Onion Production and Marketingin New Mexico

Cooperative Extension Service • Circular 577College of Agriculture and Home Economics

PREFACE

This publication was compiled as the proceedings foran onion conference conducted on March 6, 2002, in LasCruces, N.M. The goal of the conference was to strength-en New Mexico’s onion industry by presenting the latesttechnological and research-based information about on-ion production and marketing. The conference was spon-sored by New Mexico State University and New MexicoDepartment of Agriculture.

Robert F. BevacquaExtension Vegetable SpecialistNew Mexico State University

Tanya R. CardenasResearch AideNew Mexico State University

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Cyndi Gould compiled the nine papers that make upthis publication.

The manuscript was reviewed by the following facultyand staff at NMSU: George Dickerson, Jerry Hawkes andKara Taylor. We gratefully acknowledge their supportand guidance.

CONTENTS

Introduction ............................................................... 1

IPM Strategy for Thrips on Onion ............................. 2

Improving Irrigation Efficiencyin Onion Production .............................................. 5

Contributions of the NMSUBreeding Program to theNew Mexico Onion Industry ................................. 7

Current and Future Objectives ofNMSU’s Onion Breeding Program ..................... 10

The Role of Sweet and ProcessingOnions in the Future of theNew Mexico Onion Industry ............................... 13

What’s Hot, What’s Not andWhat’s Next: Onion Trendsand Promotional Projects .................................... 14

Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) ......................... 16

Exporting New Mexico’s Onionsto Mexico and Other Countries ........................... 17

A Marketing Order: How it Works ........................ 18

Summary.................................................................. 19

1

Introduction

Robert F. Bevacqua, Extension Vegetable Specialist, New Mexico State University

There are 120 farms in New Mexico that produceonion for the commercial market. There also are 35packing sheds that grade, bag, load and ship onions tonational markets.

Onions were among the top 10 agricultural com-modities in New Mexico for 2000. They were rankedseventh overall and generated $32,764 in cash re-ceipts. Growers produced more than 3.5 million hun-dredweight in 2000, up 7.8 percent from 1999. The risein production is the result of an increase in harvestedacreage from 7,300 in 1999 to 7,700 in 2000, and anincrease in average yield from 450 to 460 hundred-weight per acre. The primary production centers are inDõna Ana and Luna counties with small acreages inSierra, Chaves, Curry, and Hidalgo counties. Theonions typically are planted in the fall or early springand harvested during June, July and August. Theonions are yellow, nonstorage types that go directly tonational markets.

Market concerns are the principal constraint of NewMexico’s onion industry. Farmers generally receivefavorable prices and this leads to profitability in mostyears. Prices, however, are volatile and can changefrom month to month and year to year. For example,the crop’s value fell 38 percent from $53 million in1999 to $33 million in 2000. This explains why marketissues, in response to grower requests, were an impor-tant theme for this conference. Speakers addressedmarketing trends for onions, consumer concerns, ex-porting onions to new markets and the pros and cons ofadopting a marketing order for onions in New Mexico.

REFERENCES

Corgan, J., M. Wall, C. Cramer, T. Sammis, B. Lewis,and J. Schroeder. 2000. Bulb onion culture and man-agement. New Mexico State Univ. Coop. Ext. Serv.Circ. 563.

New Mexico Department of Agriculture. 2001. NewMexico Agricultural Statistics for 2000. N.M. Dept.Agr., Las Cruces.

2

IPM Strategy for Thrips on Onion

Brad Lewis, Entomology Specialist, New Mexico State University

By far the most common and damaging insect foundon New Mexico onions is thrips. Two species, westernflower thrips and onion thrips, are the most commonspecies within the complex. Thrips are present through-out the year, with adults surviving the winter on weeds,overwintering crops (including alfalfa and onions) andornamental trees and shrubs. Typically, early springonions are infested primarily with western flower thrips.As temperatures increase, onion thrips begin migratinginto the fields and may dominate the complex towardyear’s end.

Adult thrips insert eggs into the plant tissue. Thenymphs move to their primary feeding location withinthe confined leaf area of the neck. Nymphs are yellow.Although they are visible without magnification, it isdifficult to distinguish individual characteristics. Adultsare winged and dark-colored. They can be found feed-ing on the leaves within the neck or on the plant’s outerportions. The life cycle’s length depends on tempera-ture. During the summer, it is approximately two weeksor less. Thrips may lay as many as 300 eggs each. Thelarge number of eggs coupled with the short life cyclecontributes to rapid population buildups.

Feeding damage is indistinguishable between thetwo thrips species. The nymphs and adults puncture theepidermal layer of the leaves and then suck up theruptured cellular contents. The ruptured epidermal lay-ers result in tissue death and loss of photosynthetic area.As leaf size increases, damaged tissue takes on a silveryappearance. In cases of severe infestation, damagedleaves may die, significantly reducing bulb size andyield. Regional research has demonstrated that bulbingonions are particularly sensitive to thrips feeding, losingup to 20 percent of the yield. Onions normally arecapable of recovering from thrips damage before bulbing;

feeding damage during sizing usually results in earlyneck collapse.

Several factors inherent in thrips biology contributeto potential insecticide resistance problems. Thrips havea high biotic potential; as the number of individualsincreases, the chance of expressing a resistant mecha-nism in the population increases. Another factor is thattheir reproduction is primarily asexual reproduction(females producing females). Therefore, identical cop-ies of insecticide-resistant clones are produced quicklyin the population.

To minimize resistance problems, changes in insecti-cide classes should be incorporated in the spray regime.Insecticides applied to actively growing or to heavypopulations may require more frequent applications tosuppress thrips. After an insecticide application, thripseggs continue to hatch, with larvae moving to the waxlayer on onion leaves. All insecticide applications shouldinclude a wetting agent.

Nató∞al rainfall is one of the best control factors. Inyears when frequent rains occur, thrips control isrelatively good. But in dry years, available controlmeasures are less effective. However, the degree ofcontrol that can be achieved by insecticides is benefi-cial to crop yields.

Foliage characteristics affect the extent of thripsdamage. Onion varieties with glossy (nonglaucous)foliage seem to have less damage than the waxy, blue(glaucous) foliage types. We have been able to controlthrips on the fall-planted, glaucous foliage types like‘Buffalo’. But for spring plantiè„:"we suggest varietiesthat have dark green, nonglaucous foliage. In fact, mostvarieties that produce well in New Mexico are thenonglaucous types, probably because they are less at-tractive to thrips.

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Regional research (Sanderson, 1995) has demonstratedthat thrips feeding has the potential to significantly re-duce onion yields . This reduction is in the form of smalleronions and occurs from feeding activity after the bulbingstage. Western flower thrips and onion thrips dominatethe thrips species complex in southern New Mexicoonions. Although it is uncertain what determines whichspecies is present during specific parts of the season, hightemperatures and low humidity tend to favor westernflower thrips (Kisha, 1977).

Biological control of thrips and development ofresistant or tolerant onion varieties have not provenpractical or reliable. Insecticide use is currently theprimary method of reducing thrips populations inonions. Successful control continues to challengeonion producers and consultants. Factors that maycontribute to inconsistency in regional thrips controlinclude potential insecticide resistance, unknownthrips species at time of application, and poor insec-ticide application methods.

