field should be ploughed 5-6 times to break clods and well
pulverized to hold water.
 The debris of previous crops, weeds and stones should be
removed before bed preparation.

8. Main Field Preparation
 Prior to transplanting, field should be ploughed & disked properly
to eliminate debris and soil clods.
 Organic manures equivalent to 75 kg nitrogen/ha should be
incorporated at the time of last ploughing and beds with
appropriate size should be prepared after levelling.
 Water logging favours Anthracnose which is a devastating
disease thus flat bed should be avoided.
 Broad bed furrow (BBF) is best method for onion production as
excess water can be drained out through the furrow.
 BBF of 15 cm height and 120 cm top width with 45 cm furrow are
best to achieve proper spacing and population density. It is
suitable for drip and sprinkler irrigation as well.

9. Transplanting
 Proper care should be taken while selecting seedlings for transplanting.
 Over and under aged seedlings should be avoided for better establishment.
 At the time of transplanting, one third of the seedling top should be cut to
get good establishment.
 Before transplanting, roots treatment should be done with a good systemic
fungicide to reduce incidence of fungal diseases during establishment.
 The optimum spacing is 15 cm between the rows and 10 cm between plants.

10. Nutrient Management
N P2O5 K2O
Kharif onion (Yield potential – 25-30 t/ha)
Basal 25 kg 40 kg 40 kg organic manure equivalent to 75kg N
(FYM – Approx. 15 t/ha or
Vermicompost – Approx. 7.5 t/ha)
Starter 10 Kg/Ha
30 DAT 25 kg - - Humino 5 – 7.5 Kg/Ha
45 DAT 25 kg - - -
Total 75 kg 40 kg 40 kg -
Late Kharif and Rabi onion (Yield potential- 40-50 t/ha)
Basal 40 kg 40 kg 60 kg organic manure equivalent to 75kg N
(FYM – Approx. 15 t/ha or
Vermicompost – Approx. 7.5 t/ha)
Starter 10Kg/Ha
30 DAT 35 kg - - Humino 5 – 7.5 Kg/Ha
45 DAT 35 kg - -
Total 110kg 40 kg 60 kg

11. Nutrient Management
 One third of recommended N and full dose of P2O5 and K2O
are applied at the time of planting while remaining two
third N is applied in two equal splits at 30 and 45 days after
planting.
 In addition to NPK, sulphur & Zinc are also essential plant
nutrients important for onion crop.
 Application of 15-30 kg S/ha as basal dose at the time of
transplanting is sufficient for optimum production of onion.
 Foliar application of Zn @ 0.5% at 45 and 60 days after
transplanting improves nutritional quality of onion bulbs.

12. Weed management
 Onion is infested with diverse flora of weeds.
 Onion crop has very poor competitive ability with weeds.
This is due to
 slow initial growth;
 lack of adequate foliage to smother weeds.
 Weeds have the ability to reduce bulb yield by 49-86%
depending on severity of infestation.

13. Major Weeds of Onion
 Broad Leaf Weeds
 Amaranthus sp.
 Acalypha sp
 Commelina sp.
 Digera arvensis
 Euphorbia heterophylla
 Parthenium
hysterophorus
 Physalis minima
 Trianthema monogyne
 Grasses & Sedges
 Cyperus rotundus
 Echinochloa colonum
 Cynodon dactylon
 Dactylotenium
aegypticum
 Eleusine indica
 Brachiaria sp.
 Setaria sp.
 Avena sp.

14. Acalypha sp.
Amaranthus sp. Commelina sp. Digera arvensis
Euphorbia
heterophylla
Parthenium
hysterophorus
Physalis
minima
Trianthema
monogyne

15. Eleusine indica Setaria sp.
Cynodon dactylon Dactylotenium
aegypticum
Echinochloa
colonum
Brachiaria sp. Avena sp.
Cyprus rotundus

16. Weed Control
• Pre Emergence Herbicide –
1. Pendimethalin 30 % EC @ 1 – 1.5 L/Acre
2. Pendimethalin 37.8 % CS @ 700 ml/Acre
 Apply the Herbicide with 3 Days of Transplanting
 Prevent the crop from weeds by making a protective layer on the
soil surface thus inhibit the weeds from Germination.

17. Weed Control
• Post Emergence Herbicide
1. Propaquizafop 10% EC @ 250 ml/Acre
2. Quizalafop 5 % EC @ 400 ml/Acre
3. Quizalafop 10 % @ 200 ml/Acre
 An excellent systemic selective, post emergence herbicide for control of
annual and perennial grassy weeds in broadleaf crops.
 Recommended for post emergent use at 2 to 3 leaf stage of weed
growth
 One hour rain fastness and enhanced activity on target weeds.
4. Oxyfulorfen 23.5 % EC @ 100 – 150 ml/Acre
 An excellent pre-emergence and directed post-emergence contact
herbicide.
 It provides selective control of most annual broad-leaf weeds and some
grassy weeds.
 Sunlight is essential for performance of Oxy Gold.

18. Insect Pest Management
Onion Thrips (Thrips tabaci)
With continuing leaf growth, these feeding
points elongate to give the typical onion
thrips symptoms: whitish spots & streaks on
the leaves.
Intensive feeding results in silvery-white
stippled appearance referred as white blast
or silver top.
Seedlings may be killed if large numbers of
thrips are present.

