How to improve onion firmness

Firmness is a critical characteristic of onion crops, particularly in dry bulb onions which are stored for long periods. Growers can influence bulb firmness by applying balanced nutrition.

Nitrogen influences onion firmness

Nitrogen plays an important role in bulb firmness. Potassium and calcium deficiencies can also lead to bulbs with lower densities.

Effect of nitrogen rate on onion firmness

Nitrogen can help to increase the specific weight of the outer skin, which results in an improvement of the bulb’s resistance to pressure, therefore reducing handling and storage damages. However, overall bulb firmness may decrease with high rates of nitrogen due to a softening of internal tissue.

Recommended Yara fertilisers for onions

STARTER SOLUTION PLUS
A liquid fertiliser for placement which aids rapid crop establishment, promotes efficient utilization of phosphate and improves phosphate availability.
YaraMila MAINCROP
14-13.6-20.6 - Compound granular fertiliser ideal for potato crops where sulphur is not required.
YaraMila COMPLEX
12-11-18 + 20% SO3 - Prilled NPK fertiliser which also contains magnesium and sulphur as well as micronutrients ideal for use on a wide range of arable and horticultural crops.
YaraLiva TROPICOTE
15.5% N + 26.3% CaO - Granular calcium nitrate fertiliser for field application to a wide range of crops.
YaraVita BRASSITREL PRO
A flowable liquid suspension fertiliser with a combination of micronutrients including manganese, magnesium, boron and molybdenum for foliar application to oilseed rape, brassicas and legumes.
YaraVita BORTRAC 150
A liquid micronutrient fertiliser containing 150 g/l boron for foliar application to provide additional boron or to treat boron deficiencies in a wide range of crops.
See all fertilisers choices

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How to maximise onion dry matter content

The majority of onion crops are grown for the fresh market so it is important to maximise dry matter. Nitrogen and potassium are the most important nutrients influencing dry matter content of onion bulbs.
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Onion crop nutrition programme

Yara's fertiliser recommendations and crop nutrition programmes for onions can help you to achieve excellent crop performance and maximise the yield and quality of all allium crops.
How to improve onion quality

How to improve onion quality

Nutrition programmes based on crop nutrient needs are key to influencing dry matter content, firmness and storability as well as taste and pungency, all important factors in determining the quality of onion crops.
Onion zinc deficiency

Onion nutrient deficiencies

Identify and diagnose if your onions are suffering from nutrient deficiencies and learn more about the symptoms and causes and how to control or correct the deficiency

See all onion crop nutrition articles

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