A new class of insecticides has not been registeredfor thrips control in onions in the past 12 years.Insecticides and classes currently registered for use onNew Mexico onions are primarily limited to numerouspyrethroids (Ammo 2.5, Ambush, Mustang 1.5EW,Pounce 3.2,Fury, Warrior etc.), one carbamate(Lannate) and one organophosphate (Penncap M).Pyrethriods, the last insecticide class registered, is themost widespread insecticide class used for thrips con-trol in onions. Considering thrips’ high biotic potentialand their continued exposure to a limited number ofinsecticides, it is surprising that adequate control isachieved in the majority of the fields.

Local and regional field and laboratory research hashelped define the most effective method of controllingthrips in southern New Mexico onions. Insecticideresistance and optimizing pesticide deposition are thekey factors to a reliable thrips management program.

Duttle (1994) demonstrated that thrips resistance topyrethroids does occur in local fields, but that it isneither widespread nor stable in the population. Labora-tory screening research measured up to a five-folddifference in thrips susceptibility to pyrethroids be-tween local onion fields within the same year. Fieldsthat exhibited higher levels of pyrethroid resistance atthe season’s start continued to exhibit higher levelswhen measured at the season’s end. Onion fields withlower levels of resistance maintained lower levelsthroughout the season. Research measured a five-folddecrease in pyrethroid resistance the subsequent yearfor populations collected from the same areas.

Regional western flower thrips populations weresignificantly more susceptible to the active ingredient inPenncap M than onion thrips. Onion thrips were signifi-cantly more susceptible to methomyl (Lannate) thanwestern flower thrips. No significant differences be-

tween thrips species have been measured with respect topyrethroid efficacy in southern New Mexico popula-tions. Generally, as a complex, regional thrips popula-tions are most susceptible to Lannate, followed by thepyrethroids and, finally, Penncap M. Because of thepotential for rapid resistance to any single insecticide,using all currently registered insecticide classes is rec-ommended.

Although we believe climatic factors favor westernflower thrips, onion field surveys have shown that onionthrips can be the dominate species. Given the potentialfor differences between species regarding insecticide,insecticide chemistry should be changed for fields notexhibiting adequate thrips suppression three days afterapplication. Evaluations made after three days may notbe representative of an insecticides’ efficacy.

The intrinsic characteristics of currently registeredinsecticides also dictate their use in a thrips manage-ment program. Lannate’s short residual activity (half-life of several days), particularly as temperatures in-crease, determine that it is best used during the coolerperiod of the season. Lannate is efficacious both forpreventing population increases and as a rescue applica-tion. Although not as efficacious as other registeredinsecticides, Penncap M has been used successfully tomaintain lower levels of thrips rather than as a rescuetreatment to bring larger populations under control.Delaying use of pyrethroid insecticides in onion fieldshelps ensure reliable efficacy from this insecticide classwhen needed the most. On susceptible thrips popula-tions, pyrethroids have proven to be the best for reduc-ing high populations during the warmer periods of theseason. Benefits (synergism) between Lannate and pyre-throid tank mixes have been observed in the laboratory,but they have not been consistent from one year to thenext nor have they proved beneficial in field studies.

Efficacy of currently registered insecticides can beimproved with application methods that increase depo-sition to the target area on onions (table 1). Warrior wasapplied at approximately 33 gpa through standard hol-low cone nozzles positioned over the rows. An accept-able reduction in the thrips populations was not achieveduntil five days after the second application. By modify-ing the application method, Warrior’s efficacy increasedas measured by an acceptable reduction of the thripspopulations three days after the first application. Appli-cation modifications included selecting nozzles thatproduce a much smaller droplet spectrum than the TX-12s; increasing pressure from 40 to 70 psi; and placingnozzles on drops directed at the onions’ necks. Totalgallons per acre was measured at 34. It is believed thata smaller droplet spectrum resulted in greater insecti-cide deposition to the neck regions.

Modifying application systems also may increase theavailability of additional insecticide classes for use inonions. In previous research, Spintor has not been

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shown to be efficacious for thrips control in New Mexicoonions when applied with standard hollow cone nozzlesarranged over the top. Spintor applications using higherpressure (70 psi) and through nozzles that produce asmaller diameter droplet spectrum directed at the onionneck have provided acceptable thrips control after asingle application. Although not currently labeled foronions, the addition of Spintor for use in New Mexicowould add an additional class of insecticides that wouldhelp manage resistance.

Given the current class of insecticides, research sup-ports a series and not a rotational approach to insecticideselection for thrips management in southern NewMexico. Although economic damage is associated withthrips herbivory after the bulbing stage, allowing thripspopulations to increase early in the season will result inreduced insecticide efficacy at bulbing and may pro-mote insecticide resistance at a faster rate.

Table 1. Mean number of thrips1 per onion plantfollowing ground applications of insecticideson May 29 and June 6, 2001, for small plotresearch studies.

Treatment Nozzle(lbs ai/A) position Days after last application

0 3 7 5 8

Warrior (.02) Over2 31.4 23.0 11.9 6.0 17.9

Warrior (.02) Modified3 31.4 4.6 9.8 .8 9.4

Spintor 2SC ( .1)4 Over2 39.7 30.8 20.6 13.3 47.3

Spintor 2SC (.1) 4 Modified3 39.7 8.1 17.6 7.5 43.8

UTC 29.4a 31.2 24.0 37.8 70.9

1Western flower thrips is the dominant species2Three TX-12 hollow cone nozzles positioned over each row3Three TJ-60 8002VS nozzles. One overhead and two on drops per row.4Not currently registered for use in onions.

REFERENCES

Duttle, T. 1994. Potential insecticide resistance in thethrips complex (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) of onions.M.S. Thesis. New Mexico State University. LasCruces, New Mexico (82 pp).

Kisha, J. S. A. 1977. Cultural and insecticidal control ofThrips tabaci on onions in the Sudan. Ann. Appl.Biol. 86: 219-228.

Sanderson, S.A. 1995. Fall onion yield response tothrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) herbivory in south-ern New Mexico. M.S. Thesis. New Mexico StateUniversity. Las Cruces, New Mexico (35 pp).

Note: This publication reports research in-volving pesticides. It does not contain recom-mendations for their use, nor does it imply thatthe uses discussed here have been registered.Check for current registration of all insecti-cides with the appropriate state and federalagencies prior to commercial use.

5

Improving Irrigation Efficiency in Onion Production

Robert F. Bevacqua, Extension Vegetable Specialist, New Mexico State University

INTRODUCTION

Managing the timing and amount of water appliedduring irrigation is a critical activity in onion produc-tion. The crop is shallow-rooted, and insufficient orexcess irrigation can have a great impact on yield andbulb quality. Light, frequent irrigations are recom-mended, but most onion acreage in New Mexico isfurrow irrigated. The least amount of water that can beapplied with this system is 2 acre-inches. During certaincrop development stages, such as seed germination andearly crop growth, the need for frequent irrigations canlead to excessive furrow applications. This excess watercan be lost to deep percolation or surface runoff. Thenonbeneficial use of this excess water represents anopportunity for improving irrigation efficiency in onionproduction in New Mexico.

