Hybrid onion seeds are more resistant to diseases that affect the crop

The planting of hybrid onion seeds brought gains in productivity, standardization and crop health, as they are more resistant to a series of diseases that affect the crop. In addition to the security they offer to the producer, there is also a gain in the final quality of the product, as there is added value in aspects such as post-harvest durability, color, texture and flavor of the food.

With four experimental stations and a unit focused on seed research and development, Agristar do Brasil offers the market, through its high-tech Topseed Premium line, eleven varieties of onions: Andrômeda, Aquarius, Buccaneer, Fernanda, Lucinda, Optima , Perfecta, Serena, Sirius, Soberana and the recently launched Gamay. The broad portfolio offers options for producers to choose the correct material for their needs, ensuring year-round sowing in all producing regions. 

According to Agristar's bulbs and roots specialist, Samuel Sant'Anna, product development work is incessant. “We are always looking for materials with high production potential that are at the same time resistant to pests and diseases and that also have desirable shape, bulb color and peel quality, aiming to meet the needs of producers and also the consumer market. As we have developed hybrid onion seeds that adapt to cultivation in different regions of the country, this has provided great advances in this sector, since our hybrids can meet the particularities of each region as long as the sowing calendar for each material is respected. As a result, onion production in Brazil becomes constant and of high quality.”

The Gamay hybrid onion is the most recent launch of the line, presented this year during Open Field Day and Hortitec. Sant'Anna explains that the cultivar has stood out in the Northeast region of the country, as it has tolerance to foliar diseases, high waxiness in the leaves, with sowing time from August to February. The plant also has vigorous dark green foliage, bulbs with intense purple skin, both internally and externally, in addition to having high productive potential.

For 2019, Topseed Premium is already preparing the launch of a new onion material. The tests are in the final phase, with success in several locations. According to Sant'Anna, it will be worked in the Northeast with a focus on cultivation in the first half of the year, in the Southeast and Central-West regions from March to May and in the South of Brazil, from April to June. “It is an onion with short days, round shape, high percentage of bulbs with a very uniform single center and high productive potential. The variety is tolerant to pink roots, has a purple color, and rings with this same color”, explains Sant'Anna.