Colorado Onion Production and Integrated Pest Management 547A
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
COLORADO ONION PRODUCTION AND INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT 547A Colorado University® Cooperative Extension Colorado Onion University Production and Integrated Pest Management 547A Howard F. Schwartz, Ph.D, and Michael E. Bartolo, Ph.D, Editors Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS PUBLICATION ARE AVAILABLE FROM: Contributing Authors COOPERATIVE EXTENSION RESOURCE Michael E. Bartolo, Colorado State research scientist and CENTER Cooperative Extension vegetable crop specialist, Arkansas Valley Research Center, Rocky Ford 115 GENERAL SERVICES BUILDING COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY James E. Ells, Colorado State associate professor, Cooperative Extension vegetable crop specialist, Fort Collins FORT COLLINS, COLORADO 80523 Joseph P. Hill, Colorado State associate professor, plant pathol- PHONE: (970) 491-6198. ogy and weed science, Fort Collins Howard E Schwartz, Colorado State professor and Coopera- tive Extension plant pathologist, Fort Collins Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Whitney S. Cranshaw, Colorado State professor and Coopera- work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of tive Extension entomologist, Fort Collins Agriculture, Milan A. Rewerts, interim director Frank C. Schweissing, Colorado State associate professor, of Cooperative Extension, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado. Cooperative Arkansas Valley Research Center, Rocky Ford Extension programs are available to all without Mark J. VanGessel, Colorado State postdoctoral fellow, plant discrimination. To simplify technical terminology, trade names of products and pathology and weed science, Fort Collins equipment occasionally will be used. No Phil Westra, Colorado State associate professor and Coopera- endorsement of products named is intended nor is criticism implied of products not tive Extension weed specialist, Fort Collins mentioned. Scott Nissen, Colorado State, assistant professor and Coopera- 1,000 1/90; 1,000 4/95 (revised) tive Extension weed specialist, Fort Collins Table of contents Introduction and Background....................................................... 1 Varietal Reviews Market Types ........,......................................—....................... 2 Choosing a Variety................................................................ 2 Establishment Phase.............................................................. 3 Vegetative Phase ................................................................... 4 Bulbing Phase........................................................................ 4 Planting Procedures Seed-bed Preparation 4 Seeding Rates and Spacing.................................................. 5 Transplanting......................................................................... 5 Post Planting Procedures............................................................... 6 Other Cultural Practices Crop Rotation ........................................................................ 7 Sanitation ............................................................................... 7 Fertility Requirements Nitrogen 7 Phosphorus 8 Potassium 8 Micronutrients 9 Irrigation Practices 9 Harvest Procedures Field Operations.. 10 Handling .............................................................................. 10 Post Harvest Procedures Curing 10 Storage Conditions 10 USDA Size Classifications 11 Industry Size Classifications .............................................. 11 Causes of Production Problems Overview . 11 General Management Recommendations 12 Weed Review Weed Effects 13 Weed Management 14 Insect Review Maggots 15 Thrips 22 Vegetable Leaf Miner 23 Stem Maggot 24 Disease Review Virus and Mycoplasma Diseases Onion Yellow Dwarf Virus „...,. 24 Aster Yellows - Mycoplasma ,,,.,. 25 Bacterial Diseases Slippery Skin and Sour Skin,.,,.,.,,...,,,.,....,.....,.....,,,,,..,.,,,. 25 Xanthomonas Blight .„,.,.. 25 Bacterial Soft Rot 26 Fungus Diseases Damping Off and Seedling Blights .................................. 26 Smut 27 Pink Root 27 Fusarium Basal Rot 28 White Rot 29 Downy Mildew 29 Purple Blotch 30 Botrytis Diseases 31 Smudge 32 Storage Molds 32 Stem and Bulb (Bloat) Nematode 33 Environmental Modeling and Disease Forecasting 34 Onion Cull Disposal 34 Abiotic Review Herbicide Injury 35 Salinity 35 Pollution 36 Storm Damage 36 Temperature Extremes 36 Other Disorders Bolting 37 Translucent Scale 37 Greening 37 Genetic Abnormalities ....................................................... 