By Clint Thompson
The transplant production system in the Vidalia onion industry is a management practice implemented by most growers in Southeast Georgia. Growers plant seed in high density beds, grow them for 8 to 9 weeks, then pull the young plants by hand and transplant them into fields. But is there the potential for direct seeded planting?
It is a question that prompted University of Georgia (UGA) research, according to Chris Tyson, UGA Extension area onion agent at the Vidalia Onion & Vegetable Research Center in Lyons, Georgia.
“Pretty much we’re all transplant, probably 95 to 98% of our crop is transplanted, but there’s always been some interest in direct seeding, too,” Tyson said.
Need for Research
UGA’s direct seed planting date recommendations are based on research that dates back nearly 30 years, with a recommended sowing date of Oct. 15, plus or minus one week. There is a need for up-to-date recommendations, as producers have questioned Tyson about when is the best time to direct seed. Tyson submitted a research proposal to the Vidalia Onion Committee, which has funded the research project.
“We’re taking another look at it, because we’re growing different varieties than we were growing 20 or 30 years ago,” Tyson said. “Basically, we’re looking at five planting dates from Sept. 15 through Nov. 15.
“We’ve got four varieties that we’re planting in the study and we’re going to direct seed each variety at five different dates and just compare them for yield and size and quality and see if there’s any difference.”
Money Savings
With input expenses high, growers need to be more efficient in their farming practices. Direct seed planting offers some potential to greatly reduce the high costs that farmers are currently coping with.
“I think the main appeal to direct seeding, as opposed to a transplant system, is savings on labor. If you do the transplant system, you’re going to have to pay somebody to pull those transplants off the bed by hand. You’re going have to pay somebody to plant those transplants in the field by hand. Labor is required to handle the onions twice just to get them planted,” Tyson said.
“It costs somewhere between $500 to $700 an acre just to transplant the onions, so you have a huge cost right there. Then there’s the cost of just managing the seed beds. You have the potential to save a lot of money per acre just by skipping that whole process, plant them in the field one time, and leave them there until harvest.”