BACKGROUND

Irrigation efficiency is the percentage of irrigationwater that is put to beneficial use. Satisfying the crop’swater need is the most important beneficial use ofirrigation water. Irrigation efficiency (IE) can be calcu-lated by the following equation:

Irrigation water beneficially usedIE (%) = x 100

Total irrigation water applied

In addition to satisfying the crop’s water need orevapotranspiration (ET) requirement, other beneficialuses of irrigation water are salt management, frostprotection and soil preparation.

Nonbeneficial refers to wasteful uses of irrigationwater. The principal nonbeneficial uses are deep perco-lation, in which the water passes below the crop’s rootzone; and tail water, in which the water runs off the field.

Two factors contribute to efficient irrigation. The firstis applying the correct amount of water at the correct time.The goal in scheduling these applications is to match, asclosely as possible, the crops ET needs. The second isapplying the water uniformly across the field. Of thesetwo factors, uniformity is the more critical in achievinghigh efficiency.

There is ample justification for improving irrigationefficiency. Some of the reasons are reduced water use,decreased pumping costs, less contamination of groundand surface waters by fertilizer, opportunities for in-creased yields, fewer drainage problems, and increasedacreage that can be irrigated with a fixed water allocation.

These background concepts will now be applied to adiscussion about improving irrigation efficiency in on-ion production.

IRRIGATION METHODS FOR ONION

Most onions in New Mexico are grown with furrowirrigation. In areas where surface water is available andthe land has been leveled, furrow irrigation is relativelyinexpensive. Once ditches and delivery structures are inplace, water application is convenient. However, fur-row irrigation is relatively inefficient. The least amountof water that can be applied per furrow irrigation isabout 2 acre-inches. During seed germination and earlycrop growth, the need to maintain available water nearthe surface requires frequent irrigation. The excesswater percolates below the root zone and can contami-nate groundwater with leached fertilizer.

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Sprinkler irrigation permits frequent application ofsmall amounts of water, which is ideal for seed germina-tion and early crop growth. Sprinklers are more efficientthan furrow irrigation. Sprinklers can be used to deliverwater to sloping land. In some areas of the United States,sprinklers are used during seed germination and earlycrop growth, and furrow irrigation is used for the remain-der of the growing season. Some areas also employsprinklers for the entire cropping season, but there issome concern that wetting the foliage during late seasoncauses foliar diseases. Sprinklers are rarely used in DõnaAna or Luna counties, the two production centers in NewMexico.

Drip irrigation can be the most efficient irrigationmethod. Small amounts of water can be delivered atfrequent intervals as needed by the plants. Water losses toevaporation are less than with sprinklers. Also, water isdelivered directly to the root zone, so that wetting of thefoliage is not a problem, as with sprinklers. In California,excellent results have been obtained with drip irrigationin onion production. Substantial improvements in bulbquality have been obtained. Much of the informationpresented in this paper is drawn from onion irrigation inCalifornia. Capitalization costs should be consideredbefore a grower adopts drip irrigation.

SCHEDULING

There are many techniques for predicting when toirrigate and how much water to apply. Some growersuse a combination of techniques, but the general trend,especially for drip irrigation, is toward using evapo-transpiration (ET) as the basis for scheduling. For ex-ample, a drip irrigator applies water every third day. Todetermine how much to apply on July 15, he cancalculate the crop evapotranspiration or ET

c. This is the

sum of evaporation (loss from the soil surface) andtranspiration (loss from the plant leaves). ET

c estimates

the volume of water lost to evaporation and transpira-tion during the three days between irrigations. Thisvolume is then applied in the next irrigation. The watervolume is determined by the formula ET

c = K x ET

o,where K is a crop coefficient and ET

o is a reference ET.

The values for these two latter figures can be obtainedfrom the New Mexico Climate Center Web site(weather@nmsu.edu). Assume a crop coefficient of 1.0inch/day and reference ET of 0.25 inches/day for July13, 14 and 15. ET

c = 1.0 x 0.25 x 3 days = 0.75 inches.

Drip irrigation systems generally operate at 90 percentefficiency. So 0.75 inches is divided by 0.90 to obtain afinal volume of 0.83 inches. This figure can be con-verted to gallons per acre by multiplying 0.83 inches by27,154 gallons per acre-inch. The answer, thus, to thequestion of how much water to apply on July 15 is22,628 gallons per acre.

UNIFORMITY

The more evenly water is applied over a field, themore efficient the irrigation can be. If every part of thefield were to receive the same amount of water, unifor-mity would be 100 percent. But as a practical matter, noirrigation system can achieve 100 percent uniformity.Some parts of the field always receive more water thanothers. Of the three methods used for onions, furrowirrigation is the least likely to be uniform. For example,consider a furrow application with poor uniformity. Toensure adequate irrigation in all areas, some portions ofthe field will be overirrigated. This overirrigation causesnonbeneficial uses—deep percolation and surface run-off. Sprinkler systems are more uniform than furrowirrigation, but wind and slope can cause excessiveirrigation in some areas. A well-designed, well-main-tained drip system can apply water more evenly.

SUMMARY

Irrigation efficiency in onion production can be im-proved by scheduling water applications to match, asclosely as possible, the evapotranspiration needs of thecrop; designing irrigation systems for maximum unifor-mity; and embracing a maintenance plan that ensurescontinued high uniformity.

Adopting drip irrigation, which has the potential forhigh uniformity, is an important step toward greaterefficiency. Drip systems tend to be highly efficient be-cause they minimize or eliminate surface runoff, reducedeep percolation and eliminate the need to overirrigatesome parts of the field to compensate for underirrigationin other parts.

REFERENCES

Bevacqua, R.F., and R. Phillips (eds.). 2001. Drip irriga-tion for row crops. New Mexico State Univ. Coop. Ext.Serv. Circ. 573.

Burt, C.M., and S.W. Styles. 1999. Drip irrigation andmicroirrigation for trees, vines and row crops. Irr.Training and Res. Ctr., California Polytechnic StateUniv., San Luis Obispo.

Burt, C.M., 2001. Irrigation scheduling, salinity and drain-age. Irr. Training and Res. Ctr., California PolytechnicState Univ., San Luis Obispo.

Corgan, J., M. Wall, C. Cramer, T. Sammis, B. Lewis, and J.Schroeder. 2000. Bulb onion culture and management.New Mexico State Univ. Coop. Ext. Serv. Circ. 563.

Garcia, R., L. Scheffe, J. Allen, and R.D. Fischer. 1999.Irrigating efficiently: A guide for surface water irrigators.U.S. Dept. Agr. Natural Resources Conservation Serv.

Hanson, B., L. Schwankl, S. Grattan, and T. Prichard.1997. Drip irrigation for row crops. Univ. California,DANR publ. 3376, Davis.

7

Contributions of the NMSU Breeding Program to theNew Mexico Onion Industry

Joe Corgan, Professor Emeritus, New Mexico State University

First, I will make some general comments about theNew Mexico onion industry. These comments are based,in part, on available statistics and, in part, on observa-tion. I will discuss some of the changes that haveoccurred during the past 30 years and some possibleexplanations for these changes. I will outline some ofthe contributions that the NMSU onion breeding pro-gram has made to the industry and how these contribu-tions have impacted the industry.

