The first winter onions are already coming onto the market. "This year we had a trial field on the light sandy soil at Akkerbouwbedrijf Booijink in Tenthveen, in the province of Drenthe. We chose this type of soil because of its lower risk of freezing. The emergence was very good (100% +), because we expected that some plants would not survive the winter, we had sown 4.5 EH. 90% of the plants are still there and there are onions underneath. A nice 50/70 bunch," says Arjan Bos, crop specialist at Hazera.
Winter onions are quite a recent arrival in the Netherlands. Winter seed onions are mainly grown in Germany (Pfalz) and a certain growth region in Poland, intended for the fresh market or industry. According to Arjan, the processing industry has always given winter onions a somewhat negative light over the years. "This is mainly due to the quality and lack of storability of most winter onions. After harvesting, they are immediately packed."
"Winters in the Netherlands have been changing in recent years. The chance of freezing, thawing and freezing again has decreased compared to a few years ago. With the Panther variety that we introduced to the market some time ago, we combine quality and storability. This variety is not only good for the fresh market and industry, but also for export. The big advantage is that at the end of June you already have quality seed onions that have countless options!"
"The biggest advantage of this variety is its storability. You do not want that with winter onions, because you do not cultivate the winter onion seed. But if the situation is such that storage is required, you have an onion that can handle it. It is therefore not necessary to deliver directly from the land. In addition, its hardiness is a big plus: it is rated at -20 degrees Celsius. It doesn't freeze easily."
Ruud Booijink
For more information:
Arjan Bos 
Hazera
+31 (0)6 50 59 53 65
arjan.bos@hazera.com
www.hazera.com