Onion is a strategic crop in the global food industry, which context CORA Seeds’ ® places its initiative in, with the aim of enhancing onion production at international level. In recent years, onion cultivation has undergone strong changes and has to face new challenges to ensure economic and environmental sustainability in the future.
Onion is not a commodity, but a product with specific organoleptic and qualitative characteristics, the result of developed techniques and the experience of all the players in the value chain.
The long experience and the deep knowledge of the issues of the onion value chain, as well as the recognized commercial leadership, has incentivized CORA Seeds ® to strongly approach this actual topic by organizing the Onion Day ®.
1st Edition
The first international technical meeting revolved around Stemphylium vesicarium leaf blight on onion, which occurrence and severity outbreaks have been rapidly increasing in the last few years on onion bulbs cultivation.
The disease has international dimensions causing considerable damage to the bulb crops by blighted leaves and senesced plant tissue, which again reduce the productivity (small size bulb production). When an epidemic occurred, S. vesicarium outbreaks can cause yield losses upwards of 60-90%.
Moreover, leaf blight caused by S. vesicarium can facilitate the enter of bacterial or fungal pathogens (e.g., Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora) through injuries or damaged bulb neck. Therefore, post-harvest diseases caused by fungal and bacterial pathogens result in significant economic losses both in the field and during storage.
During the meeting we highlighted the best agricultural practices to control S. vesicarium.
Stemphylium vesicarium: plant damages, epidemiology and control
2nd Edition
The focus of this second international technical day is dedicated to quantity and quality improvement of onion bulb production, which has to face the effects of climate change and the current consumers’ different needs, increasingly oriented towards healthiness and quality.
The specific knowledge of the crop and the development of modern agronomic techniques with reduced environmental impact, in particular sowing, fertilization and irrigation, are essential to grow a product capable of satisfying the value chain players’ needs.
CORA Seeds ® introduced Coraspeed ®, a new technology that boosts the seed quality. This new technology helps young seedlings to better overcome stressful situations at the beginning of their development and helps to reach higher production levels. Coraspeed ® can perform higher yields, increasing the income of the crop.