Onion acreage in New Mexico has grown from about3,000 acres in 1970 to between 7,000 and 10,000 acresduring the last 10 years. Along with the growth inacreage, there has been an increase in per-acre averageyield from nearly 600 to approximately 900 50 lb. bags.With more than a doubling of acreage and a 50-percentincrease in per-acre yield, New Mexico growers marketsignificantly more volume than in the past. New Mexiconow produces approximately half of the U.S. supply ofonions during June and July. The number of growersproducing more than 100 acres has increased, and therehas been an increase in the number of shippers andbrokers.

The industry has matured in different respects, andoptions for marketing have become more numerous.Many of the present producers are second and thirdgeneration onion growers, so that the level of experi-ence in the onion industry is much greater than in thepast. In addition, the industry has tended to integratevertically. That is, several growers harvest, grade andpack their own onions, capturing a significant fractionof the marketing income that in the past would accrue toshippers and brokers. Marketing of “sweet” onions hasbecome an option, and several growers and shipperspromote and sell a fraction of their crop under a “sweet”label. The proportion of the crop that is sold to proces-sors has increased to the extent that processing onions

have become an important marketing option for NewMexico onion growers.

New Mexico has several advantages for producingand marketing onions and some disadvantages in com-parison with competing production areas. The climatepermits production of short-, intermediate- and long-day varieties, with a harvest season extending from lateMay through late August. The long harvest seasonpermits use of equipment and facilities over a longperiod of time, which reduces the unit cost assigned tothose items. For example, a grader used for 12 weeks ascompared with only four weeks results in less fixed costassigned to each sack of onions. Our desert climate, ingeneral, is favorable for onions, although summer rain-fall sometimes causes problems. The high elevation,and resulting high light intensity, plus a high proportionof sunny days are conducive to a very high yield poten-tial. The history of onion production in the area hasresulted in knowledgeable growers and the presence ofhandling and marketing structures and personnel.

Disadvantages include high temperatures that some-times cause heat damage to the bulbs, and the summerrainfall that sometimes causes problems with decay.During particularly wet seasons, the bacterial diseasescan be highly destructive. Isolation, resulting in lessthan ideal transportation availability and higher trans-portation costs, has been a disadvantage at times.However, overall, the advantages outweigh the disad-vantages at times. No doubt this is the main reason thatthe New Mexico industry is expanding.

The NMSU breeding program began in 1976 with amodest plan to develop bolting resistance in a short-day(overwintering) variety, so that onions could be plantedin September instead of mid-October. The earlier plant-ing results in larger bulbs and greater yields and lesschance of cold damage to the overwintering plants.

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‘NuMex BR1’ was released in 1980 and was acceptedimmediately by the industry. The earlier plantinggave it a major yield advantage over other availablevarieties. A major contribution of the NMSU pro-gram was the recognition that bolting resistance is amajor advantage for the overwintering crop. ‘NuMexSunlite’ was released in 1986. During the next fewyears, it largely replaced ‘NuMex BR 1’. ‘NuMexSunlite’ has since been replaced by ‘NuMex Starlite’released in 1990, ‘NuMex Mesa’ released in 1996,‘NuMex Chaco’ released in 1999, and hybrids devel-oped by the seed industry. ‘NuMex Mesa’ has im-proved bolting resistance over ‘NuMex Sunlite’. Italso is much firmer and has better scale retention.‘NuMex Chaco’ is the first short-day variety from theNMSU program that has a high percentage of singlecenters suitable for ring processing. ‘NuMex Mesa’and ‘NuMex Chaco’ should serve the New Mexicoindustry well for several years to come. Chris Cramerwill have more to say about ‘NuMex Chaco’ in hispresentation.

One of our goals was to develop later-maturingvarieties of overwintering onions, which could beplanted in the fall to mature from June 10 to July 1. In1986, we released ‘NuMex Sundial’ and ‘NuMexSuntop’, for planting in mid-October and harvest July1. Later, in 1996, ‘NuMex Vado’ and ‘NuMex Luna’,which mature from planting on June 10 and June 20,respectively, were released. The varieties have beenpartially successful. Producers still grow ‘NuMexSundial’, and they have begun to plant ‘NuMex Luna’.One concern with these late varieties that have longergrowing periods is that they produce several moreleaves and, as a result, tend to have large necks.Because of this, they tend to be more susceptible tobacterial diseases if fields are wet at harvest. How-ever, the yield potential is excellent, and the produc-tion cost likely is less than for transplants that wouldmature in the same season. Time will tell whetherthese varieties will be competitive with transplants.

‘NuMex Starlite’ was the first variety releasedfrom NMSU that was recommended for marketing asa “sweet” onion. Marisa Wall has since released fourother “sweet” varieties: ‘NuMex Sweetpak’, ‘NuMexDulce’, ‘NuMex Freedom’, and ‘NuMex Arthur’.These varieties provide the New Mexico industrywith five high-quality, low-pungency options thatmature from late May through mid-July and form thebasis for a national sweet onion promotional pro-gram.

The varieties grown in New Mexico before 1980were, in general, highly susceptible to pink rootdisease. By that time, much of the land devoted toonion production had been highly infested with thepink root pathogen. Pink root started to have a majoreffect on yields. Growers asked that the NMSU breed-

ing program have a primary objective to develop pinkroot resistant (prr) varieties in all maturity groups.Actually, this had already begun with the develop-ment of ‘NuMex BR 1’ from ‘Texas Grano 502’, avariety that had partial resistance to pink root. ‘NuMexSunlite’ had improved prr over ‘NuMex BR1’, andsubsequent releases have high prr levels. The NMSUprogram has had an important impact on New Mexicoonion yields through improvement in pink root resis-tance. Many varieties developed by the seed industrysince 1980 also are partially or highly resistant topink root. Some of these varieties were developedusing germplasm released by the NMSU program.

In 1980, the NMSU program was expanded toinclude spring-planted, intermediate- and long-dayonions. The primary objective was improved pinkroot resistance. ‘NuMex Casper’ was released in1990. ‘NuMex Casper,’ an intermediate white vari-ety, matures on July 10 from spring seeding or June25 from transplants. ‘NuMex Bolo’ and ‘NuMex JoseFernandez’ were released in 1992. These are yellowintermediates that mature about July 10. JoseFernandez generally has been well-accepted. It com-petes well with intermediate-day hybrids. ‘NuMexCentric’, a yellow variety with a high percentage ofsingle centers, was released in 1996. It matures fromJuly 20 to 25 from spring seeding. ‘NuMex Centric’has marketing potential as a ring processing onionbut has not yet been grown extensively. Severalexcellent intermediate- and long-day varieties withhigh prr levels have been developed by the seedindustry since 1980. Many of these are grown exten-sively in New Mexico.

The NMSU program has concentrated on yellowvarieties, because most of the shipped volume isyellow. However, much is shipped as mixed loads,containing yellow, white and red varieties. There isa need for more work on both white and red varietiesthat are adapted for production in New Mexico. Oneway to spread risk is to produce all three colors thatmature throughout the harvest season. With a har-vest season of 12 weeks and all three colors matur-ing each week, a grower conceivably could plant 36different varieties.

