Seed Production Programme of Onion & Garlic

 Onion is a major vegetable grown in Kharif and Rabi season by the small and marginal farmers.  The farmers in absence of a cheap seed availability prefer to produce the local onion seed in traditional manner.  The resultant seed is often inferior giving bolted onion, split onions and uneven sized onions affecting the marketable quality severely.  The local onion cultivars are disease and pest tolerant but the yield is poor.  The garlic cultivar grown is also local and possess inferior and more no. of cloves.  The storability of such garlic is also very poor.

The Krishi Vigyan Kendra has undertaken numerous training programmes on improved seed production of onion and garlic and demonstrations to improve the existing yield status of onion (240 q/ha) and garlic (160 q/ha) by introducing new Rabi onion Agrifound Light Red and improved garlic cultivar G-41.  The demonstration on improved seed production was initially undertaken in the selected villages which later on provided improved seed material for other farmers of the village.  About 4 demonstrations of onion seed production were undertaken on 1.6 ha. area while 74 demonstrations were taken on 3.7 ha. area on improved garlic seed production for the farmers from 6 KVK villages.  The demonstration has since responded well with a stupendous response from the farmers for getting the seed material. Now the seed is available with farmers and is regularly exchanged between them in their village itself .