Edition No. 1 – Mid growth stage

Harrier is a new onion hybrid from Seminis. This growing season, we’re tracking its performance around the Pukekohe area through three in-season updates. Trial Coordinator Nathan Gorter-Smith and Nick Williams, Regional Business Manager share their insights at the mid-growth stage of the season. 

“Harrier is an early brown onion with excellent root vigour and a highly uniform bulb size. One of its key attributes is that it has wide adaptability in its planting window, meaning it can be planted earlier without risk of bolting and retains its skin and uniformity when planted later.

This season, around 35Ha of Harrier has been planted. Some plantings occurred in early June and others in late July, which shows just how adaptable Harrier is.

Harrier has been showing superior uniformity in foliage growth and top size. At this point in the season, at the mid-growth stage, the uniformity in top size will allow for a more uniform absorption of sprays. Uniformity will also become more clear as the crop matures and bulbs begin to form.

All crops have established really well and emerged nicely. Most have been disease free until now, however we will begin to see pressure come in over the next month as the weather warms up. There has been some Pink root occurring in in crops, but Harrier is unaffected thanks to its disease resistance package.

Thanks to Harrier’s superior root vigour, it is showing less tip burn compared to OPs, particularly in fields where Pink root and Fusarium basal rot pressure is high. The root vigour is also helping Harrier through the current dry periods, with lots of growers beginning to irrigate.

Overall, it has been good to see that Harrier crops have established well across New Zealand, look healthy and are ready to harvest soon”.