Our program has concentrated on developing open-pollinated varieties. There seems little advantage ofa hybrid variety over an open-pollinated one. Except,seed companies cannot easily protect open-polli-nated varieties. And, as a result, the major companiestend to market only hybrids. Seeds of the NMSUvarieties have mainly been produced locally. Localproducers have problems dealing with the number ofvarieties released. Also, because sales are mainlylocal and varieties are somewhat in flux, inventorymanagement becomes a major concern.

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We initiated a program to develop inbreds forhybrids about 1985. Several inbreds are nearing re-lease, and I think that Chris Cramer will talk moreabout those in his presentation. The minimum time todevelop an inbred is about 15 to 18 years. But oncedeveloped, a high-quality inbred can sometimes beused to produce several different varieties.

Marissa Wall did an excellent job on the sweetonion program. The varieties that she released arelikely the best quality of any sweet varieties avail-able, and they will be an excellent resource for theNew Mexico industry as it moves more strongly intoa sweet onion marketing program. Since my retire-ment in 1996, Chris Cramer has managed the pro-gram. He has done an excellent job and has finishedout some of the lines that were partially completewhen I retired. He will describe more recent develop-ments in the program.

I am still working in the program part-time tomaintain the genetic quality of varieties that havebeen released. For each variety, we screen a plantingevery two years to select 100 or more bulbs that arethen planted for seed increase. This small quantity isfurther increased (seed to seed) to provide about 10pounds (more or less) to the New Mexico CropImprovement Association as foundation seed. Thisseed should then be the soul source of foundationseed for seed growers to increase to either registeredor certified seed. Most of the varieties released since1990 are required to be sold only as certified seed. Byinsisting that seeds be certified, growers can takeadvantage of the program to maintain as high agenetic quality as possible. I highly recommend thatwhen you purchase seed of any NMSU variety youinsist it carry a certification tag.

My current program to maintain the varieties issupported by the Jose Fernandez Chair in Crop Pro-duction. This chair was created by a grant from theChavez family in honor of Mrs. Chavez’s father, JoseFernandez, who was a prominent farmer and grewnumerous crops in southern New Mexico for manyyears. I wish to express my thanks and appreciation tothe Chavez family for the support they have providedto the program over the past 10-plus years.

I would be remiss if I did not say “thank you” to theNew Mexico onion industry for support providedthrough the New Mexico Dry Onion Commission forthe onion breeding program. Your support has beenexcellent and has enabled much of the work to date.This support continues to be strong.

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Current and Future Objectives of NMSU’sOnion Breeding Program

Christopher S. Cramer, Assistant Professor, Onion Breeder, New Mexico State University

When I first joined the NMSU onion breeding pro-gram in 1997, 17 onion varieties already had beendeveloped and released and firm objectives for varietydevelopment had been set. Many of the breeding objec-tives remain the same today. In my talk, I will discussthe current objectives of the NMSU onion breedingprogram, present several new varieties that have beenreleased over the past three years and discuss theprogram’s future objectives.

As Joe Corgan discussed, one of the program’s breed-ing objectives was to develop varieties with varyingmaturities to provide continual onion harvest through-out the season. Currently, there are few fall-seededcultivars that mature in late June. Fall-seeded varietiesthat matured at the same time as transplanted varietieswould be more economical than transplanted varietiesand would provide higher yields, comparable bulb qual-ity and continual harvest. In addition, white and redonion varieties need to be developed with varyingmaturities to support gaps in harvest periods. With theseneeds, our breeding program will continue to developvarieties that fill a certain harvest period.

Another objective is the ongoing development ofpink root resistant varieties. Pink root is a major soil-borne fungal disease found in New Mexico. The diseasereduces bulb size, which, in turn, reduces bulb yield.Resistant varieties are less expensive than other controlmeasures, such as fumigation. Previously releasedNuMex onion varieties have possessed a high level ofpink root resistance. All future varieties released fromthe program will have a high level of pink root toleranceor resistance.

For fall-seeded onion varieties, bolting or prematureseedstalk formation can be a problem, depending onenvironmental conditions. Growers will plant bolting-

susceptible varieties later to reduce bolting incidence.Onions planted later are more susceptible to winterinjury, particular in the Uvas region and near Deming.Varieties that can be planted earlier with no increase inbolting will exhibit less winter injury and bolting andmay produce larger bulbs and greater yields than bolt-ing-susceptible varieties. An ongoing objective of thebreeding program is to develop fall-seeded varieties thatpossess a high level of bolting resistance and varietiesthat can be planted earlier than bolting-susceptiblevarieties with no increase in bolting.

Since the program first released onion varieties, therehas been interest in low pungency varieties that could bemarketed as sweet onions. Sweet onions often willcommand a higher price in the marketplace and repre-sent a higher return. A sweet onion breeding programwas initiated by Marisa Wall to develop varieties thatwere uniformly low in pungency and varied in maturitytimes, so that New Mexico sweet onions could bemarketed over a longer time period. To date, five vari-eties have been developed and released that can bemarketed as sweet onions. Our objective is to continueWall’s work by developing low pungency varieties tofill certain harvest gaps and also extend the harvestperiod for sweet onions in New Mexico.

With the volatility of the fresh-market onion indus-try, more growers and shippers are looking to theprocessed onion industry for increased sales. Amongthe different types of onion processing, ring processingcan provide a high return. For ring processing, thepercentage of onions that possess a single growing pointor single center is critically important. Onion ring pro-cessors prefer shipments with 85 percent or highersingle centers. Breeding for high percentages of single-centered onions is fairly new. As a result, fall-seeded

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onion varieties normally possess a low to moderatepercentage of single-centered bulbs. The continued goalof our breeding program is to develop onion varietiesthat produce a high percentage of bulbs with singlecenters, such that the varieties will be well-suited forring processing.

Six varieties that have been developed and releasedfrom the onion breeding program in the last three yearsillustrate the program’s current objectives. In 2000, theprogram released ‘NuMex Arthur’, ‘NuMex Chaco’,‘NuMex Freedom’ and ‘NuMex Snowball’. ‘NuMexChaco’ is an open-pollinated, short-day, fall-seeded,yellow, grano-type onion that matures from May 20 toMay 30. It has excellent yield, firmness, pink rootresistance and bolting resistance; a high percentage ofsingle-centered bulbs; round to slightly top shape; goodscale quality; and early maturity, similar to ‘NuMexMesa’. ‘NuMex Chaco’ produces a higher percentageof single-centered bulbs than any other cultivar in itsmaturity class. ‘NuMex Snowball’ is an open-pollinated, spring-seeded, late-maturing, intermediate-day, white onion that matures from July 25 to August 5.‘NuMex Snowball’ has a round shape, excellent yield,white bulb color, firmness, pink root resistance, largebulbs and a moderate percentage of single-centeredbulbs. Both varieties are being marketed exclusivelythrough Lockhart Seeds of Stockton, Calif. The firstcommercial seed for sale is expected this fall.

