The Onion Innovation and Knowledge Center (UIKC) is organizing a competition for onion growers next year. This takes into account not only the quality and yield of onions, but also a commitment to environmental friendliness and cultivation efficiency.
“We want to start a kind of competition between onion growers to take onion cultivation in the Netherlands to the next level,” says Dominik Kammart, researcher at Delphy. This week she gave an explanation for the so-called UIKC Onion Challenge during a UIKC meeting at the proefboerderij Rusthoeve in Kolinsplaat in Zeeland.
As a reason for competition, the UIKC sees the many challenges growers face in order to get a good harvest from their crop. These include, in particular, the effects of climate change and the measures needed to make onion cultivation more sustainable. “Our goal is to reach an average yield of 65 tonnes per hectare or more,” Kammart says.
Assign points
However, the researcher emphatically states that yield is only one of the parameters by which onion growers are judged. “The goal is for us to monitor the cultivation on the plots and ultimately award points for yield as well as quality aspects such as grading, firmness and skin firmness. Next, we take into account how much crop protection and fertilizer was used and how much water was infused.’
According to Kammart, the winner of the onion competition is ultimately the onion grower who can grow the best onion at a limited cost. ‘Even if a grower harvests 10 tons less than his counterpart, he can still win if the onions are of optimal quality and grown in a sustainable way. We are aiming for a concept where growers work together to find the best growing method.’
Recruit Members
Kammart acknowledges that the exact implementation of the UIKC Onion Challenge has yet to be developed. Prior to the start of the new growing season, organizations participating in the UIKC will work to recruit enough participants to participate in the onion competition.
