Ⅰ. Product Details

Variety Characteristics

Red-Skinned Onion is a high-quality bulb vegetable variety with a growth cycle of 180-210 days. The plant has upright leaves with a height of 50-70cm, and the bulbs are round or oblate with bright red-purple skin and white flesh with light purple streaks. Single bulb weight is 200-350g, with strong storage resistance and excellent commercial quality.

Quality Advantages

• Bulbs are firm with tight scales, crisp and sweet taste with moderate pungency, rich in anthocyanins, vitamin C, dietary fiber and allicin, which has antioxidant and antibacterial effects.
• Excellent storage performance: Mature bulbs can be stored in a cool and dry place for 6-8 months, maintaining good quality and reducing loss during storage and transportation.
• Strong adaptability: Suitable for cultivation in most regions of China, with cold and drought resistance, and can be planted in both spring and autumn sowing areas.

High-Yield Characteristics

Under proper cultivation management, the yield per mu can reach 4000-6000kg, and the commercial rate is over 90%. The variety has strong disease resistance, less occurrence of downy mildew and purple spot, and stable yield in successive years.

Escenarios de aplicación

• Fresh food market: Used for raw eating, salad, stir-frying and soup cooking, favored by consumers for its bright color and good taste;
• Processing industry: Suitable for making dehydrated onion, onion powder, pickled onion and condiments, with high added value;
• Export trade: Meets the quality standards of international markets, and is one of the important export vegetable varieties in China.

Selection & Storage Suggestions

• Selection skills: Choose bulbs with intact skin, no damage, no mold, firm texture and uniform size, avoid bulbs with sprouting or softening;
• Storage method: Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place with temperature of 0-5℃ and relative humidity of 60-70%, spread in a single layer or hang in a net bag to prevent moisture and rot.

Ⅱ. Planting Methods

Planting Preparation

1. Soil Selection

Red-Skinned Onion prefers fertile, loose, well-drained sandy loam or loam with pH value of 6.0-7.5. Avoid low-lying and waterlogged land, and do not plant in continuous cropping with other allium vegetables (garlic, shallot) to reduce soil-borne diseases. Deep plow the land 25-30cm before planting, apply base fertilizer: 3000-4000kg of decomposed organic fertilizer, 40-50kg of compound fertilizer and 20kg of potassium sulfate per mu. Mix evenly and make flat ridges with width of 1.2-1.5m.

2. Seed Treatment

• Seed selection: Choose full, disease-free seeds with high germination rate, with seed consumption of 300-400g per mu for seedling raising;
• Seed soaking and germination: Soak seeds in 25-30℃ warm water for 8-12 hours, then place them in a cool place (15-20℃) for germination, rinse with water once a day, and sow when 50% of seeds show white buds.

Seedling Raising & Transplanting

1. Seedling Raising Time

• Autumn sowing: In northern China, seedling raising in mid-August to early September, transplanting in late October to early November;
• Spring sowing: In southern China, seedling raising in late January to early February, transplanting in late March to early April.

2. Seedling Raising Methods

Prepare seedling beds with 10-15cm thick nutrient soil (farmyard manure: garden soil = 3:7). Sow seeds evenly, cover with 0.5-1cm fine soil, water thoroughly and cover with straw or film to keep moisture. After emergence, remove the covering in time, control temperature at 15-20℃, and water properly to prevent seedling leggy.

3. Transplanting Requirements

Transplant when seedlings have 3-4 true leaves and pseudostem diameter of 0.6-0.8cm (about 40-50 days after sowing). The planting density is 15cm × 20cm, with 22000-25000 plants per mu. Plant depth should be appropriate (2-3cm), and water thoroughly after transplanting.

Field Management

1. Water Management

• Seedling recovery period: Keep soil moist to promote root survival;
• Leaf growth period: Control watering properly to promote root deep growth, water in time when soil is dry;
• Bulb expansion period: Ensure adequate water supply, water once every 7-10 days, stop watering 10-15 days before harvest to promote bulb ripening and improve storage resistance.

2. Fertilizer Management

• Seedling fertilizer: Apply 10-15kg of urea per mu 15-20 days after transplanting to promote seedling growth;
• Leaf fertilizer: Apply 20kg of compound fertilizer per mu at vigorous leaf growth stage to promote leaf growth;
• Bulb fertilizer: Apply 25-30kg of compound fertilizer + 10kg of potassium sulfate per mu at initial bulb expansion stage, and topdress once every 20 days for 2-3 times to promote bulb expansion.

3. Weed Control

• Manual weeding: Remove weeds in time during seedling stage to avoid competition for nutrients;
• Chemical weeding: Spray herbicides (such as pendimethalin) before sowing or transplanting, and follow the instructions for use.

4. Disease & Pest Control

• Downy mildew: Use 72% metalaxyl·mancozeb wettable powder 600x solution for spray control;
• Purple spot: Spray with 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder 800x solution;
• Onion maggot: Irrigate roots with 48% chlorpyrifos EC 1000x solution;
• Thrips: Control with 25% imidacloprid wettable powder 2000x solution spray.

Harvesting

• Harvest time: Harvest when 70-80% of leaves turn yellow and fall down, and bulbs are fully mature (about 120-150 days after transplanting);
• Harvesting method: Pull out bulbs with leaves, dry them in the field for 2-3 days (avoid direct sunlight), cut off leaves (retain 2-3cm) and roots, and sort by size;
• Post-harvest treatment: Store in a cool, dry and ventilated place, or pack in mesh bags for sale. For long-term storage, place in a constant temperature warehouse at 0-2℃.