Both ‘NuMex Arthur’ and ‘NuMex Freedom’ weredeveloped by Wall’s breeding program. These varietiesproduce low pungency bulbs that can be marketed assweet onions. ‘NuMex Freedom’ is an open-pollinated,fall-seeded, late-maturing, intermediate-day, yellow,grano-type onion that matures from June 25 to July 1. Ithas excellent yield, pink root resistance and boltingresistance. ‘NuMex Freedom’ is the only low pungencyonion in its maturity class that can be fall-seeded toproduce high yields of “sweet” onions for marketingfrom late June to early July. ‘NuMex Arthur’ is an open-pollinated, spring-seeded, late-maturing, intermediate-day, yellow onion variety that matures from July 23 toAug 1. It has excellent yield, pink root resistance andlate maturity. Bulbs are very mild, firm, large and nearlyround. ‘NuMex Arthur’ is the only low pungency onionvariety in its maturity class to provide a harvest of lowpungency (“sweet”) onions during late July. Seed ofboth varieties is being produced locally, and the firstcommercial seed will be available for sale this fall fromLockhart Seeds or Helena Chemical Co.

This year, we announced the release of two new fall-seeded onion varieties. ‘NuMex Crimson’ is an open-pollinated, short-day, early-maturing, red onion varietythat matures about the same time as ‘Cardinal’ from lateMay to early June. The variety has slightly better pinkroot resistance, less Fusarium basal rot, a higher per-centage of single centers and higher yields than ‘Cardi-

nal’ on pink-root infested soils. ‘NuMex Crimson’ hasexcellent internal and external red scale color, excellentbolting resistance and a flat globe shape. ‘NuMex Solano’is an open-pollinated, intermediate-day, late-maturing,white onion variety that matures from June 13 to June21. It has excellent clean, white bulb color; excellentbolting and pink root resistance; round and hard bulbs;and a high percentage of single-centered bulbs. ‘NuMexSolano’ matures later than any other fall-seeded, whiteonion variety and matures at a time when transplantswould be harvested. Both varieties have performed wellin our fields as well as growers’ fields. Commercial seedof both varieties should be available in fall 2004.

We will continue to use fall-seeded transplants andspring-seeded variety trials to compare new varietiesand advanced breeding lines to released NuMex variet-ies and other commercially available varieties for bulbyield and quality characteristics. Trial results will beavailable to growers, shippers, packers, salespeople andbreeders at our annual field days in variety trial reports,and on our onion Web page on the World Wide Web athttp://onion.nmsu.edu.

The future objectives of our breeding program aremultifaceted. The objectives come from changes wethink will happen in the onion industry. We want NewMexico onion growers to remain competitive. Theseobjectives will not only impact our breeding goals butalso our research goals.

The current method of hand harvesting is labor-intensive and accounts for two-thirds of the cost ofproducing a sack of onions. Mechanical harvestingwould greatly reduce harvesting costs by reducing laborcosts and would provide growers with more money.Other onion growing regions of the United States areusing mechanical harvesting successfully. In order toremain competitive, New Mexico growers will adoptmechanical harvesting. However, appropriate culturalpractices and onion varieties must be developed beforemechanical harvesting can become a profitable andfeasible reality in New Mexico. The current varietiesgrown in New Mexico were developed for hand harvest-ing and not for mechanical harvesting. Mechanicalharvesting of current varieties can result in damage;quality reduction; yield reduction; and additional har-vesting, grading and processing costs. New onion vari-eties that are adapted to mechanical harvesting must bedeveloped to prevent reduced onion yield, quality andprofit. In growing regions where mechanical harvestingis used, onion cultural practices have been modified tobetter accommodate mechanical harvesting. Researchneeds to be conducted to determine the cultural prac-tices, such as irrigation, fertilization and harvest timing,which need to be modified for efficient and profitablemechanical harvesting.

As with other crops, special onion commodities com-mand a higher price and provide growers with addi-

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tional income. The price that growers in Georgiareceive for Vidalia sweet onions, an onion specialtycrop, is three times the amount that New Mexicogrowers receive for yellow onions. Consumers areincreasingly asking for and being provided with veg-etable varieties that possess high nutritional quality,such as tomatoes with higher lycopene levels andcarrots with higher beta-carotene levels. These veg-etable varieties with increased nutritional contentcommand a higher price than traditional varieties andalso increase the marketing options for growers.Onions naturally possess high levels of a specialnutritional compound called quercitin. When onionsare consumed, quercitin is released into the bloodstream, and it acts as an antioxidant molecule bybinding free radicals and preventing cancer cellsfrom developing. Onion varieties that possess veryhigh quercitin levels could be marketed as cancerpreventative foods. An onion variety with increasedquercitin levels has not been developed yet. Develop-ing such a variety will provide New Mexico oniongrowers and shippers with increased onion sales to adifferent market segment and increased price returns.

Among the fungal diseases that affect onion,Fusarium basal rot (FBR) ranks as the second mostdevastating disease in New Mexico, with FBR inci-dence likely to increase in the future. Levels ofresistance in short- and intermediate-day commercialvarieties are low. Our program is screening NMSU’scurrent breeding lines and commercial short- andintermediate-day varieties for FBR resistance. Theresults from this screening will help identify sourcesof FBR resistance that can be incorporated into NMSUvarieties, develop efficient selection strategies forimproving FBR resistance, and develop FBR-resistant, short- and intermediate-day varieties.

For the last 10-15 years, hybrid onion varietieshave been the standard from commercial seed com-panies. Our breeding program has been working onthe development of pollinator, male-sterile and main-tainer inbred lines that can be used to develop hybridvarieties. We are in the process of evaluating hybridvarieties developed from our program. In the nearfuture, we expect to release hybrid varieties that willperform as well as, if not better than, open-pollinatedvarieties released from the program.

At this time, I would like to thank all of theindividuals who are involved with the onion breedingprogram and help to make it a success. A majority ofthe program’s funding comes from the New MexicoDry Onion Commission and the New Mexico oniongrowers. Without your financial support, none of theprogram’s work would be possible. I would like tothank Jim Fowler and his support staff at the FabianGarcia Research Center for their assistance with ourfield work. I would like to thank Ray Muhyi, our new

senior research specialist for the program, for all ofhis help. I would like to thank the graduate studentswho are involved in the program, Troy Larsen, Jes-sica Lopez and Jose Palma. They are responsible forsome of the research that the program conducts. Iwould like to thank all of the undergraduate studentswho work on the program. Each year, we hire 12-15students to work with us. The work they do is notglamorous but is necessary if the program is going tobe successful. Finally, I would like to thank JoeCorgan for all of his advice and for being a valuablementor to me.

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The Role of Sweet and Processing Onions in theFuture of the New Mexico Onion Industry

Joe Corgan, Professor Emeritus, New Mexico State University

My comments about sweet onions have to be pref-aced by my background, which is in research on plantbreeding and genetics, rather than onion productionand marketing. I actually feel comfortable talkingabout production but am a rank amateur when itcomes to promotion and marketing.

First, the New Mexico industry has a great set ofvarieties to work with in developing a sweet onionpromotion program. With ‘NuMex Starlite’ and MarisaWall’s four other releases, sweet onion marketing canbegin about May 20 with ‘NuMex Sweetpak’ and con-tinue uninterrupted until about July 30. ‘NuMex Arthur’matures in mid-July in Las Cruces, but in the Uvas andDeming area it should mature a week or two later. Byplanting later (March 15), it may be possible to delaymaturity until August 1 or later. With an August 1maturity, by the time harvest, grading and marketing arecomplete, we may have extended the marketing seasonto mid-August. There also is the option to store the lateonions in cold storage for the short term or in controlledatmosphere for the longer term. It seems to me that thelonger the marketing season can be extended, the moreeffective it can be.

