More than 100 onion enthusiasts attended the Malheur Experiment Station’s Onion Variety on Aug. 24 in Ontario, OR, with 58 varieties on display.
Experiment Station Manager Stuart Reitz said among the 58 were “28 full-season yellow varieties, 10 early maturing varieties, 11 red varieties, and nine white varieties.”
Stuart said that attendees “had an opportunity to view bulbs and plants in the demonstration section of the trial, and everyone had the opportunity to share thoughts and opinions on how the varieties fared in this challenging growing season.”
He also noted, “Like most commercial farms in the Treasure Valley, the variety trial has been a little behind ‘normal’ in terms of its development. That is a result of cool wet conditions early in the spring and the ongoing late summer heat.”
Following the morning of viewing the trial, Stuart said the attendees had lunch at the experiment station barn, where Dr. Staci Simonich, dean of Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences, addressed the crowd and complimented the local community for its support for the station.
And Stuart said, “Bulbs from the research plots will be harvested in the coming weeks. The early maturing varieties will be graded soon after harvest. The full-season varieties will be graded in the winter to determine yield, size profile, and quality characteristics. Industry members are welcome to attend the quality characteristic evaluation day in January.”
The station’s research reports can be viewed on the station website: https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/mes/malheur-experiment-station
