Red Onion Harvest
The process of harvesting onions needs to be adjusted to their purpose whether for consumption or nursery. Plants that have fertile growth also have a longer harvest age. Harvesting is best done on a sunny morning and does not rain. So that there is still enough time to take care of the harvest.
Harvesting is done by removing the shallots from the soil. Then collect the plants in each bed. After collecting enough, you can tie it into several groups. The harvest of the onion is then transported to the drying place.
Steps
- Withering and Drying
The purpose of this stage is to prevent damage to the tubers due to decay or disease. The drying method is done by drying the red onions under the hot sun. These plants are aligned with the standing position, where the leaves will protect the sun's exposure directly so that the skin of the tuber does not experience injury. Although cheap and easy to work on, this method is still dependent on the season and the extensive drying area
- Cleaning and Sorting
Cleaning is done by removing the dirt that is attached to the surface of the shallot tubers. Thus, the tubers look clean and the quality will rise. Meanwhile, sorting is a grouping of tubers based on their quality. Separate between the bulbous, not deformed, not rotten, and uniform in size with ugly, damaged, or rotten tubers.
- Storage
Harvested onion will usually be stored by binding it to a rope. Then hang each of the shallots on the cool and not humid ceiling. The disadvantage of this method is that the storage capacity is limited because it is directly affected by the size of the area. A good temperature for storing onion bulbs ranges from 30-34 degrees celsius with an humidity level of around 65-75 percent.