Important Facts For Prelims
Onion Varieties
- 19 Dec 2019
- 2 min read
Why in News
The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has developed a ‘Processing-grade White Onion (PWO-2) variety for commercial cultivation by farmers from the 2020-21 rabi cropping season.
- Punjab’s farmers now mainly grow red coloured varieties of onion, that is, PRO-6 and Punjab Naroya.
- PRO-6 can be harvested in 120 days after transplanting and yielding 175 quintals per acre on an average.
- Punjab Naroya can be harvested after 145 days and yields 150 quintals.
- The average yield of PWO-2 is 165 quintals per acre and it matures in roughly 140 days. Its biggest advantage is that the bulbs are processable and can be used to make dehydrated products such flakes, powder, rings and granules.
- The University in 1994 also released a processing-grade white onion variety called Punjab White. However, its average yield was only 135 quintals per acre and did not interest farmers.
- Punjab produces 2-2.1 lakh tonnes of onions, which meets hardly a third of the state’s requirement. And given rising onion prices, there is probably need for varieties such as PWO - 2 whose bulbs can be converted and stored in processed form.