38 Supplemental References 38 Photographic Credits 39 Subject Index 39 Color Plates 16-21 Introduction and Background Colorado is one of the largest fresh market onion (Allium) DURING THE MIDDLE AGES, ONIONS WERE SO VALUABLE, THEY WERE USED AS RENT PAYMENTS AND WEDDING GIFTS. TODAY, ONIONS ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE cepae L.) producers in the United States, with more than TYPICAL AMERICAN'S DIET. 18,000 acres planted (Table 1). The three growing regions in the state are the West Slope, the Arkansas Valley, and Northeastern Colorado, which comprise 20, 205 and 55 percent of the onion acreage, respectively. Most of the onions grown in Colorado are long-day storage onions marketmedicineThconsumptioeveraweronionwaterthStattpracticesstrategieson e egroprovidTh expandin emarkeyaverag euse,Universitsw year fertilizer.onioareac Yieldwel,d, e. grownisacreandstressesTheassecondlilyshallot,Centraloldestimportantmeasurestheirhandbookavailablecompanies,extensiont productio .anh aea typeWitn devotedls nangyear Americacoordinated familysint rencroonionbulbha importanunless expor negativeyoftemummificationannualh, ,cultivated o sfroman .yearp tresearcleek,sustaineAsia varietybecome Ove fromsteadilthpayment office.pathogens,nrequiredwhich productioniswillandto net problemscropaverag othe whennseed.marketa 21sgarlic,(Iran-Westforproblemsrtransplants other impacts biennialtconsumednotthhis, Rather, y serioustpar its anrconsultants,could d revievegetables,e closelysan centuryincrease However, inputseedss sourcesreviewlasgrowte dtimelbulbs andtd , an weeds,40 productioosuch onio textensio.problems onw thef effectivelyherbd,tw 0 Onion enoughchives. sPakistan).th arerelatedyan grownohtweddinandthis objectives . accordin abouo suchtheen f asdapplication d i th (monocot),50required.ndecadestypicainsects, 10 havingproductioand 1 soil-borne besimportantonlywealthe domestis0 aspercenn toThet ntomajo andfor werhundredweigh oniont 1 yourpersonnegand 15 system6Itlimitothercarriedl managemen ofg theoniongifts orbeenpoundeAmerican' toispercent , thisof rt It teconomically o processors,pelocalconsidereone environmental sinvestigatec nculturaearly normally tinformationpathogens,production. isfood thcropso. handbooordeman grown i . Todayoriginatedafs forwarde3capitof lsColorad countymemberirrigatio projecte needpercen ofand havcrop.othe suchf lthe s at,dt since degrownworld's fresh sees diet k pe Thisacreageaninto foliaro aras treduce o ofndfinr d e. at the crop thea witworkedLEASTsacred hby 3,000ancient in Egyptians,B.C. cooperation IN who EGYPT believed AND the with spheres INDIA theofthei FOR onionr FOOD industry AND USE toIN identifyART, right hand on an onion. an onion symbolized eternity. During Egyptian officials took the Middle office Ages, onions were so valuable, they Figure 1: Onion Plant Development (drawings by Bill Stump, Colo. State University). Varietal Reviews Market Types Cultivated onions are a diverse crop classified into numerous market types. One of the broadest ways to classify onions is based on their response to day length. Onions form bulbs in response to a critical daylength and thus, can be classified as short-, intermediate- and long-day types. Onions are further categorized by shape (flat, globe, grano, torpedo), skin color (yellow, red, white), pungency (sweet, pungent), and market use (fresh, storage, and processing). Most onion varieties grown in Colorado are long-day types (Spanish or Northern) that respond to our long daylengths during the growing season. Yellow, sweet Spanish varieties with moderate to long-term storage capabilities are the predominate long-day onions grown in Colorado. Choosing a Variety Selection of the proper onion variety is one of the most important decisions a grower can make. There are many onion varieties currently on the market and each year seed companies introduce new ones that are potentially well adapted for different regions in Colorado. Some commonly grown sweet Spanish varieties include 'Colorado 6,' 'Brown Beauty,' 'Valdez,' and 'El Charro.' Field trials are an excellent way to screen other promising onion varieties. Independent trials are conducted on an annual basis in Northern Colorado and in the Arkansas Valley by Colorado State University Cooperative Extension and Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station personnel. In addition, individual seed companies often have trials of their own. Besides yield potential, field trials reveal other 3 COLORADO ONION PRODUCTION * INTEGRATED PEST M ANAGEMENT Table 1: Colorado Onion Production Statistics, 1918-1994 YEAR ACREAGE CWT /ACRE $ / CWT $ CROP VALUE 1918 700 139 1.74 170,000 1923 2,620 142 1.90 707,000 1928 3,760 188 2.48 1,760,000 1933 4,150 157 0.80 522,000 1938 7,900 210 1.00 1,029,000 1943 9,300 265 2.40 5,914,000 1948 11,000 250 1.90 5,225,000 1953 5,900 250 1.00 1,475,000 1958 7,800 280 2.95 6,443,000 1963 6,300 260 3.95 6,470,000 1968 6,100 290 3.80 5,244,000 1973 4,800 290 7.72 8,878,000 1978 7,800 350 8.27 18,359,000 1983 10,400 330 14.60 39,084,000 1988 13,500