Sweet onion quality will be important to success of apromotion and marketing program. New Mexico’s sweetonions are high in quality in that pungency is low andsugar content is high. Not much emphasis has beenplaced on actual sweetness in sweet onion marketing.However, with the high light intensity in New Mexico,resulting in high rates of photosynthesis, our onionsprobably are the sweetest available anywhere. Over theyears, I have purchased “sweet” onions marketed fromother areas of the United States and South America andcompared them with New Mexico’s sweets. None are asgood as the New Mexico ones. This may be a biased

opinion, but I think actual sweetness is a promotablecharacteristic.

Maintaining quality will be a continuing issue in asweet onion marketing program. How do you arrive atstandards, and once you define them, how do youenforce them? If you really want an effective statewidepromotion and marketing program, then enforcement ofstandards becomes a major issue. One person marketinga pungent onion under a “sweet” label can impact theentire state program. A national promotional program isnot cheap. At its best, it would likely require profes-sional management and the cost would be in the hun-dreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars. Assumingthe promotional costs were $1 million annually, that’sabout 2 percent of the gross value of onions marketedfrom the state. Can a sweet onion program recoup thiscost and, if so, is there adequate interest and support forit among New Mexico growers and shippers? A vehiclefor funding such a program is available through the NewMexico Dry Onion Commission, but grower assess-ments would have to be significantly higher than atpresent.

In summary, the high-quality, sweet varieties are aresource available to the New Mexico onion industry. Ihave questions about how you capitalize on this re-source, but I don’t have the answers.

In terms of processing onions, I would say that inmaintaining the varieties already released by the NMSUprogram, we continue to cut bulbs and screen for singlecenters. Several varieties released to date have suffi-ciently high single center percentages to qualify forring processing.

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What’s Hot, What’s Not and What’s Next:Onion Trends and Promotional Projects

Tanya Fell, Director of Public and Industry Relations, National Onion Association

There are current trends in American society thatpromise to have great impact on onion productionand marketing. The most significant is the portion ofthe food dollar that is spent away from home. Cur-rently, more than 44 percent of the U.S. food dollar isbeing spent away from home, and it is anticipated thatit will exceed 60 percent by 2010. This represents ashift in the balance of power from kitchens to restau-rants. It is thought that this shift will result in in-creased onion consumption in the United States.

Another favorable trend for the onion industry isincreasing consumer demand for spices and herbs.Americans are expecting more onions, chile pepper,cilantro and garlic in their diets.

A third, and fundamentally important, trend is a shiftaway from healthful foods and toward indulgent dietchoices. The number of Americans who avoid fats andfried foods is decreasing. The numbers are increasingfor those who eat doughnuts, steaks, deluxe hamburgersand creamy ice creams.

Another general consumer trend is toward foodsthat are convenient, wholesome, good tasting andeconomical.

PROMOTIONAL PROJECTS

Promotional efforts this past year by the NationalOnion Association generated outstanding results. Theultimate goal of all public relations efforts is to get thelargest impact for the least amount of money. Thefollowing accomplishments have been made possibledue to the invaluable support of growers, shippers andsuppliers from across the nation.

In looking at food service, consumer, produce andonion trends, it is apparent that the onion industry stillhas growth potential. On the consumer watch, one of thetrends in meal preparation is more spices and herbs.Consumers want to be indulged with lots of flavorwithout feeling deprived; meaning onions are beingused more and more in a wide range of cuisines.

One trend that is particularly interesting camefrom the Perishables Group Fresh Facts study, whichstated that 31 percent of consumers would like morerecipes for onions. This figure was the highest in thesurvey of all fruits and vegetables. Additionally, 16percent of consumers were seeking more informationabout preparation.

In the way of promotions for the year of 2001, theNational Onion Association (NOA) cosponsored thespring series of Taste of Home cooking schools. Morethan 130 cooking schools were held nationwide with atotal attendance exceeding 120,000. Participants whoattended the schools are people who generally preparea number of meals at home each week. Onions werefeatured in the cooking demonstrations with a focus onkey onion points during each presentation. FourteenNOA recipes and eight photos were included in theTaste of Home cookbook. The NOA’s “Favorite OnionRecipe” brochure was supplied for each participant giftbag. This is one of the larger projects that the NOA hasattempted, and we are excited that it was such a huge hitacross the country.

New black and white mat releases are also currentlybeing made available to the media. Essentially, a blackand white mat release is a camera-ready article avail-able to the editors of more than 10,000 communitynewspapers nationwide. The spring article, “Onions

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Sizzle with Flavor and Nutrition,” focused on thehealth benefits of onions and included a sizzling steakand onion fajita recipe. Based on the latest circulationreport, the article has generated nearly 1,000 newspaperarticles with a readership of more than 73 million. Thefall release, “Warm Up With Savory Onion Soup,”discusses handling, storing and preparing the storageonion and includes an onion soup recipe. This releasecurrently has received almost 1,000 placements with areadership of more than 56 million. If the NOA were topay for the newspaper placements individually, the costwould have exceeded $303,000. The numbers are stillclimbing at this time, so be sure to watch your localnewspapers for this article.

Following the Alliums 2000 Conference in Athens,Ga., the NOA developed new onion health fact sheetsand completed the “Phytochemical Properties of On-ions” health summary. Both pieces and the newly devel-oped “Onions for Your Health” brochure were sent tomore than 700 national health and food syndicatedwriters, magazine writers and radio food shows. Thismailing produced significant interest from the media,which, in turn, produced a number of articles thatfeatured the health aspects of onions. Articles appearedin Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies Home Journaland Bon Appétit.

Foodservice publicity has also been a key to promot-ing onion usage to chefs, restaurant operators and com-mercial operators. The NOA received 21 placements ina variety of publications with an estimated value ofnearly $75,000. The placements consist of chef-developed recipes and food photography. The NOAworks directly with chefs for recipes and new oniontrends and uses. I would like to encourage everyone toshare their favorite restaurant use of onions by simply e-mailing me at tfell@onions-usa.org.

Promotional efforts are a key to helping marketonions and increase the per capita consumption of thiswonderful vegetable. The promotion committee wouldlike to thank everyone involved for their continuedsupport of promotions and generosity this past year.

REFERENCES

National Onion Association. 200l. Media Releases.Greeley, Colo.

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Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)

Nancy C. Flores, Food Technology Specialist, New Mexico State University

Food safety begins on the farm for fresh fruits andvegetables. Good Agricultural Practices or GAP is aprogram to improve food safety. GAP is importantbecause the U.S. total per capita annual consumption offruits and vegetables is increasing. Over the last 27years, there has been a 24-percent increase. With thisincrease has come greater consumer concern aboutfoodborne illness related to fresh fruit and vegetables.There is reason for the concern—75 percent of foodborneillness outbreaks have been related to domesticallygrown produce. Most of the outbreaks were caused bysalmonella and E. coli. Changes in the social demo-graphics of our country also make GAP important. Theelderly, immune compromised, pregnant women, andchildren are more vulverable to foodborne illness thanhealthy people.

