Did you know that India is in the second position in the world when it comes to growing onions? Onion is known by many names – the common ones include common onion and bulb onion. Onions in India are widely cultivated and their availability remains uniform around the year. The pungency of Indian onions is their unique attribute.
If you take a look at an onion carefully, you will see that there are narrow and hollow leaves along with a base, which grows in size to become the onion bulb. The colour of the bulb varies and can be yellow, white, or red. To reach harvest time, onions take a period of almost 80 to 150 days. In general, onions grow best in temperate climatic conditions. But now onions grow in other climatic conditions as well such as tropical and subtropical.
You must have heard the news that farmers are facing a lot of problems with onion cultivation in India, particularly with storage. Pest and disease infestations are two common reasons for which farmers have to incur heavy losses in onion cultivation. Even if farmers cultivate healthy produce, improper storage facilities are impacting the life of the onions. On the whole, Indian onion farmers suffer heavy losses.
With growing numbers of pests, insects, weeds, and other unfavourable elements hampering plant growth and development, it is important that farmers take precautions right from the onset of planting the crop. The use of onion herbicide is one such step, which has helped farmers in keeping onion production in good shape. There are separate post- and pre-emergent herbicides for onions, which offer protection against weeds, pests, and other harmful elements during farming.
In this article, we will discuss some of the most effective post- and pre-emergence onion herbicides in India.
Post-emergent herbicide for onions
Weed management is an integral part of onion cultivation, both in the pre-and post-emergent stage. Different kinds of weeds grow in onion fields hampering the growth of healthy onions and even destroying quite a lot of them in the process. Post-emergent herbicide for onions has proved to be quite effective in handling weeds and various kinds of pests and harmful insects.
There are many companies manufacturing such herbicides for onions, but Dhanuka Agritech Limited is one of the best producers of herbicides in India and has some choicest products when it comes to post-emergent herbicides for onions. Let us check out the two most popular products in this regard:
• Onekil – an effective onion herbicide for the post-emergent phase
Onekil 10% EC is manufactured by combining two strong components Quizalofop-Ethyl 4% and Oxyflurofen 6% EC. This post-emergence herbicide belongs to the systemic and contacts herbicide category, controlling broad as well as narrow leaf weeds effectively.
The absorption of Onekil takes place through the crop’s root system and foliage, providing long residual control from a majority of weeds. Another great thing about this herbicide is that it has 1-2 hours of rain fastness.
The herbicide comes with a dual mode of action with excellent translocation activity. Leaves of the onion plant absorb Onekil that move in a downward direction through the phloem. The roots also absorb the herbicide and move upward through the xylem. The components in the herbicide inhibit the fatty acid synthesis and disrupt the membrane through lipid peroxidation. Usually, 400 ml of Onekil herbicide is advised to be used per acre of land.
Let us take a look at the features and benefits of Onekil herbicide:
• The herbicide is a one-stop solution for weed-free onion harvest.
• The post-emergence herbicide comes with a dual mode of action controlling mostly all weeds and annual grasses.
• The herbicide has 1-2 hours of rain fastness.
• Onekil gets absorbed by the root system and foliage.
• Targa Super – a systemic herbicide for onion crops
The main component in Targa Super is none other than Quizalofop Ethyl 5% EC. The systemic and selective herbicide helps in controlling narrow leaf weeds in broad leaf crops. The translocation of these herbicides is super quick. Weeds tend to absorb the herbicide quickly and die in the process.
The weeds which don’t die are incapable of regenerating. A heavy shower after one hour of applying the herbicide does not impact the effectiveness of the product. Within 5-8 days of applying Targa Super, the weeds become red or purple and they die within 10-15 days.
For annual weeds, 300-400ml of this herbicide is sufficient for one acre of land.
Let us quickly take a look at the benefits and features of this herbicide:
• An excellent herbicide for controlling narrow leaf weeds in broad leaf crops.
• The weeds are killed and hence there are no chances of weed regeneration.
• This herbicide is strictly not recommended for many crops like wheat, maize, paddy, sugarcane, and sorghum.
Pre-emergent herbicide for onions
For proper growth, farmers also use pre-emergent herbicides for onions. It is evident from the name of the herbicide that these are used before the crop emerges in the field. Generally, these herbicides have to undergo activation which takes place through irrigation. Just like post-emergent herbicides, Dhanuka Agritech Limited manufactures a wide variety of highly effective pre-emergent herbicides for onions too.
Well-known herbicides that Dhanuka Agritech Limited offers for onion cultivation
Dhanuka Agritech Limited is one of the most renowned agrochemical manufacturers in India and a leading producer of herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, plant-growth boosters, and many such products in the country. The company manufactures the products for different variants of crops, including onions.
Dhanuka Agritech Limited offers both pre- and post-emergent herbicides for onions. To know more about them or to find out about the other agrochemicals manufactured and sold by Dhanuka Agritech Limited for the different crop varieties, you can visit their website.
