Onion Production Guidelines

Onion is an important vegetable crop in Nigeria, where it is consumed in virtually every home. It is eaten raw with other vegetables, fried in stew or cooked. Cool conditions with an adequate moisture supply, are most suitable for early growth, followed by warm, drier conditions for maturation, harvesting and curing. Production of the crop is an income generating activity for many farmers, both amateurs' and specialists. The crop attracts high prices, especially during off season. That is why in the early part of the dry season, especially around November-December, the leaves pay as much as the bulbs in the latter part of the year. The book describes rudimentary knowledge of onion production and gives a relationship between number of leaves and age of the crop. Little information is also provided on the incidence of its major insect pest and period of major activity.