There are several things that can be done to reduce therisk of foodborne illness from fruits and vegetables:

• Microbial contamination can occur at any point fromfarm to fork.

• Commitment from farm owners and workers to growand harvest the safest produce possible.

• Following Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) onthe farm and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)the packing house will reduce the risk of microbialcontamination.

• There is no guarantee that produce is free of harmfulbacteria.

• Taking preventative measures during all productionstages may reduce the risk of contamination andspread of harmful bacteria.

There is a national initiative to provide training to farmowners and farm workers on:

• Identifying potential sources of microbial con-tamination.

• Hand washing and personal hygiene.• Minimizing risk during planting and production.• Minimizing risk during harvest.• Minimizing risk during postharvest handling.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Cornell Good Agricultural Practices Program,Cornell University, Geneva, N.Y. 14456; telephone:315/787-2625; e-mail: eab38@cornell.edu.

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Exporting New Mexico’s Onions to Mexicoand Other Countries

Sherry Sanderson, Bureau Chief, Entomology and Nursery Industries,New Mexico Department of Agriculture

In 2000, approximately 8,000 acres of onion wereplanted in New Mexico. The production centers wereDoña Ana, Luna and Sierra counties.

Onions were exported to three foreign countries in2001: Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Each export shipment requires a federal phytosanitarycertificate. NMDA issued certificates for the shipmentof 43,664,000 lbs to Mexico, 270,000 lbs to Hondurasand 135,000 lbs to Nicaragua.

For export to Mexico, the federal phytosanitary cer-tificate requires additional declarations for stem andbulb nematode (Ditylenchus dispaci), onion white rot(Sclerotium cepivorum) and silver leaf whitefly (Bemisiaargentifolii). No additional declarations are required forexport to Honduras or Nicaragua.

Garlic is a new crop for New Mexico, but farmershave to be vigilant when they import garlic plantingmaterial so as to not accidentally introduce garlic rust,which could attack the onion crop.

Farmers should also be vigilant about two new insectpests—leek moth and a new thrips species—which needto be excluded from the state.

To expand the export of onions to foreign countries,New Mexico must first take steps to protect its produc-tion. This can be done by conducting additional pestsurveys in the production areas, imposing more quaran-tines and inspecting imported propagation material.

Farmers should alert NMDA in advance when theyare considering exporting to foreign countries. Thisgives NMDA staff time to prepare the federalphytosanitary certificates.

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A Marketing Order: How it Works

Thomas Clevenger, Professor Emeritus, New Mexico State University

A federal crop marketing order is an organizationalmarketing alternative that agricultural producers of spe-cialty crops may want to consider. This order is notpermitted for livestock or the basic field crops. Amarketing order is a way for an agricultural crop indus-try to seek orderly marketing of its production.

A federal marketing order sets up a mechanism for allproducers of a crop in a given area to exercise controlover selected aspects of marketing their crop and yet beexempt from antitrust prosecution. The federal lawpermitting marketing orders is the Agricultural Market-ing Agreement Act of 1937.

Each crop marketing order is developed by and forthe particular needs of the commodity group seeking themarketing order. One or all of the following provisionsmay be included in a crop marketing order:• specifying grades, size, quality or maturity;• advertising, promotion, market development and re-

search;• allotting the amount each processor may handle or

purchase;• establishing how much may be marketed during a set

period;• establishing methods of determining surpluses and

their control and disposition;• establishing a reserve product pool;• inspecting the product;• fixing the size, capacity, weight, dimensions or pack

of the containers used in marketing;• prohibiting unfair competition and unfair trade prac-

tices; and• requiring processors to file their selling prices and to

not sell below prices filed.Only those marketing tools included in a marketing

order may be used by that commodity group. Any one

tool, or a combination of the above, may be written intothe order.

To start a marketing order, an order proposal mustbe submitted with a request for hearings on the order tothe U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. If sufficient growersupport is shown, the secretary holds public hearingson the proposal. Opportunities for written commentsfollow the hearings. Then the secretary makes a deci-sion about whether or not to submit a proposed market-ing order to a vote of all growers. The marketing orderis started if two-thirds of the voting growers vote infavor of the order or if those representing two-thirds ofthe production vote for the order. Marketing orders areended when more than half of the growers with morethan half the production vote against the order. Anorder may be amended through a procedure similar tothat for initiating the order.

A marketing order is administered by an electedboard of growers and processors and a public memberwho is elected by the other board members. Boardmembers, other than the public member, are elected bythose they represent on a one-person-one-vote basis.The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture oversees board ac-tions to make sure the board does not act beyond itsauthority as given in the marketing order.

Under the order, it is the processors who are regu-lated. Assessments for operating the order are collectedfrom processors or first handlers. However, they canpass that cost forward to buyers or deduct it in makingtheir purchases from growers. Imports are not regulatedunder a marketing order.

Advantages of a marketing order include industryself-control through use of selected marketing tools. Itprovides a means for all growers and processors to jointogether for various marketing activities. A disadvan-tage is that it is compulsory for all in the defined area.

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SUMMARY

Robert F. Bevacqua, Extension Vegetable Specialist, New Mexico State University

Onions are an important agricultural commodity inNew Mexico. The desert climate, high elevation andhigh light intensity are conducive to high yields. Since1976, the industry has been supported by a breedingprogram at NMSU that has developed 28 open-pollinated, mostly yellow varieties of the grano-type.The current objectives of this breeding program are todevelop varieties that are resistant to pink root diseaseand bolting, have single centers, possess high nutri-tional qualities, are suitable for mechanical harvestingand allow for continual harvest through the summer.

Thrips are the most common insect pest of onion inNew Mexico. An integrated pest management (IPM)approach is recommended for their control. Insecticidesprays are an important part of this IPM approach.

Onions are a shallow-rooted crop and are usuallyfurrow irrigated. These factors can contribute to waste-ful water use. Irrigation efficiency can be improved byadopting drip irrigation.

There are current trends in American society thatpromise to increase the demand for New Mexico’sonions. These trends include more meals being eatenin restaurants, more interest in meals flavored by herbsand spices, and less interest in healthful foods.

Onion consumption is being promoted by industryassociations that sponsor cooking schools, distributerecipes and prepare fact sheets on onions’ healthbenefits.

Some opportunities exist to expand New Mexico’sonion industry. Following the success of the Vidaliaonion in Georgia, sweet onions could be marketed aslow in pungency and high in sugars. The production ofvarieties with single centers for onion ring processingcould be increased. More onions could be exported toMexico and Central America. Also, more specialtyonions could be developed. For example, those that are

high in antioxidants could be marketed as cancerpreventing foods.

Consumer concern about foodborne illnesses has ledto a new program called Good Agricultural Practices orGAP. The aim of this program is to improve the safetyof fresh fruits and vegetables.

The New Mexico industry is considering adopting amarketing order to bring greater stability to onion mar-keting. If two-thirds of the growers are in favor, then thefederal government steps in with a program to makemarketing more orderly. The program can include grad-ing, packaging, inspections, allotments or limits andpromotion.

New Mexico State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and educator. NMSU and the U.S. Departmentof Agriculture cooperating.

April 2002 Las Cruces, NM5C