Water relations and irrigation requirements of onion (Allium Cepa L.): a review of yield and quality impacts

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dc.contributor.authorPerez Ortola, Marta
dc.contributor.authorKnox, Jerry W.
dc.date.accessioned2019-11-13T14:49:59Z
dc.date.available2019-11-13T14:49:59Z
dc.date.issued2014-11-05
dc.description.abstractThe results of international research on the water relations and irrigation needs of onions have been synthesized in an attempt to link fundamental studies on crop physiology to irrigation practices, and consequent impacts on crop yield, quality and storage. Following a brief introduction on its origins and centres of production, a synthesis of research on crop development including plant water relations, crop water requirements, yield response to water, irrigation systems and scheduling are presented. Most of the evidence stems from research conducted in arid and semi-arid regions notably the USA, India, Spain and Turkey. The findings confirm that onion seasonal water requirements are highly variable depending on agroclimate, location and season, as are the crop coefficients (Kc) which range from 0.4 to 0.7 (initial stage), 0.85 to 1.05 (middle development) and 0.6 to 0.75 (final stage). Seasonal irrigation needs are reported to vary from 225 to 1040 mm to produce between 10 and 77 t ha-1. The most sensitive stages for water stress are at emergence, transplanting and bulb formation. Final crop quality can also be affected by water excess. Water stress at specific stages can negatively impact on quality leading to reduced size and multi-centred bulbs. In recent years, pressure on water resources, retailer demands for quality assurance and rising production costs have meant that onion irrigation has switched from traditional low efficiency (furrow) methods to more efficient advanced (sprinkler and drip) technologies. For scheduling, optimal soil water potential thresholds for triggering irrigation were found to be between -17 kPa and -27 kPa for drip and furrow irrigation. Research is underway to maximize water use efficiency in onions, but the deficit irrigation regimes being tested under experimental conditions have yet to be adopted commercially.en_UK
dc.identifier.citationPerez-Ortola M, Knox JW. (2015) Water relations and irrigation requirements of onion (Allium Cepa L.): a review of yield and quality impacts. Experimental Agriculture, Volume 51, Issue 2, April 2015, pp. 210-231en_UK
dc.identifier.issn0014-4797
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1017/S0014479714000234
dc.identifier.urihttp://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/14726
dc.language.isoenen_UK
dc.publisherCambridge University Pressen_UK
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/*
dc.titleWater relations and irrigation requirements of onion (Allium Cepa L.): a review of yield and quality impactsen_UK
dc.typeArticleen_UK

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