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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Houma, Louisiana » Sugarcane Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #290775

Title: Onion transplant production system for Oklahoma

Author
item SHREFLER, JAMES - Oklahoma State University
item TAYLOR, MERRITT - Oklahoma State University
item ROBERTS, W - Oklahoma State University
item Webber Iii, Charles

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/5/2011
Publication Date: 9/1/2011
Citation: Shrefler, J.W., Taylor, M.J., Roberts, W., Webber III, C.L. 2011. Onion transplant production system for Oklahoma [abstract]. In: Abstracts of Presentations from the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Horticulture Science - Southern Region, February 5-7, 2011, Corpus Christi, Texas. Supplement to HortScience. 46(9):S42-43.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Onions are a valuable specialty crop. Unfortunately, commercially available transplants in Oklahoma are often produced in a different area of the country and shipped into Oklahoma, resulting in a limited cultivar selection, non-adapted cultivars, poor crop stands, high bolting incidence, and low productivity. Research was conducted at Lane, Oklahoma to determine if onion transplants could be produced locally in hoop houses to provide high quality transplants of more suitable cultivars for southeastern Oklahoma. Onion cultivars Candy and 1015Y were seeded in the hoop house on November 2, 2004 and field transplanted February 26 2005. Only minor incidences of bolting were observed. Onion yield and size distribution did not differ between cultivars, and 80 to 90% of bulbs were 3 inches in diameter or greater. In a planting date study, cultivars Candy and 1015Y were seeded in the hoop house on October 18, 25, and November 2, 2005. The onion transplants were then planted at two locations in early March 2006. No bolting was observed during the growing season. The 3-4 inch diameter bulbs represented 35 to 75% of the onion production with no differences between cultivars. Candy at both locations produced more bulbs in the 4 inch or greater diameter range. In an expanded cultivar study, 12 onion cultivars were seeded in the hoop house on November 4, 2007 and transplanted in the field on March 25, 2008. Prior to harvest, bolting was observed in 10 of 12 cultivars. Only four cultivars exhibited greater than 5% bolting; Cimarron (9%), Rumba (10%), Renegade (18%), and Sequoia (9%). There were no marketable yield differences among the highest yielding 8 cultivars (Sequoia, Renegade, Denali, Cimarron, Chief, Desperado, 1015Y, and White Wing). These studies demonstrated the feasibility of using a hoop house transplant production system to produce suitable transplants for onion production in southeastern Oklahoma, which can achieve marketable size onions with a low bolting tendency.