19. Management
 Greentara 100 g/Acre
 Regent Sc 250 ml/acre
 Jump WG 50 G/Acre
 Acephate 500 g/Acre
 Mix Activator 5 ml/15 litre for better control

20. Insect Pest Management
Leafminers (Lyriomyza spp.)
 Thin, white, winding trails on leaves; heavy mining can
result in white blotches on leaves and leaves
dropping from the plant prematurely; early infestation
can cause yield to be reduced; adult leafminer is a
small black and yellow fly which lays its eggs in the
leaf; larave hatch and feed on leaf interior.

21. Management
 Emamectin Benzoate 100g/Acre
 Spinosad 70 ml/Acre
 Imidacloprid 17.8 % SL 100 ml/Acre
 Greentara 100 g/Acre
 Mix Activator 5 ml/15 litre for better control

22. Disease Management
Purple Blotch (Alternari porri)
The symptoms start appearing on old leaves
first.
Eye shaped, purple colour spots develop on
infected leaves which are surrounded by a
broad chlorotic margin
Lesions may girdle leaves and stalks, which
drop after 2-3 weeks.

23. Management
 Nativo 120 g/Acre
 Amistar 200 ml/Acre
 Avtar 500g/Acre
 Contaf Plus 330 ml/Acre
 Mix Activator 5 ml/15 litre for better control

24. Disease Management
 Stemphylium leaf blight (Stemphylium
vesicarium)
 Small yellow to orange spots develop in middle of
leaves which soon develop into elongated, spindle
shaped diffused spots surrounded by characteristic
pinkish margin.
 The spots progress from the tip to the base of the
leaves. The spots coalesce into extended patches,
blighting the leaves and gradually the entire foliage.

25. Management
 Nativo 120 g/Acre
 Amistar 200 ml/Acre
 Avtar 500g/Acre
 Contaf Plus 330 ml/Acre
 Mix Activator 5 ml/15 litre for better control

26. Disease Management
 Downy Mildew (Peronospora destructor)
 Systemically infected plants are dwarfed and pale
green; destroys foliage rapidly.
 Bulb formation slows down & gradually stops
 Bulbs do not develop fully & remain soft & spongy.

27. Management
 Sectin 500 g/Acre
 Ridomil Gold 500 g/Acre
 Moximate 600 g/Acre
 Cabriotop 600g/Acre
 Mix Activator 5 ml/15 litre for better control

28. Disease Management
Smut of Onion (Urocystis cepulae)
Black smut Sori are seen at the base of the
leaves and leaf surface.
Black powdery mass is seen after rupturing
of sorus wall.

29. Management
 Saaf 500 g/Acre
 Sprint 500 g/Acre
 Full stop 250 g/Acre
 Mix Activator 5 ml/15 litre for better control

30. Disease Management
Black Mold of Onion (Aspergillus niger)
Infection usually is through neck tissues as
foliage dies down at maturity.
Infected bulbs are discolored black around the
neck, and affected scales shrivel.
Powdery black spores are arranged as streaks
along veins on & between outer dry scales.
Market value of affected bulbs is reduced.

31. Management
 Saaf 500 g/Acre
 Sprint 500 g/Acre
 Full stop 250 g/Acre
 Mix Activator 5 ml/15 litre for better control

32. Disease Management
Soft Rot/Bulb Rot
Bacterial (Pseudomonas) - or Fungal
Tissues become water soaked/soft & pale
yellow to light brown.
Watery, foul-smelling viscous liquid may
ooze from the neck when squeezed.
If infected in the field, leaves wilt & turn
white

33. Management
 Conika 300 g/Acre
 Copper Oxychloride 500g/Acre with Streptocycline 6g/15
Litre
 Mix Activator 5 ml/15 litre for better control

34. Disease Management
White Rot (Sclerotium cepivorum)
First symptom is yellowing & wilting of foliage
Under wet conditions plants may not wilt, but
become loose in soil
Below ground, the pathogen rots the roots and
then invades the bulb
White fluffy fungus growth appears on the base
of the bulb & later becomes covered in small,
round, black structures

35. Management
 Saaf 500 g/Acre
 Sprint 500 g/Acre
 Full stop 250 g/Acre
 Mix Activator 5 ml/15 litre for better control

36. Disease Management
Basal Rot (Fusarium oxysporum sp. cepae)
A white fungal growth is evident at the base of
infected bulbs.
When an infected bulb is cut vertically, a brown
discoloration of the stem plate tissue is apparent.
Basal rot can continue in storage.
Sometimes the bulb appears healthy from
outside, but inner side sheaths are rotten.

37. Management
 Saaf 500 g/Acre
 Sprint 500 g/Acre
 Full stop 250 g/Acre
 Folicur 250 ml/Acre
 Mix Activator 5 ml/15 litre for better control

38. Disease Management
 Neck Rot (Botrytis allii)
 Decay of bulbs from the neck downwards
 Scales of diseased bulbs become soft & brown, giving
them a ‘cooked’ appearance
 Dense grey mould growth develops.
 This is often accompanied by hard, black, crust-like
structures (the resting bodies or sclerotia of the
fungus)

39. Management
 Saaf 500 g/Acre
 Sprint 500 g/Acre
 Full stop 250 g/Acre
 Mix Activator 5 ml/15 litre for better control

40.  For Better Storage it is advised to spray the onion crop with
a good systemic fungicide 10 days before harvesting. This
prevents the crop from Smut and other fungus which does
damage during storage.