Photos: Ing. Agr. Alejandro Acosta
Our province has specialized over time in obtaining various seeds, basically from the vegetable group, with high quality. Undoubtedly the queen of all these species is the onion, although umbelliferae such as carrots, fennel, and celery also appear; cucurbits such as watermelons, melons, numerous types of squash; lettuces of all existing groups, cruciferous, including broccoli, cauliflowers, cabbages, etc., also garlic, peas, broad beans, beans, tomatoes, peppers, etc. And potato in mountain valleys.
In particular in onion, the domestic domestic market and a portion of the demanding world sites are supplied to a large extent, with several foreign companies producing in San Juan lands. All the Long Day varieties, such as Val 14 INTA, popularly called Sintética 14, Grano de Oro, Valencianas and others, those of Intermediate Day such as Torrentina, Navideña INTA and others, plus those of Short Day, in which Angaco INTA appear, Valencianita INTA, Tupungato and several of the group of Texas Grano or similar, are produced annually here.
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The form of production is basically with the traditional method, which is the so-called Seed-Bulb-Seed (SBS), in which it takes more than 20 months. In the first year, onion bulbs are produced as is done with those that go to the fresh market, then they are stored, selected, planted in autumn, and the harvest is reached in December.
Today we want to talk about the other method, that of Semilla a Semilla (SS), also known by its English name “seed to seed”. It is used more and more, since its full time is about 12 months, being able to use the soil the rest of the months, compared to the other system. In early summer it is sown, the seedlings are obtained in February and it is transplanted in a definitive place, immediately. Perhaps the disadvantage on the technical side is that by not making bulbs, there is no selection, and it only multiplies, relying on genetics and its initial quality.
Green Supplement this week was in a farm, in a seedling transplant with this second method, which is done with water in the furrow, due to the extreme temperatures, placing about 20 plants per meter, on both sides of the furrow, 90 centimeters from separation between lines, with fertilization with phosphorus previously located.
The producers consulted already use this method, and assure that they prefer it to the traditional one. Advances shown by the field!
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